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Rose gold oxidizes and turns yellow
So I recently acquired a 3137 (presumably in yellow gold, but I'll go into this later) and a 3337 in rose gold.
I then brought them to Breguet in Switzerland for servicing. After a couple of weeks, I received the estimates, and the one for the 3137 stated that it's a "3137BR".
I replied, indicating that the 3137 should be a yellow gold piece and they had apparently made a mistake. A few days later, they responded with the following:
"Regarding your 3137, please be advised that the watch is in rose gold. Rose gold oxidizes over time, and the case may look like yellow gold, but we confirm that it is rose gold."
How is this even possible? The 3137 looks entirely yellow to me, so I had no doubt it was a yellow gold piece. I actually prefer the color of the rose gold and they also seem to fetch higher prices on the market, so I guess I struck gold (pun intended).
Can anyone provide any insights?
My Patek R looks almost yellow gold to me. Dealer that I didn't purchase from thought it was a J, said that the oxidation makes it more yellow gold
Oh wow I didn't know this is even possible. Thanks for the input. The oxidation is so uniform that it makes the watch look exactly like yellow gold
I have witnessed the change on a number of rose gold watches over the many years
One of which was a lightly worn Rolex day/date belonging to my wife. It changed in less than a decade and she was very upset. I, on the other hand, felt it looked quite nice as I dislike the Rolex rose or everose or whatever they call it. Other watches that turned yellow-ish were Journe, IWC, JLC, etc.
I think that's nice and you'd be upset if it wasn't...
As I mentioned above, my wife's Rolex changed and it was 100% uniform including the bracelet. It looked beautiful to me but she insisted she wanted to send it to Rolex to see if something could be done. They told us they could apply some sort of coating to make it look more rose-like and they did. Now, years later, the watch turned yellow-ish again and she doesn't even wear it anymore.
It sounds like the oxidation is throughout. Otherwise they could just polish off the oxidation layer on the surface so the watch would look like rose gold again.
I've uploaded another picture in this thread with a true yellow gold Breguet next to the 3137 and I can now see the difference. It's darker and I really like the color. It's so unique.
Yes, I do know that but it's really up to the wife and she has lost interest a while ago.
You are a master of making her happy after all these years.
I'm still learning with mine!
Ha! The learning never stops...
And that's coming from a guy who's been married almost four decades...😉
I wish it were like this,
but this is completely true, I have a new, unused Rolex DateDay 2019 in its vacuum plastic case in the safe, I have never used it and it is in Rose Gold and currently it is already seen in yellow gold, I must To say that it is not completely yellow, it is between yellow and pink, like a more intense yellow, the oxidation is even so you cannot notice that it is deteriorated and yes I admit it is a much more attractive yellow, this model is already one of the new ones " ever rose" and from what I see it will happen like that with all rosés over time at least for now. greetings This message has been edited by India Whiskey Charlie on 2024-07-06 22:42:50
Welcome!
Can't say too much based off a single photo. Maybe with more photos and in different lighting (normal light, fluorescent light, etc.). But I suppose it is possible that Breguet is correct, and it's also possible that Breguet is mistaken!
Here are two more pictures of the 3137 under both artificial and natural lighting. And the 3337 does look significantly more coppery.
Hmm. These two photos look more like rose gold!
Seems like Breguet's people might be right!
I just realized I have another yellow gold Breguet next to the 3137 in the original picture. Now I can see that it's indeed darker than normal yellow gold, but it definitely has a different tone compared to the rose gold 3337
Hi, pure gold (24k) is too soft to work with, so cases tend to be made of 75% (18k) gold alloyed with other metals.
These other metals are what give the gold its necessary hardness, and also affect the color--leaving us with a shade of yellow, honey, pink, red, white, or grey (although older white gold alloys were sometimes plated with rhodium as well).
Different alloys have different properties, and while now there are some alloys that do not tarnish at all, in many cases while the 75% gold will not tarnish, the other metals in the alloy can and do. This is why a case can change slightly over decades. I think it's beautiful, personally, and I would never polish one of the old Breguets I have which has had its yellow color deepen over time.
In any event, looking at the alloys used by watch companies is very interesting. I am a fan of gray gold with 75% gold and 25% palladium as these are both "noble" metals which do not tarnish, so this is what my and my wife's wedding rings are made of. In various mythical traditions, old and new, differemt metals are held to have symbolic meaning and that can also add interest. For example, in a school of Daoism, gold represents that which we wish to remain untarnished, while platinum represents our pure aspirations. Meanwhile, a metal like silver which oxidizes represents letting go of things which wish to be rid of--a process of purification.
One last thing is that there are ways to make the same alloy harder than it would otherwise be, and that's through cold forging, a process which uses a lot of pressure and less heat. This is what allowed Charles Frodsham to use 22k (91.67%) gold in their case and Credor has used this process with their 18k rose gold Eichi II to allow the case to receive a higher level of polish to nice effect.
Different alloys have different properties, and while now there are some alloys that do not tarnish at all, in many cases while the 75% gold will not tarnish, the other metals in the alloy can and do. This is why a case can change slightly over decades. I think it's beautiful, personally, and I would never polish one of the old Breguets I have which has had its yellow color deepen over time.
In any event, looking at the alloys used by watch companies is very interesting. I am a fan of gray gold with 75% gold and 25% palladium as these are both "noble" metals which do not tarnish, so this is what my and my wife's wedding rings are made of. In various mythical traditions, old and new, differemt metals are held to have symbolic meaning and that can also add interest. For example, in a school of Daoism, gold represents that which we wish to remain untarnished, while platinum represents our pure aspirations. Meanwhile, a metal like silver which oxidizes represents letting go of things which wish to be rid of--a process of purification.
One last thing is that there are ways to make the same alloy harder than it would otherwise be, and that's through cold forging, a process which uses a lot of pressure and less heat. This is what allowed Charles Frodsham to use 22k (91.67%) gold in their case and Credor has used this process with their 18k rose gold Eichi II to allow the case to receive a higher level of polish to nice effect.
Thanks for the detailed reply!
I'm also a fan of gray gold but I think yellow/rose gold pieces are so classic Breguet and they also look better on the wrist. I won't have this polished for sure, the color is really unique.
The 75 / 25 gold and palladium alloy should also be denser than yellow or red 18K. Even if you don't feel it. I like it too.
That's very cool!
I'm having a watch made with a case of this alloy and I'm looking forward to it!
That doesn't surprise me. I noticed that in the past, and had hard time saying if it was in roe gold or yellow, gold, about some vintage watches.
A polish of the case will make it rose again.
The colour change is due to oxidation, the superficial action of the alloy with oxygen.
If the oxidated top layer is removed, all is looking rose again.
If the oxidated top layer is removed, all is looking rose again.
Almost makes one wonder if these guys ever clean their timepieces....
...or do they leave all the grime there after wearing (ewwww).