I Don't Get White Gold...

[pickettt]

I can SEE the difference, and prefer white gold to stainless steel. My wallet, however, seems to think they look close enough.

[timedate]

yellow gold for me,

buy a vintage dd and pay just a bit more than a new ss gmt or sub, or less if the ss comes from the grey.

it wont be long before people twig the value in vintage pm, over new ss, and over new pm.

[subtona]

Originally Posted by JadeRaven

If you assume for the sake of argument that the entire watch is made of gold (it's not), we're talking about ~5.5 troy oz of gold, or about $7,000 of gold.

Price of SS BLRO:$9,250
Price of WG BLRO: $36,750
Delta: $27,500

There's only so much material in a watch. The metal alone only explains a small fraction of the increased cost.

Very nicely put


It’s certainly not about the cost of the metal.
We could say the cost relates to exclusivity, similar to the premium paid for hot SS models such as the Daytona and nautilus... thinking in these terms it is easier to understand the high cost of these SS offerings.

[rmlovett1]

Originally Posted by dcash0615

He or she who wears a white gold watch is less concerned, or not concerned at all, about others knowing the watch is gold and not stainless steel.

If you want flash and others to know you are wearing a gold Rolex, buy rose gold or yellow gold.

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ This! Also the fact that there’s some dial/bezel configurations you can’t get in SS...

[Token74]

When I added the WG Daytona to my collection (because I liked the dial and O/F primarily), I was super surprised by how different the gold looks in some lights to the SS: the sheen is so different.

So you certainly can tell the difference. Whether it’s a ‘good’ difference is subjective.

As for Steel being more hardy, that’s true as a statement made without context. I haven’t damaged my Daytona yet so I can’t comment yet on whether it’s going to end up dented because gold is soft; but the reason I made reference to context is that I have more scratches on my highly polished Nautilus than on my WG Daytona. So it’s not just about metal choice, but also finishing - and I never hear anyone complaining about a nicely finished watch.

And finally, on true value front, based on the amount of gold; if you try to justify the cost of any watch over another one you could be here for a long time.


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[harvey]

It's one of those things that you either understand and want or not. And also afford or not.

I don't need to understand it as I can not afford it.

[Bigblu10]

Originally Posted by jeffnnj

I know I'm in the VAST minority here in that I don't care for white gold at all. I know there's a subtle difference in hue and know that it weighs more but I'll address the elephant in the room and say that it looks like stainless. Shocking, I know. Matter of fact, and again I'll expect push back on here, I bet if there were two identical models in stainless and white gold, 90% of people on here couldn't tell the difference visually. I think that gold should well....look kind of like gold. And again, just my opinion the same goes with platinum. I understand that Rolex offers different dial/bezel combinations for them but IMO still look a hell of a lot like stainless to me.

I don't get it either, so I obviously didn't get it. Gold out of the ground is not white. It is Yellow.

[DocHolliday]

I don’t get it either OP. I like yellow gold and rose gold but white gold seems useless to me when Rolex can finish 904L with incredible luster. And don’t get me started on the whole weight thing.....IMO that is the most irrelevant reason to buy PM. A SS Rolex already has plenty of heft to it.


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[Dr. Robert]

Me neither.

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Bigblu10

I don't get it either, so I obviously didn't get it. Gold out of the ground is not white. It is Yellow.

I tried this on recently and it is a beauty in person. Almost left with it but my wallet said no haha. Great pic


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[socalwatchcollector]

Originally Posted by AK797

You've been here for over 3 years and you're still asking?

And you have 50k posts.. That is a significant amount of work and dedication to RF over the last 9 years. The mods should just give you a lifetime membership for free!

[Jeffreyc87]

Suppose you have 2 glasses of red wine. They look identical to the naked eye but when you smell them and taste them, the expensive wine’s benefits shine through...or coffee...or a cigar...same idea....wg has a heft that’s for some justifies the price... it it can’t be see . Has to be felt

[joli160]

Originally Posted by Daveclock

I think there are a lot of members (perhaps older?) who seem to have a thing for Gold and PM on here.
I can’t see why the small precious metal amount adds so much to msrp.
But then I am not into bling

Try calculate how much you pay for one gram SS, a PM watch is a bargain if compared

[coralfarmer84]

I understand where the OP is coming from.... more from the metal perspective itself then watches. With white gold they have to actually make it white, hiding the "gold". Why bother? Why "invent" white gold? You already have SS and PT to cover that color base without having to modify.

With that said I own a WG Submariner. Why? Because that blue dial, thats why.

[GolfPunk]

Usually comes down to the person who doesnt get white Gold over SS, in reality can’t afford white good.

[BzKneez]

Originally Posted by Jeffreyc87

Suppose you have 2 glasses of red wine. They look identical to the naked eye but when you smell them and taste them, the expensive wine’s benefits shine through...or coffee...or a cigar...same idea....wg has a heft that’s for some justifies the price... it it can’t be see . Has to be felt

Yup, exactly.

I felt the same way about white gold until I got myself a WG watch. I always thought, what's the point? why spend the extra cash? I still prefer YG over WG but now I understand the difference and appreciation for WG.

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[Dan Pierce]

Can't afford white gold but certainly get white gold.
dP

[acfcheung]

Originally Posted by Daveclock

Ok I apologise for the “old” remark but then again in that group!



When I tried to say “small amount of precious metal” in comparison to the retail price - this is what I was trying to say:-



Having just gone on Rolex website UK



Submariner date

Steel £6550 (good luck finding one)

T/T. £10,350

GOLD £26,350



So why is the £19,800 GBP more cost for gold over steel when the true value of that PM is way less in metal terms.

But again this is coming from a reasonable person who also does not like bling and gold anyway. This compounded by the same person hoping to get S/S at msrp (so perhaps less sane by my own admission!)

Dave

If you're trying to calculate how much more gold there is in a PM model to see if there is value for money - then PM is definitely not for you.

Stick with SS.

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[LPan]

Originally Posted by pickettt

I can SEE the difference, and prefer white gold to stainless steel. My wallet, however, seems to think they look close enough.

Haha, indeed!

[acfcheung]

Originally Posted by subtona

Side by side they are very different.

The white gold is warmer.

The white gold will not suffer from corrosion like stainless steel.

Agree the SS is often more desirable but the white gold will generally have different dial options.

Corrosion? Stainless steel?

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[shapa]

Originally Posted by jeffnnj

I know I'm in the VAST minority here in that I don't care for white gold at all. I know there's a subtle difference in hue and know that it weighs more but I'll address the elephant in the room and say that it looks like stainless. Shocking, I know. Matter of fact, and again I'll expect push back on here, I bet if there were two identical models in stainless and white gold, 90% of people on here couldn't tell the difference visually. I think that gold should well....look kind of like gold. And again, just my opinion the same goes with platinum. I understand that Rolex offers different dial/bezel combinations for them but IMO still look a hell of a lot like stainless to me.

I know what you mean. If I were to get a PM, it would be yellow.

[Zuger]

When it comes to PM on watches, I think it's a combination of personality, family background and where you live.

Understated, old money, service-oriented cities (ex. DC) = WG / Platinum.
Ostentatious, new money, deal-oriented cities (ex. NYC, LA, Miami) = YG / RG.

PM on other jewelry like necklace where it's hidden under a shirt, YG dominates regardless.

[huncho]

i agree with op. i understand the whole subtle aspect of it but gold should be colored imo

i also don't understand the daytona hype so i think i'm in the very small minority here anyway lol

[Speedbird-1]

How can you tell the white gold or platinum Rolex
wearer at a dinner party?
Don't worry,.... they'll tell you.

[mangoseed]

What do you think about platinum?

[watchwatcher]

Here we go...

What I don't get is the fact that it looks like steel hangs you up. Tell me, would that be because of the color or the fact that someone might mistake you for wearing a less expensive watch than you're wearing?

[subtona]

Originally Posted by acfcheung

Corrosion? Stainless steel?

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Yes

[jb335]

While I pass no judgement on those that enjoy WG, I do share similar thoughts with the OP on WG. I can't come to terms paying so much more for WG when it looks so similar to a less expensive SS alternative.

I am under 40 (barely) and much prefer YG to WG.

[jb335]

I'm stealing this line from someone on here, but I like to joke that WG is like decaf coffee.

[Bigblu10]

Originally Posted by Zuger

When it comes to PM on watches, I think it's a combination of personality, family background and where you live.

Understated, old money, service-oriented cities (ex. DC) = WG / Platinum.
Ostentatious, new money, deal-oriented cities (ex. NYC, LA, Miami) = YG / RG.

PM on other jewelry like necklace where it's hidden under a shirt, YG dominates regardless.

Where do you come up with these stereotypes which are no doubt your subjective opinion? I am not an ostentatious person. Don't live in the above cities. And I am not "new money". I just happened to choose the YG Sub over the WG, because it sang to me and I didn't like the shade of blue on the WG. Pure personal preference.