Author Topic: Caring for precious metal timepieces  (Read 3329 times)

Offline pleasuresaurus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 558
Caring for precious metal timepieces
« on: February 22, 2021, 10:04:40 AM »
Hi chaps, as the topic suggests, I wanted to ask you all for input on how u go about caring for precious metal timepieces.

Personally I don't have one. Yet  ;D

Mainly because I have I don't feel comfortable spending on them when I have no idea what to expect in terms of usage and care over the years -  I would wear my watches day in / day out if it strikes my fancy, and was concerned about wear and tear. Have stuck with SS because its durable and common enough. Would usage wear down the precious metal surface, damage, and what could be done to restore it to its former glory if that happens. I also don't wear any jewelry, hence not much experience to draw from in that regard either.
 

Offline koryong

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 167
Re: Caring for precious metal timepieces
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2021, 08:34:16 AM »
If you really "sayang" your watches, PM isn't ideal for daily use as they're a lot softer than SS & will ding & scratch more.  Getting them polished will restore this but will obviously reduce case thickness & alter the lines if done too often.

Can maybe consider PT and WG which are the harder of the PMs but to the untrained eye, they will look like SS, so it depends if you're going for the PM look or weight etc.

Personally I'd wear the heck out of my PM watch and leave the patina, dings etc.

 

Offline bulletnos

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 500
Re: Caring for precious metal timepieces
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2021, 02:57:03 PM »
You know, I have been wondering about this for some time as well...because of the rolex hype - where the resale value for SS models are much better in comparison to their PM counterparts...

thx for the reply to koryong!

Offline pleasuresaurus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 558
Re: Caring for precious metal timepieces
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2021, 05:34:42 PM »
Aside from safety, I think this is my biggest concern with precious metals. If worn daily, surely will scratch and get dull. Polishing is an option, but for a very limited number of times before it detriments the coating. Do brand service centers reapply gold onto cases during servicing? Is this a thing?

On a side note, it seems Rolex Everose contains some amount of platinum, which helps it hold its copper so as to retain that soft reddish tone for much longer. A plus point for rollies. ALS also has a proprietary blend they call honey gold, which they claim to be much harder than platinum. Which is interesting - the hardness of platinum comes up to about 230 Vickers, and the hardness of strong stainless steel formulations can come up to 390 Vickers. This honey gold must be some serious stuff.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2021, 05:41:30 PM by pleasuresaurus »

Offline dpkong

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2832
Re: Caring for precious metal timepieces
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2021, 08:43:50 PM »
I've worn a ROLEX 116523 as a daily for about 3-4 years and the gold parts are definitely softer than steel but after a service and polish, it looks nearly brand new but of course you can still see a few places where the nicks were too deep to be polished out. Yet to have a full gold model but surely it will be softer than steel ones. And you won't be so rough with a solid gold watch on your wrist.

Offline Gentlemen101

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 108
Re: Caring for precious metal timepieces
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2021, 08:00:54 AM »
When switch from TT/YG to SS, it’s feels cheap

Kinda missing allure of gold..

Offline koryong

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 167
Re: Caring for precious metal timepieces
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2021, 10:32:21 AM »
You know, I have been wondering about this for some time as well...because of the rolex hype - where the resale value for SS models are much better in comparison to their PM counterparts...

thx for the reply to koryong!

Welcomed   :Cheers:

The current low resale value of PM pieces also means it's a perfect time to pick up some great bargains  ;)  IMHO, any serious collector must have at least one solid gold piece in his / her collection.

Offline bulletnos

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 500
Re: Caring for precious metal timepieces
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2021, 12:47:40 PM »
I've been tempted to get a YG JLC for sometime now...just couldnt bring myself to pull the trigger yet...balik balik SS...hehehe

one day...

btw, I doubt service centers will reapply gold though...if they do, it must be some astronomical figure!

Offline pleasuresaurus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 558
Re: Caring for precious metal timepieces
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2021, 02:52:44 PM »
True also la kan? Prohibitively expensive. Perhaps should also start looking into certain gold model options and observe the price trends for those.