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Talk me out of buying a gold-plated watch!

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Likestheshiny

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
(Or validate my interest. That would be cool, too.)

So, I've been getting the six-month itch, and eyeballing (relatively) inexpensive Orient Stars for a quick fix. I don't have an Orient, and the Star line does a really nice job of putting cool colours into classy watches. I was first looking at the lovely WZ0091EL, because I'm a sucker for electric blue dials, but then I saw its black-dial rose-gold cousin, the WZ0111EL, and I'm maybe a bit smitten:
That's a very pretty watch, and I have nothing like it. I've always thought gold and black went well together, one of the few ways I like gold at all. I see me putting it on a black croc strap (maybe even a slightly glossy one), and it would just look awfully slick. Although, the default strap is actually growing on me...

But, my point is, obviously it's not solid gold. Orient is a reputable brand, so I'm sure the plating is of reasonable quality. And, really, I have enough watches that it would probably only see wrist time for a few weeks every couple of months, at most. But, I worry about the gold wearing, because if that starts to noticeably happen, I'm probably never wearing the watch again. Even the caseback is gold (although with a clear crystal as well), so some of the plating will be constantly rubbing against my skin.

So, those of you with gold-plated watches: how worried should I be? Does gold plating doom this watch to inevitable and unfixable damage sooner rather than later? Or can the plating stand up to wrist time in rotation and the usual mild knocks and shallow scratches? Basically, would it be silly for me to even consider this watch, or am I just being paranoid?

(Also, opinions on the watch itself are of course welcome.)
 
#3 ·
Gold plating is usually only 2-4 microns thick, sometimes less, and if applied to a cheaper metal surface will wear off fairly quickly.

They look great at first and if you are careful you should be able to keep most of that finish intact, but one scratch or bump, or consistent rubbing on a certain area will result in the wearing off of the plating.

I agree with DM, a white dial would look great for this watch.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Gold plating by nature will wear in time -given the use or even abuse the watch incurs -gold plate on more expensive watches will be naturally thicker than less expensive watches with the degree of microns used - i don't agree that 'it will look cheap ' perse and generally defy most folk [even WIS ] on certain brands to be able to tell the difference with a cursory look . The real problem is maybe that the wearer knows in his heart it is not gold and is in truth possibly a poor substitute for the real thing
must add i have a 70's plated omega that has no wear whatsoever to the finish - it would be true to say i think -one would take a hit on resale against the retail price
 
#6 ·
Nokie said:
Gold plating is usually only 2-4 microns thick, sometimes less, and if applied to a cheaper metal surface will wear off fairly quickly.

They look great at first and if you are careful you should be able to keep most of that finish intact, but one scratch or bump, or consistent rubbing on a certain area will result in the wearing off of the plating.

I agree with DM, a white dial would look great for this watch.
Click to expand...
on a higher quality piece it could be three or four times that figure
 
#7 ·
If it is going to received limited wear, I'm sure it could look pretty good for many years. Inevitably the plating will start to wear off, but in a rotation you may have found you have moved onto to something else before this becomes a concern.

I second the motion that a light face with gold would look better...
 
#8 ·
For an everyday wearer I'd say steer clear of it and that's the advice I'd give Joe Public. But in reality, for any of us watch freaks on here with multiple watches in rotation I don't think plating is really an issue even though we generally advise against it. It's definitely a classy looking piece and I can see why you like it.
 
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#9 ·
No reason not to. I just feel that the notion of gold plating fading just isn't all that true anymore, at least for gold plated watches from a proper manufacturer. I've put a really deep scratch into the clasp of my gold plated Tissot and it was gold colored through and through with no sign of stainless steel showing.

And seriously without handling it, I cannot tell the difference between a nicely plated watch vs a solid gold watch. So I don't think gold plated watches look "cheap".
 
#11 ·
No! Don't do it!!
Step away from the watch...Put your hands on top of your head....Walk towards the sound of my voice.
Drop it!! Don't make me shoot! You know I will...
Hope this helps....:-!
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Well, I'm happy to hear a few voices telling me that the plating is probably fine for the limited use a watch in my rotation will get. I don't really "flip" watches, so I buy them with the assumption that I'll have them forever (so they need to last "forever"). But it's also true that after the initial honeymoon phase most will only see a week or two on the wrist every two or three months. I'd like to think a $500 Orient could stand up to that.

I find it interesting that so many people strongly prefer a lighter dial with gold, though. I'm just not interested in that at all. For me, white dials look best with silvery steel (and a nice black leather strap). The only time I ever really like gold is with a black dial, which just rings my bell for whatever reason. I'm aware that the combination kind of evokes oversized Michael Kors fashion watches, but I just think black and gold go really well together. I don't believe this watch model comes in gold with a white dial anyway. But, even if it did, there's a stunning blue dial and a really striking red (!) dial in steel that I'd go to first.

Anyone got any specific experiences with gold-plated watches in this price range getting meaningful wrist time?
 
#14 ·
It used to be a general rule that 1 micron = 1 year of wear, though I suspect that modern quality pvd plating would be a little more durable.
 
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#15 ·
That could be the difference.

Where you see white dials with black leather, I see them with brown leather and it is likely the white on brown that lends it to the gold, it being of a similar tonal pallette, especially if we are talking about rose gold colour.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Likestheshiny said:
For me, white dials look best with silvery steel (and a nice black leather strap). The only time I ever really like gold is with a black dial, which just rings my bell for whatever reason.
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I'm fine with the black face, but black face + brown strap is a bad idea I think.... if you get it, try putting it on a black strap.
 

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#17 ·
Most people complaining about gold plating wearing out perhaps had bad experience with vintage watches. In modern watches the plating process is much better. My 4 years old Seiko SARB shows no signs of wearing the gold. That watch looks good and I was eyeing one for myself - unfortunately I cannot stand that short second hand. Until Orient Star will not improve their design to sport a long second hand (up until the markers and with a proper counterbalance) I will not buy anything from them.
 
#18 ·
GlennO said:
For an everyday wearer I'd say steer clear of it and that's the advice I'd give Joe Public. But in reality, for any of us watch freaks on here with multiple watches in rotation I don't think plating is really an issue even though we generally advise against it. It's definitely a classy looking piece and I can see why you like it.
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Very true. If you wear it occasionally, you'll have no problems with the gold plating whatsoever.

I reckon it looks great. There's never a logical reason not to buy an Orient. Go for it!
 
#19 ·
It's a beautiful watch. You sound like you have your mind made up - totally validate. Get it! Agree with an above post that with a few watches in rotation unlikely you're gonna get too much wear on this to the point it did colours (not before you e definitely got your money's worth of wear at least!)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Discussion starter · #20 ·
You guys are terrible about talking me out of things :-d But then, I knew this board was full of enablers when I made the post...

We'll see. I know perfectly well that I'm just getting a new-gadget itch, and I should really fight it off. The same urge has me looking at new floor speakers. Part of me thinks that buying less-expensive watches is pointless if I'm just going to buy a Grand Seiko at some point and wear that constantly. Also, I'm still considering the electric blue version of this watch, which is very electric blue.

Also, now I want to buy a solid gold datejust with a black dial. I really need to learn impulse control...
 
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Likestheshiny
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