Platinum Fluted Bezels

[challer]

I've heard many times that Rolex will not issue a fluted bezel in platinum because it is too hard and the bezel cannot be machined. This didn't sit right because in my industry, medical devices, we machine very intricate shapes in platinum. I also note that the rest of the case, back, crown, braclet, etc. are machined out of platinum.

In fact, alloyed gold is 20% harder than platinum. Platinum though, is "gummy," meaning it can tear if proper tooling is not used, resulting in surface finish issues. Specifically, one needs diamond tooling and adherence to correct machining speeds. One can machine a near mirror Pt surface and it easily polishes without metal loss (easier than alloyed gold). So the bezel story simply doesn't hold up. I don't know why they won't make a Pt fluted bezel but it is certainly not because it is not readily possible. I can provide citations if anyone actually cares.

On a related note, Pt is 21.5 g/cc while unalloyed gold is 19.3 g/cc. Alloyed gold has an effective density of 15g/cc. This is why Pt Rolex cost so much more than gold - there is 40% more precious metal.