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Old 3 July 2008, 01:55 PM   #1
CHRONOLEX
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Durability of White Gold?

Does anyone know how durable the white gold is on the Daytona? I know that on other white gold jewelry, the rhodium will sometimes wear off and the item will need to be retreated. When Rolex polishes the watch, do they also retreat it with rhodium or is that even necessary? Also, can too much/too deep polishing cause any discoloration in the metal? Thanks for your help.
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Old 3 July 2008, 02:53 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by CHRONOLEX View Post
Does anyone know how durable the white gold is on the Daytona? I know that on other white gold jewelry, the rhodium will sometimes wear off and the item will need to be retreated. When Rolex polishes the watch, do they also retreat it with rhodium or is that even necessary? Also, can too much/too deep polishing cause any discoloration in the metal? Thanks for your help.
Rolex uses pure 18kt white gold, no rhodium plating. Polishing will not discolor it, but too much polishing does remove some gold metal from the watch.
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Old 3 July 2008, 03:19 PM   #3
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Rolex uses pure 18kt white gold, no rhodium plating. Polishing will not discolor it, but too much polishing does remove some gold metal from the watch.
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Old 3 July 2008, 04:54 PM   #4
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Rolex uses pure 18kt white gold, no rhodium plating. Polishing will not discolor it, but too much polishing does remove some gold metal from the watch.
Oh Heavens did we not have this discussion re white gold and rhodium plating!!!

Only rubbish jewellery will have the gold plated with rhodium (it'd be 9k as well).
White gold is gold that has been alloyed with nickel, platinum or other white metals to achieve the whiteness. IMHO (really, only my opiniion ) I think that white gold is sort of pointless - if you need a heavy metal that is white then it has to be platinum - but I do understand that Pt is a lot more expensive than whte gold would be whilst retaining similar densities. Only my personal choice - I would opt for SS rather than WG anytime. But I'd love my watch to be out of solid Pt!


Gosh - I've come over a bit strong in my opinion there - sorry folks!
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Old 3 July 2008, 05:13 PM   #5
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There is a VIDEO on the Rolex official page about the process in which they make white gold along with other metals such as rose gold and 904l steel ,that is different than anyone else in that they blend it into the white color therefore it will never ever wear off. You might need to dig deep into the site.
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Old 3 July 2008, 05:17 PM   #6
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I agree with the foregoing.
I think the WG daytona is a very durable watch. Like all watches it will scratch. I expect WG to be a little softer than SS and Platinum, but I have no hardness specifications to support that belief.
There are lots of WG watches on the market and I can't see a problem if that is what you like.
I really like the WG Daytona with the silver dial and arabic numbers.
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Old 3 July 2008, 10:47 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by CHRONOLEX View Post
Does anyone know how durable the white gold is on the Daytona? I know that on other white gold jewelry, the rhodium will sometimes wear off and the item will need to be retreated. When Rolex polishes the watch, do they also retreat it with rhodium or is that even necessary? Also, can too much/too deep polishing cause any discoloration in the metal? Thanks for your help.

I posted a link in a thread on the alloying process. You may wish to search for it.

Edit: Here it is -- http://www.utilisegold.com/jewellery...colour_alloys/

Gold is alloyed with other metals to adapt them to this type of use. 18kt gold in: yellow, white, rose, etc has exactly the same amount of gold, it's just the other metals added that generate the color. I believe I've read that WG is a bit harder to work with than YG. I don't know if that makes it less likely to mar, but as a pratical matter, YG is just fine.
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Old 3 July 2008, 11:12 PM   #8
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Dave- i remember that discussion- Oh boy!!!

Rolex use an alloy of gold and other metals ( cant remember the exact ones, Palladium i think could be one))to produce there White Gold. Rolex White Gold gold will never fade and white gold -is not a natural substance only yellow gold is. Pure gold is 24K. So all White Gold is an alloy of some sort.
And after last time that is all i am saying on this matter.
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Old 3 July 2008, 11:30 PM   #9
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Just like the rose gold alloy Rolex uses ("Everose") will always stay rose, the white gold alloy that Rolex uses will always stay white.
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Old 4 July 2008, 02:18 PM   #10
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Thanks everyone for the great information. I was told that my watch couldn't be buffed or polished much (or at all) because it would lose the rhodium plating and would therefore be more prone to tarnishing. I did get my Daytona polished on one of the case lugs and there is a faint discoloration up next to the bezel where it appears not as shiny or dark - but only in a certain light and at a certain angle. I tried to take a picture but couldn't get one to come out. Does this sound strange?
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Old 4 July 2008, 08:16 PM   #11
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Rhodium plating makes white gold!!!

Sorry I know this isn't a helpful comment but I just cannot believe that some people out there really didn't know that white gold is an alloy!!!
I've known that since I was a kid and that cheap 9k gold was plated with rhodium (but rarely as it wears off).

I wonder how many other people on this forum have bought WG rolexes and thought it was plated? Seems to me that some reseach was needed before purchase!

Sorry again - I don't mean to go on about it, I just find it unbelieveable that such a misconception can be doing the rounds.

I'll shut up now. I just had to vent on this one! I promise - no more from me!
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Old 5 July 2008, 06:11 AM   #12
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Gold to me is yellow, not white, not rose.

When I buy gold bullion its yellow.. If I want a silver color, I ll buy sterling or stainless steel. I d never personally buy something yellow colored white or silver. I am not sure why they say "white" gold, its not white.

I keep my GMT ll c polished and its very blingy and I ve been asked if its white gold or sterling a few times. I just say its highly polished stainless steel. It's so much stronger and more practical as a daily wear watch then a white gold or silver watch.


D
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Old 5 July 2008, 06:40 AM   #13
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I am not sure why they say "white" gold, its not white.

D
Maybe because it contains PRECISELY as much (75%) gold as everything that's 18kt to include YG.
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Old 5 July 2008, 06:57 AM   #14
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Maybe because it contains PRECISELY as much (75%) gold as "yellow" gold does in everything that's 18kt.
WG contains more precious metals than YG! pro rata hence the usual increase in MRSP over YG . i love the one posters phrase its all down to "show or know" and your mental perspective
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Old 5 July 2008, 07:00 AM   #15
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OK
Not to highjack the thread
BUT
What about white gold vs platinum in a Rolex.
Which is tougher?
From what I understand the WG has more of a shine
but I am asking which will wear better over the years.

Thanks!
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Old 5 July 2008, 07:05 AM   #16
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BTW i've polished my WG Daytona the difference you notice is more than likely due to the difference in the polish grade, when i used cape cod for example i could under certain lighting notice the difference to the OEM finish, it is somewhat harsh on Gold if your discerning
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Old 5 July 2008, 07:06 AM   #17
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on the mohs scale platinium! but in the real world?
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Old 5 July 2008, 07:12 AM   #18
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OK
Not to highjack the thread
BUT
What about white gold vs platinum in a Rolex.
Which is tougher?
From what I understand the WG has more of a shine
but I am asking which will wear better over the years.

Thanks!
It's a bitch working with platinum and I'd give the durability nod to it over WG. There are good stories on the material in Watchtime where they discuss VC's efforts to go "ALL PLATINUM." http://www.watchtime.com/archive/wt_...008_02_146.pdf
An excerpt:
For watch producers and collectors, there’s a lot to like about platinum. In a nutshell, it is the
rarest, purest, most precious, and most durable of metals, with unique aesthetic attributes.
Here are the noble metal’s notable qualities:
* Rare: Platinum is far rarer than gold. Only about 200 tons of platinum are mined annually
versus 2,500 tons of gold. Moreover, 14 tons of raw material must be extracted from the
earth and processed to obtain one ounce of platinum.
* Pure: Platinum in the form used for watch cases is able to be worked at very high levels of
purity versus gold. A platinum watch case or dial has 95% platinum content versus 75% purity
for 18k gold.
* Precious: An ounce of platinum costs $1,800 (at WatchTime’s mid-February deadline) versus
$900 for an ounce of gold.
* Durable: Platinum’s density and weight make it more durable than other metals and very
suitable for watch cases. Its specific gravity of 21.45 grams per cubic centimeter is higher
than gold’s (19.3 grams per cubic centimeter). An object made of solid platinum weighs
more than an object of the same size in gold. If a platinum piece is scratched, it does not
lose any volume: the metal is merely displaced (hence the metal’s “eternal” quality ballyhooed
by platinum promoters). It is impervious to heat (its melting point is 1,772° C versus
1,063° C for gold), resistant to acids, and hypoallergenic. However, these same durability
qualities make platinum very difficult to work with in the production process.
* Stainless: Platinum does not tarnish or stain.
* Brilliant: Platinum is naturally white and has a unique brilliance and luminosity that does
not require plating. Its elegant, restrained, natural color makes it particularly appealing to men.

That said, all durability talk about SS vs gold vs platinum is overblown. Like cars that go 200 mph, 150 mph, 170 mph when living in downtown New York.
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Old 5 July 2008, 01:32 PM   #19
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BTW i've polished my WG Daytona the difference you notice is more than likely due to the difference in the polish grade, when i used cape cod for example i could under certain lighting notice the difference to the OEM finish, it is somewhat harsh on Gold if your discerning
Thanks! How do you recommend I polish the case lug so that I can eliminate that slight discloration?
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Old 5 July 2008, 01:40 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by entropydave View Post

Rhodium plating makes white gold!!!

Sorry I know this isn't a helpful comment but I just cannot believe that some people out there really didn't know that white gold is an alloy!!!
I've known that since I was a kid and that cheap 9k gold was plated with rhodium (but rarely as it wears off).

I wonder how many other people on this forum have bought WG rolexes and thought it was plated? Seems to me that some reseach was needed before purchase!

Sorry again - I don't mean to go on about it, I just find it unbelieveable that such a misconception can be doing the rounds.

I'll shut up now. I just had to vent on this one! I promise - no more from me!
YG is an allow too for that matter.

And many WG watch cases were rhodium plated, including those by Patek, and they were all 18k. The plating was to improve the durability, but the collecting community sort of demanded that it not be done in order to preserve the somewhat softer appearance of WG vs PT and SS.
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Old 5 July 2008, 01:53 PM   #21
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I was told @ an AD that one polish=one years worth of wear for gold
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Old 5 July 2008, 01:57 PM   #22
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Just take a look at me beaten up bezel and then you get it.

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Old 5 July 2008, 01:59 PM   #23
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Platinum is shinier and harder than white gold, from my understanding. Aside from this, I haven't heard of anyone having a problem with the finish of their white gold Rolex. Now of course the white gold finish will rub off with some brands, but this is likely to take 10 years or longer. I am not sure how Rolex accomplishes their lasting finish, but I have never even seen a vintage model with wear marks.
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Old 5 July 2008, 09:25 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by CHRONOLEX View Post
Thanks! How do you recommend I polish the case lug so that I can eliminate that slight discloration?
The att pic was taken just after it had been given some TLC to case and band , the Red rouge cloth i got from here www.watchbandrenew.com IMHO truely gave a finish equal to the OEM



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Old 5 July 2008, 09:29 PM   #25
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Platinum is shinier and harder than white gold, from my understanding. Aside from this, I haven't heard of anyone having a problem with the finish of their white gold Rolex. Now of course the white gold finish will rub off with some brands, but this is likely to take 10 years or longer. I am not sure how Rolex accomplishes their lasting finish, but I have never even seen a vintage model with wear marks.
There's NOTHING to wear off!!!!

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Old 5 July 2008, 11:46 PM   #26
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There's NOTHING to wear off!!!!

blimey!
Concur. If they would just read the posts in this thread.
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Old 5 July 2008, 11:51 PM   #27
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Concur. If they would just read the posts in this thread.
Phew - I thought it was just me....
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Old 6 July 2008, 12:00 AM   #28
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WG does look different from all other metals so it has its place in the watch world. In direct light, WG does look a lot like steel, but as soon as it gets a little darker, the yellow color also comes out. I like it, because it is a little more subtle than YG or RG. It really doesnt look like steel or platinum at all.
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Old 6 July 2008, 12:20 AM   #29
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WG will have a different shade if the the Au is alloyed with nickel to Au and Pt.
Also the density of WG made with Pt woudl be higher than 24k Au. I think I read somewhere that Rolex make their WG with Pt - that sounds interesting as the melting point of the two elements are vastly different (about 1000 deg C) and so I am not sure how one would dissolve pt in molten Au - I'd have to check on boiling points of these mets on Google - it might be that although Au melts at 1063 deg C (that's from memory so forgive me if I am incorrect) and Pt is around the 2000 deg C mark, so you would have to keep the Au ata high temp then I don't know how you would cool it so that the Pt remains in solution and does not fractionate out of the molten gold when the temp of the molten alloy drops below the MP of Pt.
Metallurgists to the rescue!!! What's the triple point for an Au-Pt alloy that complies with the 18K proportion of Au? (sorry can't figure out off the top of my head what %age 18k Au is in respect to 24k! it'll be 18 divided by 24 times 100 but I have no calc to hand!)

So,there are technical questions about what is alloyed with Au to produce WG - I believe palladium and nickel are most usually used but I know not in what ratios.

BTW - I love platinum - it is the most marvellous of elements - but i also like iridium and osmium too of course!
They use 50 parts per 1000 of iridium in Pt to make it more workable - that's why Pt is marked up as "Pt 950"
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Old 6 July 2008, 12:42 AM   #30
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Rolex WG alloy consists of..........

GOLD 75%
PALLADIUM 12.5%
SILVER/COPPER 12.5%
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