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Old 1 March 2018, 02:37 AM   #1
Chewbacca
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Icon5 Rhodium re-plating a WG DD 18039 bracelet.

yes? no?

any advice, thinking about doing it.

thanks in advance.

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Old 1 March 2018, 04:59 PM   #2
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I would not. I'm not a fan of rhodium plated WG.
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Old 1 March 2018, 06:20 PM   #3
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Curious, what’s wrong with your bracelet?
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Old 2 March 2018, 01:15 AM   #4
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Thank you Bas! Appreciate the advice.

I was asking Because the finish is coming off slowly like fading on the inside of the bracelet resulting in a dulling yellow/silver look. Apparently it's rhodium coated when new to maintain shine which is typical for wg watches and jewelry, but it does wear off over time. I believe Rolex still does this for wg components.

I'll get the watch and post pix shortly.

Thanks again
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Old 2 March 2018, 03:10 AM   #5
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Quote:
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I would not. I'm not a fan of rhodium plated WG.


Why?since it wears off?
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Old 2 March 2018, 03:19 AM   #6
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Why?since it wears off?
Yes.
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Rolex uses rare elves to polish the platinum. They have a union deal and make like $90 per hour and get time and half on weekends.
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Old 2 March 2018, 05:55 AM   #7
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I was under the impression that Rolex does not rhodium plate its white gold. Bas, do you know?

As far as I know WG comes in different grades depending on its whiteness. You alloy the gold with platinum and palladium to make it white which makes the WG heavier and more expensive than yellow gold if it is of the highest grades. You also do not need to plate it to make it white.
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Old 8 March 2018, 12:52 AM   #8
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I'm pretty sure no rolex WG is rhodium plated. That is why it has a slight colour cast.
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Old 8 March 2018, 05:45 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Chewbacca View Post
Thank you Bas! Appreciate the advice.

I was asking Because the finish is coming off slowly like fading on the inside of the bracelet resulting in a dulling yellow/silver look. Apparently it's rhodium coated when new to maintain shine which is typical for wg watches and jewelry, but it does wear off over time. I believe Rolex still does this for wg components.

I'll get the watch and post pix shortly.

Thanks again
If your watch has a factory finish and isn't plated by you then there should be no plating whatsoever.
White gold gets dull grey-ish, sometimes a little yellow hue. it just does.

Rolex does not plate their white gold with rhodium, other brands do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fredrik View Post
I was under the impression that Rolex does not rhodium plate its white gold. Bas, do you know?

As far as I know WG comes in different grades depending on its whiteness. You alloy the gold with platinum and palladium to make it white which makes the WG heavier and more expensive than yellow gold if it is of the highest grades. You also do not need to plate it to make it white.

That is correct.
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Rolex uses rare elves to polish the platinum. They have a union deal and make like $90 per hour and get time and half on weekends.
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Old 8 March 2018, 01:50 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SearChart View Post
If your watch has a factory finish and isn't plated by you then there should be no plating whatsoever.
White gold gets dull grey-ish, sometimes a little yellow hue. it just does.

Rolex does not plate their white gold with rhodium, other brands do.




That is correct.

i'll grab it this weekend and post pix. thanks again Bas.
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Old 8 March 2018, 05:20 PM   #11
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i'll grab it this weekend and post pix. thanks again Bas.
Looking forward to it
Yours could be 'after market' plated though, uncommon but it does happen.
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Rolex uses rare elves to polish the platinum. They have a union deal and make like $90 per hour and get time and half on weekends.
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Old 9 March 2018, 12:26 AM   #12
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Looking forward to it
Yours could be 'after market' plated though, uncommon but it does happen.
How dare you! It's a one owner never polished DD bought by my father!

I'll get you Bas!!!!!

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Old 9 March 2018, 01:58 AM   #13
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How dare you! It's a one owner never polished DD bought by my father!

I'll get you Bas!!!!!

Then there is no rhodium plating. Rolex never did this on these models.
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Old 9 March 2018, 05:13 AM   #14
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While Rolex does not rhodium plate their white gold watches, an older Day Date would look really nice rhodium plated. Down side is it does wear off, plus the watch has to be polished and refinished prior to plating. As my jewelry school instructor taught us, "your plating is only as good as your polishing"
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Old 11 March 2018, 09:09 AM   #15
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Here's what I was referring to.
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Old 11 March 2018, 09:10 AM   #16
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Old 11 March 2018, 09:13 AM   #17
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She's still got it where it counts.
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Old 11 March 2018, 10:55 AM   #18
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Yes agree something fishy here with the bracelet like aftermarket treatment or something at some point. But can't figure out why.
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Old 11 March 2018, 02:31 PM   #19
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Yes agree something fishy here with the bracelet like aftermarket treatment or something at some point. But can't figure out why.
i don't know.

its 100pct original.

never polished, serviced or anything.

i'm not going to do anything to it but it is a mystery.

the crown is also yellowing a bit too but i've seen that on older DD's in WG.
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Old 11 March 2018, 05:11 PM   #20
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Nice DD and I really like that dial Chewy but I can't understand the discolouration on the back of the bracelet.
But white gold is an amalgam and I wonder if the other additives are oxidising.
I would give the back of the bracelet or clasp a gentle wipe with silvo or a silver polishing cloth and check the cloth for black oxide removal.
This won't harm the white gold but may give me a clue as to the issue you have.
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Old 11 March 2018, 05:12 PM   #21
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That is just some colour bleeding where the clasp rubs the bracelet.
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Old 11 March 2018, 05:14 PM   #22
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What have you done Chew as far as trying to clean it?
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Old 12 March 2018, 01:29 AM   #23
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Thanks for the comments gents.

Bas, ya, that's what I thought and why I'm going to leave it be. Can't be seen on the outside but it exceeds the clasp contact area by a new mm's.

Mon, handsoap and a soft toothbrush. Maybe once a year. I don't wear this much.
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Old 12 March 2018, 01:34 AM   #24
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Nice DD and I really like that dial Chewy but I can't understand the discolouration on the back of the bracelet.
But white gold is an amalgam and I wonder if the other additives are oxidising.
I would give the back of the bracelet or clasp a gentle wipe with silvo or a silver polishing cloth and check the cloth for black oxide removal.
This won't harm the white gold but may give me a clue as to the issue you have.
Thanks Eddie.

It could very well be an oxidation issue.

Wondering if the clasp gold and coating composition reacted negatively with the band compositions.

She's a 85-88 model single quickset but I'm not a dd expert.
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Old 13 March 2018, 06:02 AM   #25
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Is the wear pattern actually yellowish like it looks on the photo, or just more shiny from contact?

The only other “out there” thought is your Dad’s sweat levels and elements in it. That + lotions, oils, etc that come in contact with the clasp blade and then “burnished” onto the WG links so that friction creates a reaction with the alloyed metals within the 18K gold. We all should remember 25% of the content in WG are metals that can react with environmental elements.


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Old 17 July 2020, 08:23 AM   #26
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That’s weird; my 18239 has an older
WG president bracelet (exposed clasp) and have not develop discoloration






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Old 17 July 2020, 05:48 PM   #27
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You could try with brass polishing products, they contain a little part of ammonia and have a chemical antioxidation function. Or try with diluted ammonia in water. From the photos it seems really unusual or could seem rhodium plating worn off..
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Old 17 July 2020, 05:56 PM   #28
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He has had a few years to think about it Bruno.
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