Rolex White Gold Versus Stainless Steel

[Farsh14]

Look the same fellas sorry to say lol

[Pw92676]

They are different to watch and jewelry connoisseurs. To everyone else, the appearance is the same.

A sub and black gmt are very different to watch folks. But the general public would generally say they are the same (due to dial, oyster bracelet) and overlook the differences. I feel like that was a commonly discussed theme here a few years back before all black gmt was discontinued.

[Nav01L]

Well whether you wanted to or not... you did convince me.

[RollinMoses]

They look different, but not wildly so. But in addition to weight, there is also the feel of the metal. I am sure someone more knowledgeable than I can confirm / deny, but I am sure there is some quality such as heat conductivity that accounts for this.

For me that is the entire appeal of white gold - I can feel the difference, but the casual observer does not notice that it is not another steel watch.

I have no experience of owning platinum bracelet watch, but I can imagine the extra weight only enhances that feeeling.

[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by Farsh14

Look the same fellas sorry to say lol

Everything does if you turn the light off.

[RollinMoses]

Originally Posted by Pw92676

They are different to watch and jewelry connoisseurs. To everyone else, the appearance is the same.

A sub and black gmt are very different to watch folks. But the general public would generally say they are the same (due to dial, oyster bracelet) and overlook the differences. I feel like that was a commonly discussed theme here a few years back before all black gmt was discontinued.

Exactly (also one thing that appealed to me about the black GMT).

[donas]

My experience has been that the white gold feels much different than stainless steel more than looks different. In my opinion, any watch purchase should be made solely for the owner, but white gold fits this category even more so; meaning, the substantial price increase is going to be noticed in the feel of the watch. This will not be appreciated by anyone but the one wearing, So, "worth it", only if you like how much different gold feels. Those who say it's not worth it, make purchases to impress others and they are less likely to impress with something a non-watch enthusiast wouldn't immediately recognize.

[drrd]

I would say that polished Rolex WG and steel look very alike, though the OP's Subs aren't the best comparison for this because the SS is mostly brushed.

The SS (Rolesor) Sky dweller for example; the fluted WG bezel looks almost identical in colour to the polished case.

Brushed there is a definite difference, but really only side by side when it comes to photos because the white balance will vary shot to shot.

[Dabbadon8]

“Very different in appearance.” Or put differently, less of a difference than popcorn white and eggshell white. I don’t think you’re trying to convince anyone except maybe yourself. Buy what you like, and the new wg sub is nice, but don’t buy it because the metals are very different in appearance. They are objectively not.

[fskywalker]

[QUOTE=Pw92676;11772861]They are different to watch and jewelry connoisseurs. To everyone else, the appearance is the same. QUOTE]




Agree! love WG and only the owner needs to know !




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[Goin2drt]

I have the same two and yes the “tone” is different and can look very different to almost identical based on lighting but the weight (and of course my favorite blue) makes all the difference.

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[Solo118]

Originally Posted by Farsh14

Look the same fellas sorry to say lol

Exactly.

It is for you (the wearer) to know what it is. WG is amazing from the warm tone to the heavy feeling on the wrist. Not to mention on some models (such as Daytona) you get a bit more exotic dials. It is a win win for the people that like low key luxury.

[RolexSimon]

Originally Posted by cerendigit

People that say “they are the same” are usually people who only seen WG Rolex watches in pictures (no offense I was in that camp too).

Once you own wg you start to realize.

Exactly!! Like Real vs Fake Rolex - that obvious...

[swish77]

Originally Posted by alphadweller

I'm curious about one thing. It's pretty clear in the picture the white gold Sub has a creamy or yellow hue to it, compared to the crisper SS Sub. I wonder if this is specific to the white gold manufactured by Rolex.

The reason I'm asking is because I own a white gold VC and it's every bit as crisp as stainless steel. It's not rhodium plated though, it uses platinum and palladium in the mix.

So my question is does Rolex use less platinum and palladium than other brands for its white gold?

I don't know the exact mixture, but Rolex makes its own white gold, which I believe is known as "gray gold" in the industry, and like VC no rhodium is used.

As you say, it's clear in the photo that the white gold has a creamy hue compared to the stainless steel. Not sure why that's not apparent to all observers. It's baffling.

[reeder1]

Originally Posted by swish77

This topic has been discussed, but I couldn't find any good side-by-side photos comparing Rolex white gold and stainless steel. Here's my steel Sub on the left and new white gold Sub on the right (blue bezel).

There have been so many posts from guys saying white gold is not worth the extra money because it looks too similar to stainless steel. Whether or not it's worth it is a matter of opinion, of course, but one thing is clear: These two metals are very different in appearance and feel.

The Rolex white gold, which the company makes itself in its own foundry, has an incredible creamy warm luster vs. the colder gray of the stainless steel. And then there's the heft and weight of the gold itself versus the much lighter steel.

Not trying to convince anyone of anything other than how different they are in the flesh.

All of your pics look great and congrats on acquiring the watches- absolutely gorgeous.


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[roadie1]

Brass and gold look similar

[7enderbender]

Originally Posted by Robf52

WG is great; those that know, know.

Know what exactly? How much you spent on a watch that is otherwise identical? Makes no sense to me. But to each their own. For me precious metals and dive watch don’t mix.

[7enderbender]

Originally Posted by roadie1

Brass and gold look similar

I think brass looks better. Now what?

[nan7yo]

I only have a white gold non-Rolex watch so cannot do an apple-to-apple comparison. I think general public won’t easy to spot the difference from 1-2M distance, that’s why Rolex put precious metal in different bezel colors (except GMT Pepsi lol) so others can tell by a glance.

Another special about white gold is the weight of the watch, only the owner can enjoy that tho.

I also Google a bit to understand the color tone of different white metals, would like to share here in case you are interested.











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[HeartRolex]

Originally Posted by Jshwarms

WG is fantastic......class without being super flashy

This is why I love it. Classy and understated.

[shaunylw]

Love seeing the side by side. Very cool!


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[steve099]

Originally Posted by swish77

I don't know the exact mixture, but Rolex makes its own white gold, which I believe is known as "gray gold" in the industry, and like VC no rhodium is used.

As you say, it's clear in the photo that the white gold has a creamy hue compared to the stainless steel. Not sure why that's not apparent to all observers. It's baffling.

There is a post on TRF, where a person had a spare link from a WG rolex melted down and tested. I forget the test results but they are logged on the board here somewhere.

[Megalobyte]

Let’s put it this way. If you took a WG sub, put a black bezel on it and brushed the polished center links I’m very confident nobody, not even a watch enthusiast would know it’s a WG sub. Unless of course they felt the drastically different weight of it, or, had it side by side with a steel version. I have to believe that’s partly why Rolex differentiates the WG watches with specific dials and bezels so that at least those “in the know” will know it’s a PM version, like a secret handshake of the wealthy. ;) As others have said, you buy a WG sub because you want a special version of the sub but without the “impact” of yellow gold. I think it’s a pretty neat idea, to wear a really valuable watch that hides it’s value very well. It’s the anti-flex, flex. :)

[nlo96]

White Gold are always my preferred wayyyyy

[noshame]

Originally Posted by Megalobyte

Let’s put it this way. If you took a WG sub, put a black bezel on it and brushed the polished center links I’m very confident nobody, not even a watch enthusiast would know it’s a WG sub. Unless of course they felt the drastically different weight of it, or, had it side by side with a steel version. I have to believe that’s partly why Rolex differentiates the WG watches with specific dials and bezels so that at least those “in the know” will know it’s a PM version. As others have said, you buy a WG sub because you want a special version of the sub but without the “impact” of yellow gold. I think it’s a pretty neat idea, to wear a really valuable watch that hides it’s value very well. It’s the anti-flex, flex. :)

I have to agree with this. The heavier weight can only be felt by the wearer, not the observer. As for the difference in hue/colour, they are different, but to me, it's a subtle difference, not an obvious difference. I really think those who can spot a white gold reference is not because of weight or colour, but because of the white gold exclusive details such as blue bezel on SubDate or midnight blue dial on GMT, and again, these are details that most non-watch people wouldn't know.

[kitbag1984]

Originally Posted by swish77

This is just not accurate. Look closely at the photos, especially the last one. The difference is obvious. It's not a matter of opinion. Listen, we watch lovers are all about the little details, right? But the difference here is not even really that subtle. I get it, from across a room, maybe the difference is not that noticeable to someone else, but get any closer, and the difference is very clear.



The middle links are polished only on the white gold version of the Submariner, the one with the blue bezel. The stainless steel Sub bracelet is fully brushed.

Thanks :)

[George58]

look the same to me wg not worth the cost of admission

[HeartRolex]

I’ve loved jewelry since I was a little girl organizing my mom’s jewelry box. I’ve purchased countless pieces of jewelry, from earrings to necklaces, rings and bracelets through the years, so learned to easily distinguish ss from wg, and wg from platinum (and for yellow metals 14k from 18k and 18k from 24k gold). I find that unless they’re jewelry mavens like me (or those great guys who buy jewelry for their gfs/wives) that the vast majority of men and even women, consider a wedding ring and watch their primary pieces of “jewelry”. As they rarely shop for jewelry, it comes as no surprise when they can’t distinguishing one metal from another in real life.

[garyk]

My AD tried to interest me in a white gold Patek on a leather strap recently. I pointed out to her how in 1849 when gold was discovered in the western US, no white gold was found!

But seriously, I have understood from fellow TRFers, in a Rolex, white gold gives them the feel and exquisite quality of a gold watch while remaining stealthy…

[m j b]

I had a WG Daytona once. It did nothing for me.