A friend recently showed me a Rolex 18kt gold watch with an 18kt gold
President bracelet He has owned the watch for many many years. Since
18 kt gold is typically fairly soft, I was wondering how the Rolex
gold can stand up to many years of wear. The bracelet clasp, which
relies on tension to stay closed, is also 18kt gold. I was surprised
that it had maintained its properties for so many years. Does anyone
know if Rolex uses gold alloy different from typical yellow gold?
Regards
Milt Fischbein - Jewellery Artist
Does anyone know if Rolex uses gold alloy different from typical
yellow gold?
If you hold it up to most commercial 18K yellow, you’ll easily note
that it’s a slightly darker color. Has a bit more copper in it. That
allows greater hardness. I’d not call it an actual rose gold, but
most 18K on the market today is actually more on the green gold side
than a true balanced color, which is one reason it’s often so soft.
That plus the fact that so much of it is cast, and therefor not only
large grain structured, but generally pretty much annealed. I doubt
the rolex parts are either one.