Solid Gold Watches

The practical differences from a coated watch are weight and permanence. Gold is roughly twice as dense as steel, which changes how a watch sits and is the first thing people notice picking one up. And it cannot wear through, because there is nothing underneath. What it does instead is scratch, easily, since 18k is softer than steel, and the marks polish out at the cost of a little metal each time.

White gold is worth a note. It is usually rhodium plated to achieve its colour, and that plating does wear, so a white gold watch can need replating in a way a yellow gold one never will.

Everything here starts at GBP 1,460 and the median is near GBP 15,000. At this level the case material is rarely the most expensive part; the movement inside usually is.

Solid Gold Watches holds 163 models across 35 brands, from £20 to £103,100. Half cost less than £24,550, and a quarter less than £13,160. 108 of 163 are automatic. 76 are stocked by more than one retailer, giving 253 offers in total. Piaget lists more references here than any other brand. Prices are checked nightly against the retailers’ own feeds.