The Arnold & Son Nebula is one of the best looking, most symmetrical and affordable skeletonized watches on the market
Gold is a highly valued material in watchmaking, prized for its luxurious appeal and versatility. In watches, gold can be used in various forms, such as solid gold, gold-plated, or gold-filled. Solid gold watches, often made of 18-karat (75% pure gold) or 14-karat gold, are prestigious and sought-after due to their intrinsic value and luster.
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Gold plating, where a thin layer of gold is applied to a base metal, is a more affordable way to achieve a gold finish. Gold-filled watches, on the other hand, have a thicker layer of gold bonded to the metal, offering better durability than gold plating. Rose gold, a blend of gold and copper, has become particularly popular in modern watches for its unique pinkish hue.
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Use and hardness of gold
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Gold is used not only for cases but also for components like bezels, bracelets, and even watch movements in some luxury pieces. It adds weight, value, and aesthetic appeal, making gold watches symbols of wealth, craftsmanship, and style.
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The Hardness Vickers for gold varies. 24 carats, not often used for watches, has hardness of 60 to 80 HV. The more used 18-carat gold has a hardness of about 120 to 200 HV, and 14-carat gold reaches 150 to 200 HV. White gold is a little harder in general.
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Compare case materials on the Hardness Vickers scale (from hard to hardest):
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| Carbon | 20-50 HV |
| Platinum | 40 HV (950 platinum: 80-135 HV) |
| Silver | 70-90 HV |
| Bronze | 60-150 HV (100-200 HV treated) |
| Aluminium | 120-200 HV |
| Gold | 120-200 HV (18k or 14k) |
| Palladium | 150-200 HV |
| White gold | 150-250 HV |
| Stainless steel | 150-250 HV (special 1200 HV) |
| Titanium | 150-200 HV (grade 2) / 300-400 HV (grade 5) |
| Ceramic | 1200-1400 HV (1500-2000 for alumina) |
| Sapphire | 2000-2300 HV |
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Watches in gold, either yellow, rose or just gold gold (not gold plated)
The IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with a round case is back, like the Ref. 3750 from 1985. No tonneau cases anymore
The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Decimal Strike is the third striking watch within A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk collection
This Arnold & Son Golden Wheel has a special way of showing the time: it uses wandering hours and true beat seconds
The MB&F HM7 Aquapod, also known as Horological Machine No. 7, is one of the weirdest watches on the market. And one of the coolest
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin Yellow Gold is available with two different dial colors: blue and yellow gold
The new Christophe Claret Maestro, in titanium or gold, offers a magnificent view on the movement as is has no dial or bezel at all
This Girard-Perregaux 1966 Skeleton combines 18K pink gold with anthracite-grey colors and it looks great. And could be a little bigger
After the titanium and all black version Hublot launches the Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 Magic Gold. Of course, it is limited, 200 pieces this time
The Carl F. Bucherer Manero Flyback Champagne is the third Manero Flyback, this time with a red gold case and champagne dial