102,514 listings including promoted listings
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A. Lange & Söhne 1815
2021 full set in mint condition
AU$33,500
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Audemars Piguet Cobra
29mm Diamond Blue Dial 18k WG 1980s
AU$14,600
Free shipping
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Vacheron Constantin Overseas
2024
AU$84,888
+ AU$100 for shipping
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Patek Philippe Annual Calendar
Complications Annual Calendar Moonphase Yellow Gold Grey
AU$47,250
Free shipping
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Rolex Day-Date 36
“Red Phone Rolex” 1803 doorstop dial
AU$25,000
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Omega Speedmaster Reduced
18K Gold , rare Champagne Dial original Omega 18k Buckle
AU$13,700
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Cartier Tank Louis Cartier
W1529856
AU$11,000
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Rolex Daytona
116509
AU$52,250
+ AU$500 for shipping
Citizen
14K Gold filled Hi-Line With box all in excellent condition
AU$430
Plus shipping
Private Seller
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Rolex Day-Date 36
36mm Yellow Gold Champagne Diamond Dial President 18038
AU$24,101
+ AU$316 for shipping
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Rolex Yacht-Master 42
226658
AU$49,766
Plus shipping
Private Seller
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A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1
Time Zone
AU$38,500
+ AU$35 for shipping
Patek Philippe World Time
Complications World Time White Gold
AU$52,500
Free shipping
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Omega Seamaster
Mint Solid 18k Yellow Gold Cal. 562 – 1961
AU$6,278
+ AU$273 for shipping
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Rolex Day-Date 36
18038 Nice Condition 1982
AU$25,441
+ AU$255 for shipping
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Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight
BB58 18k Gold 18k 79018V - 2025
AU$17,500
Free shipping
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Jaeger-LeCoultre
Full Hunter Pocket Watch 9104 Jaeger-LeCoultre - Hunter Pocket Watch 9104 18Kt White
AU$4,263
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Rolex Lady-Datejust
69138G WxO
AU$23,500
Free shipping
TAG Heuer Carrera
Calibre Heuer 02 Box & Papers
AU$7,000
+ AU$100 for shipping
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Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch
Full set
AU$36,000
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Private Seller
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Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
5270/1R-001
AU$220,975
+ AU$488 for shipping
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Rolex Yacht-Master II
full set , in box as new condition
AU$62,999
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Rolex Sky-Dweller
Everose Chocolate
AU$65,100
Free shipping
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Rolex Daytona
2025 Rolex Daytona 126598RBOW
AU$640,046
+ AU$316 for shipping
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Rolex Day-Date 36
1803 Great Condition Black Dial Leather Strap
AU$17,252
+ AU$255 for shipping
Rolex Cellini Danaos
6229 White Gold Ladies Size Quartz
AU$4,200
+ AU$100 for shipping
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Vacheron Constantin
Rare Jumbo 2045Q Ellipse 18ct Gold Sigma - K1121 Automatic - Vintage 1970s
AU$10,552
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Chronoswiss Imperia
Imperator Constance Rose Gold Box Papers
AU$14,950
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Rolex Datejust 36
vetrolastica vintage
AU$15,832
+ AU$528 for shipping
Rolex Lady-Datejust
Ref. 6905 - Like New
AU$8,189
+ AU$1,090 for shipping

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Rolex Day-Date 36
18038 Baguette Ruby String Diamond Dial 18k YG 1984
Price on request
Free shipping
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Rolex Day-Date 36
18078
AU$25,475
+ AU$362 for shipping
Cartier
Basculante CPCP Yellow Gold
AU$39,500
Free shipping
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Rolex Lady-Datejust
Ref. 6917 18K Yellow Gold
AU$6,642
+ AU$273 for shipping
Franck Muller Master Banker
18K Gold 2852 MB
AU$11,550
+ AU$29 for shipping
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Rolex Daytona
Oysterflex 07/2022
AU$66,422
+ AU$728 for shipping
Patek Philippe Calatrava
Vintage Calatrava complications MOONPHASE 18k yellow gold Ref 5015
AU$29,500
+ AU$35 for shipping
Rolex Precision
Original Buckle and strap
AU$5,459
+ AU$728 for shipping
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date
Yellow-Gold White Dial
AU$11,810
+ AU$635 for shipping
Rolex Submariner Date
18k Bluesy 2007 Box & Papers
AU$38,500
+ AU$100 for shipping
Rolex Daytona
Chocolate Dial
AU$78,249
+ AU$546 for shipping
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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Yellow Gold On Gold
AU$76,000
Free shipping
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Hublot Big Bang 44 mm
2011 Big Bang Chronograph 44mm 301.PM.1780.RX Rose Gold Black Dial
AU$19,097
+ AU$632 for shipping
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Rolex Cellini
Very Good Condition E serial Cellini White Gold Silver Index Dial Leather Strap 4112
AU$8,684
+ AU$710 for shipping
Rolex Day-Date 36
18K Yellow Gold 36mm 1987 with original strap
AU$18,500
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Private Seller
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Rolex Cellini
1976 NOS Rolex Cellini Ref 4082 18K Yellow Gold Rare Blue Vignette Diamond Dial New Stock
AU$11,458
+ AU$150 for shipping
Rolex Day-Date 40
White Gold Olive Green Dial 228239 - 2018
AU$64,250
Free shipping
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Rolex Day-Date 36
1803 | 1972 Full Set Bark Bracelet
AU$26,387
+ AU$728 for shipping
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Patek Philippe Calatrava
White Gold
AU$13,512
+ AU$474 for shipping
Rolex Daytona
2018 Daytona 116515 Rose Gold Rare Pink Dial
AU$55,888
+ AU$880 for shipping
Patek Philippe Aquanaut
Yellow Gold
AU$72,000
Free shipping
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Rolex Daytona
Meteorite Dial 116509
AU$63,213
+ AU$237 for shipping
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Rolex Day-Date 36
Like NEW 2021 Day-Date 36 "President" Yellow Gold Champagne Index Dial 128238 FULL SET
AU$58,465
+ AU$710 for shipping
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Omega
Australian-made Handley 9ct case original papers original box and original guarantee
AU$1,950
Plus shipping
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Rolex Yacht-Master 40
Ref. 16628 | Vollgold | 1999 | mit Box
AU$44,585
+ AU$182 for shipping
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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
15510OR
AU$136,319
+ AU$180 for shipping
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Rolex Daytona
2020 Cosmograph Daytona "Ghost" 40mm 116509 White Gold Silver Dial
AU$66,467
+ AU$632 for shipping
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Patek Philippe Nautilus
5740/1G-001 Nautilus Perpetual Calendar Moon Phases 18k White Gold Blue Sunburst Dial 2018
AU$300,110
+ AU$237 for shipping
Rolex Day-Date 40
in Stock | Excellent condition | Day-Date 40
AU$72,609
+ AU$455 for shipping
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Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars
Thin Classic dress watch
AU$17,400
Plus shipping
Private Seller

Gold Watches: Elegant and Valuable

A gold watch is the epitome of luxury. For thousands of years, this precious metal has been a symbol of permanence and wealth. Most gold watches are elegant dress watches, though some have a sportier design.

Features

  • 18-karat or 750 gold indicates it's 75% gold
  • 14-karat gold or 585 gold is less common
  • Many gold-electroplated vintage watches
  • Watches with modern PVD coating are in the lower price range
  • Some manufacturers offer their own alloys such as Everose or Sedna gold

Gold Cases: The Mixture Makes the Difference

When gold comes to mind, people most often think of yellow gold. However, many types of gold are used in the watch industry, such as white, pink, and red gold . There are also in-house alloys made by manufacturers like Omega's Sedna gold and Rolex's Everose, both red gold alloys. A unique alloy is Hublot's Magic Gold, which combines yellow gold and ceramic, making it extremely scratch resistant.

Technically, a timepiece can only be considered a gold watch if the case is made of solid gold . However, you can count watches in a lower price range as well, as their cases are made of stainless steel which is then coated in gold.

A gold watch is almost always produced from an metal alloy. Pure gold, which you find in the form of coins or bars available for purchase, is used to plate the surfaces of cases made of a different material. As it's relatively soft, some manufacturers mix it with other metals in-house in order to make it harder and more scratch resistant or to give it another hue.

A value of one karat means that the material is composed of 1/24th gold. Pure gold is thus 24 karat. Watch cases with the highest percentage of gold are 18-karat cases , a value equal to 750 gold. The 750 represents the percentage of pure gold out of 1,000. In a 750 alloy, 75% of the material is pure gold, while the rest consists of other metals. Silver and copper are mixed together with yellow gold. The amount varies, however, in order to slightly change the tone of the yellow gold.

Red and pink gold have a much larger percentage of copper than silver, which gives the gold its reddish-pinkish hue. White gold, on the other hand, has more silver than copper. Particularly valuable 18-karat white gold watches are made with an alloy containing platinum or palladium.

Cases made of 14-karat gold (585 gold) can also be found, although most manufacturers offer 18-karat gold watches today. This applies to watches in both mid and upper price ranges, such as those from Longines, Maurice Lacroix, and Tissot.

Some manufacturers use gold-colored coatings that resemble gold, but are actually something else entirely. The most common of these methods uses a PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating. During this process, the coating is applied via vacuum deposition. PVD coatings can also be made of gold and are regarded as very scratch resistant.

An alternative is electroplating gold on stainless steel cases. The gold layer is very thin; 20 microns is the norm. One micron is 1/1,000th of a millimeter. The gold plating is either 18 or 24-karat gold and prone to scratches, but can be redone if necessary. The PVD method has grown in popularity in recent years, so you will most frequently encounter electroplated watches in the vintage market.

Buying Advice

If you want to buy a gold watch, then you should pay attention to the karats. An 18-karat gold watch is an 18-karat gold watch, regardless of the manufacturer.

The price difference between gold and stainless steel versions of the same watch can be quite considerable. A stainless steel Rolex Submariner with a date display costs about 7,000 euros new, while a yellow gold version in the same condition costs 21,000 euros.

The price and value of an 18-karat gold watch also depends on the price of gold. The market price varies, but has usually been over $1,000 for one troy ounce (31 grams) of gold over the last few years. In the summer of 2011, it shot up to around $1,900. It is unlikely that the price will drop below $1,000. The price of gold watches has gone up simply due to their material worth. In the 1990s, the price was still oscillating between $300 and $400. Since gold also functions as a replacement currency in crisis situations, gold watches are a relatively secure investment. In the worst case, the watch retains value based on the weight of its gold. For this to be the case, however, one should imagine that times are tough and the gold price is thus very high.

Normally, the collector's value and the manufacturer's reputation play a deciding role in determining the price of a timepiece. Gold watches from an independent manufacturer powered by in-house calibers cost the most. Rolex's Submariner isn't the only expensive gold watch they offer. Other series have gold models, such as the Daytona or the Day-Date. The Day-Date is offered with a white gold, yellow gold, or Everose alloy, and the cases are available in many different sizes.

The story is similar with Omega. Their diving watch Seamaster is available in 18-karat gold, and the company offers a large selection of gold watches in their De Ville collection.

Patek Philippe is the ultimate manufacturer of gold watches. No other renowned Swiss manufacturer relies so much on the precious metal like the Genevan family business. The Calatrava is Patek Philippe's most classic series.

Patek Philippe is one of the few manufacturers who doesn't only make the case out of gold, but important parts of the movement as well. A good example is the rotor of an automatic movement, which is often decorated with engravings. Rolex also uses white gold indices - even on the models with a stainless steel case. Not just for aesthetic reasons, either: Gold doesn't tarnish.

Swiss Dominance

According to tradition, the first solid gold wristwatch was made by Girad-Perregaux and was delivered to the German Emperor William I in 1879. Now, around 500,000 gold watches are produced each year, with 90% of them being made in Switzerland. Rolex plays a prominent role in this, as they alone produce 200,000 of these gold watches. In one year, Rolex produces around 800,000 watches, making gold watches a quarter of their total production. The company produces cases in their own foundry. Gold plays an even more important role for the luxury manufacturer Patek Philippe, however. Gold watches dominate Patek's portfolio; there are only a few stainless steel models available. Usually, it's the other way around. Gold remains an expensive exception for most companies. A popular compromise is to create a bicolor watch, where parts of the case and bracelet are made of stainless steel and others of gold. Rolex calls this Rolesor.