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Old 4 June 2013, 07:01 AM   #31
nameIess
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Originally Posted by kilyung View Post
Owning watches in all three metals, I find WG is much easier to differentiate from SS/PT. There's always a slight yellowish tint to WG.
Well, to my knowledge, the white gold is covered with platinum or palladium to sort the yellowish tint issue. So WG you have on your rolex should not look yellowish at all. but im not an expert.
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Old 4 June 2013, 07:08 AM   #32
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Well, to my knowledge, the white gold is covered with platinum or palladium to sort the yellowish tint issue. So WG you have on your rolex should not look yellowish at all.
Sorry but Rolex WG is not covered/plated with anything. WG is derived by mixing YG with white metals like platinum and/or palladium. You can alloy YG by 25% and blend out most of the yellow color of gold but not all of it.
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Old 4 June 2013, 07:16 AM   #33
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Sorry but Rolex WG is not covered/plated with anything. WG is derived by mixing YG with white metals like platinum and/or palladium. You can alloy YG by 25% and blend out most of the yellow color of gold but not all of it.
well, the fluted bezel on DJ II looks too "white" to me. are you sure its not covered?
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Old 4 June 2013, 07:17 AM   #34
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well, the fluted bezel on DJ II looks too "white" to me. are you sure its not covered?
The new ones are not rhodium plAted. Vintage ones are
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Old 4 June 2013, 07:18 AM   #35
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Originally Posted by kilyung View Post
Sorry but Rolex WG is not covered/plated with anything. WG is derived by mixing YG with white metals like platinum and/or palladium. You can alloy YG by 25% and blend out most of the yellow color of gold but not all of it.
What year did they change to their own alloy without plate metal?
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Old 4 June 2013, 07:32 AM   #36
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well, the fluted bezel on DJ II looks too "white" to me. are you sure its not covered?
Polished metals (like the fluted bezel) are much harder to discern any color variations like on brushed surfaces but it's there.
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Old 4 June 2013, 11:19 AM   #37
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Polished metals (like the fluted bezel) are much harder to discern any color variations like on brushed surfaces but it's there.
Can you have some picture to show the diff between pt, wg and ss???
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Old 4 June 2013, 11:19 AM   #38
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I think it can help newbie like me
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Old 4 June 2013, 11:29 AM   #39
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I think the veterans are right. You need to have each side by side to tell unless they are distinguishable by other details. Rolex WG is a little yellow compared to SS as mentioned before. The WG fluted bezel on my DJII looks a little yellower than the polished centre links on the bracelet under certain light.
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Old 4 June 2013, 11:23 PM   #40
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I think the veterans are right. You need to have each side by side to tell unless they are distinguishable by other details. Rolex WG is a little yellow compared to SS as mentioned before. The WG fluted bezel on my DJII looks a little yellower than the polished centre links on the bracelet under certain light.
Unless it concerns the Daytona, in which case you can tell bij the bezel. ;-)
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Old 4 June 2013, 11:26 PM   #41
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White gold is sweet, but to me looks close to stainless. Yellow gold IMO is more striking. On a Daytona it looks just awesome.
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Old 5 June 2013, 12:49 AM   #42
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Sorry but Rolex WG is not covered/plated with anything. WG is derived by mixing YG with white metals like platinum and/or palladium. You can alloy YG by 25% and blend out most of the yellow color of gold but not all of it.
Mike is right . They are not plated . The differences are subtle but visible . WG has a warmth to it , Platinium has a greyness to it which is why some companies rodium plat to make it look whiter . One problem is that there is no "standard " alloy for white gold . Other brands such as AP use a "white gold " that is more like a 'off yellow" so the plating is needed to change the colour . Platimiun is often plated because it is not "white and shiney" enough for some markets .
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Old 5 June 2013, 01:31 AM   #43
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There is an older thread in which this was discussed from 2010. Rolex White Gold 18ct is 75% Gold 25% Palladium giving it the advantage of not having to be coated with Rhodium, and it not turning yellow over time. The drawback though is palladium scratches easier than SS, Gold, or Platnium so those PCLs on the Smurf and other White Gold Oysters will scratch a little easier than their SS or Yellow Gold counterparts.
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Old 5 June 2013, 02:59 AM   #44
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there will be an intangible "something about it"
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Old 5 June 2013, 03:11 AM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bmendick1 View Post
Appearance wise, all three of those white metals are indistinguishable just by looking at them.
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Originally Posted by TimeOnMyHands View Post
It appears that perhaps only the owners of the actual watch know for sure if it is white gold or platinum. To the casual observer or even a casual WIS - it remains an educated guess.
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To the naked eye, Rolex WG looks identical to SS, I guess the only way would be to hold it and feel the weight but even that is difficult unless you have something to compare it against.
I'd have to disagree with ALL of you.


You need to take the time to learn/observe the differences.

Though I have spent little time examining WG, SS, and platinum watch, by having them side by side the and taking a moment to LEARN/OBSERVE/CONTRAST/COMPARE I can tell the difference without touching the watches.

Even NEW WG rolex models when held side by side to a SS version you will notice a gold/yellowish HUE to the metal that SS does not have
Comaring SS to platinum, you can certainly tell the platinum is WHITER/CLEARER more like a mirror than SS.
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Old 5 June 2013, 03:29 AM   #46
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I'd have to disagree with ALL of you.


You need to take the time to learn/observe the differences.

Though I have spent little time examining WG, SS, and platinum watch, by having them side by side the and taking a moment to LEARN/OBSERVE/CONTRAST/COMPARE I can tell the difference without touching the watches.

Even NEW WG rolex models when held side by side to a SS version you will notice a gold/yellowish HUE to the metal that SS does not have
Comaring SS to platinum, you can certainly tell the platinum is WHITER/CLEARER more like a mirror than SS.
Some don't let facts get in the way of talking about things they know nothing about.
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Old 5 June 2013, 03:30 AM   #47
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Some don't let facts get in the way of talking about things they know nothing about.
LOL! It's funny cos it's true!
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Old 5 June 2013, 04:03 AM   #48
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Is it true that all fluted bezels are gold? I heard that Rolex dont make a steel fluted bezel but wanted to check if thats actually true?
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Old 5 June 2013, 04:34 AM   #49
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I'm no expert. It is difficult for me to tell in casual passing.
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Old 5 June 2013, 04:36 AM   #50
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Is it true that all fluted bezels are gold? I heard that Rolex dont make a steel fluted bezel but wanted to check if thats actually true?
Fluted - WG
Turned - steel
Smooth - steel or platinum
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Old 5 June 2013, 04:48 AM   #51
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Fluted - WG
Turned - steel
Smooth - steel or platinum
Smooth can also be 18ct white gold, eg 118209
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Old 5 June 2013, 05:17 AM   #52
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Is it true that all fluted bezels are gold? I heard that Rolex dont make a steel fluted bezel but wanted to check if thats actually true?
The SS bezel is known as the "engine turned" bezel. A quick google will show you the differences.
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Old 5 June 2013, 05:26 AM   #53
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Old 11 June 2013, 06:56 PM   #54
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The different in price between PT and WG is how much?
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Old 11 June 2013, 08:17 PM   #55
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Owning watches in all three metals, I find WG is much easier to differentiate from SS/PT. There's always a slight yellowish tint to WG. There's no such thing as naturally occurring WG, it's just a mixture of alloys and YG.

Polished SS is virtually impossible to differentiate from polished PT but I find that brushed PT appears 'brighter' than brushed SS.

this - WG is slightly yellow, especially in certain lighting.
No such thing as white gold - all gold is yellow. Other colours are just alloys; mixed with other metals.
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Old 11 June 2013, 08:23 PM   #56
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Rolex don't use rhodium plating on their WG cases, unlike many jewellers. Good thing too, because it wears off very quickly and the [comparatively] 'dull' WG shows through underneath, and you have to get the item re-plated regularly.
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Old 11 June 2013, 09:02 PM   #57
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My family have run a Jewelery shop since 1900, and i have never heard of platinum being plated.
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Old 11 June 2013, 09:35 PM   #58
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I'm no expert, but I'd say the best way to tell them apart is to look at the price tag.
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Old 11 June 2013, 10:18 PM   #59
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Why not all go back and read the OP's first post.

This thread is rapidly heading for a record of misinformation.

However there are manufacturing jewelers who Rhodium plate Platinum.
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Old 11 June 2013, 10:41 PM   #60
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Why not all go back and read the OP's first post..
I know right? Someone posted earlier that they can see the difference between all 3 metals from a distance and that's just bollocks. Unless you hold them right next to each other (and even then it's going to be near impossible going on just the colour) there is no way to tell unless you KNOW the relevant model/dial/bezel combinations.

The new Rolex white gold mix is very good and does not need plating because it's pretty much white as it is. From a distance, the metals all look the same. Sorry but its true.
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