The fastest and most secure way to protect the watches you love.
We've minimized the paperwork and maximized protection, so you can stop worrying about your watches and focus on enjoying them.
In most cases, you'll get a personalized quote in seconds and your policy kicks in immediately.
Wherever you are on planet Earth, your watches are protected. Rest easy and travel safely.
If you suffer a covered loss, there's no deductible and no gimmicks. Ever.
Each of your watches is covered up to 150% of the insured value (up to the total value of the policy).
The fastest and most secure way to protect the watches you love.
We've minimized the paperwork and maximized protection, so you can stop worrying about your watches and focus on enjoying them.
In most cases, you'll get a personalized quote in seconds and your policy kicks in immediately.
Wherever you are on planet Earth, your watches are protected. Rest easy and travel safely.
If you suffer a covered loss, there's no deductible and no gimmicks. Ever.
Each of your watches is covered up to 150% of the insured value (up to the total value of the policy).
The fastest and most secure way to protect the watches you love.
We've minimized the paperwork and maximized protection, so you can stop worrying about your watches and focus on enjoying them.
In most cases, you'll get a personalized quote in seconds and your policy kicks in immediately.
Wherever you are on planet Earth, your watches are protected. Rest easy and travel safely.
If you suffer a covered loss, there's no deductible and no gimmicks. Ever.
Each of your watches is covered up to 150% of the insured value (up to the total value of the policy).
Watch Of The Week Ming's First Tourbillon Reminds Me How Much I've Grown
Introducing Grand Seiko Releases Two New 36.5mm Heritage Models In The 44GS Case Design (And They're Not Limited!)
The Value Proposition The $150 Orient Bambino Is The New Value King
I love GOLD! And I'll make you love it, too.
Editors' Picks Our Favorite Watches For Under (A Few Way, Way Under) $1,000
Photo Report MoonSwatch Madness! Huge Lines Form Around The World On Omega x Swatch Launch Day
Watches In The Wild Thailand, Ep. 1: The Best Place In The World To Collect Seiko
For most of us, the entry point into watches comes via a little material known as stainless steel. It's sporty, resilient, and understated. Since steel's material value is less than that of gold or platinum, steel is – or, rather, was – a more affordable alternative to precious metals. We've come to appreciate these steely pieces because modern taste has been defined by our shared love for the tool watches of yesteryear: The watches of soldiers, pilots, and mountaineers – of divers, drivers, and astronauts. But back then, steel watches were utilitarian things. They were literal tools to be used and abused. A nice watch? Well, that was a gold watch – and typically, of the yellow variety.
One received a gold watch after years of service to a company. It was the retirement timepiece, or the watch that proved your worth. Some gold watches became status symbols of the highest order – like the Rolex Day-Date, now known as "The President," which is at once a reference to its unique gold bracelet and the fact that it was the top choice for a number of sitting U.S. commanders-in-chief.
Over the past few years, watch enthusiasts have noticed (and often lamented) an industry shift away from gold – and squarely onto steel. As someone with a fair number of steel watches in my collection, I get it. But the white-hot market for desirable steel sports watches from the likes of AP and Patek has created pricing standards that rival any precious metal. Steel is no longer the thrifty alternative. You can buy a house with a steel Nautilus or a Royal Oak.
There's nothing inherently wrong with that. The market is the market, and our buying patterns dictate how it fluctuates. But markets swing over time, and I'm about ready to see some movement back in the direction of luscious, shiny gold. Aside from being HODINKEE's resident cinephile, I also happen to be its great defender of two-tone watches. And there's a reason I love bi-metal pieces so much: I don't have to choose between gold and steel.
My love of two-tone has slowly matured into an equal passion for solid-gold watches. Where once they felt too fanciful for my wrists – too "old money" – they now feel like watches worth aspiring to. Suddenly, gold variations of my favorite sport models are the only ones I can think about. My head is filled with gold Submariners, gold GMT-Masters, gold Zenith El Primeros – and as of last month, gold Moonwatches.
Something about gold just speaks to a certain refinement of horology writ large. You can't hide luxury behind a gold watch the way you can with steel. It doesn't fly under any radar, which is precisely the point – unless of course, we're talking about white gold (which, in this article, I am not).
Now, there are certain drawbacks to owning a gold watch, such as its prohibitive expense (especially with a matching gold bracelet), but you know that going in. Gold is also more fragile than stainless steel, picking up scratches far more easily. The faint-of-heart might be scared off by the notion of a five-figure watch showing signs of wear. I personally think scratches are part of the journey and make any watch look great.
Here at HODINKEE, we've told some great stories about collectors who aren't afraid to put their gold to the test. I specifically recall a Jason Heaton story where Dr. Sylvia Earle – renowned diver and explorer – hit the water in a solid gold Rolex Datejust. Or Cole Pennington's piece on Bret Gilliam, "The Man with the Golden Sub."
I've been thinking about gold watches so much lately that when asked to create a dream watch in a recent Editor's Picks story, here on HODINKEE, I dreamt up a solid-gold 36mm Rolex Explorer. I'm still waiting for the day that one gets made. In any event, I want to share my infatuation with you all, and so I've compiled a list of some great stories on gold watches from HODINKEE years past. Stay golden, and enjoy.
The Man With The Golden Sub
Cole Pennington delivers the fascinating tale of Bret Gilliam, a gold Rolex-wearing diver who went on over 17,000 dives wearing his yellow gold Submariner ref. 1680.
Grails: The Long Wait: On Owning A Rolex Day-Date
A personal essay from HODINKEE's own editor-in-chief, Jack Forster, on what it meant to lust over a gold Rolex Day-Date for years – and then to finally get one under unique and fantastic circumstances.
A Week On The Wrist: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph
This is one is a bit of a throwback. HODINKEE founder Ben Clymer spends a week with a solid gold AP Royal Oak Chrono, a true heavy-hitter that is every bit as heavy (literally) as you might expect.
Hands-On: The Resplendent Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional In Moonshine Gold
Our most recent story on gold watches in this weekend line-up comes from James Stacey, who writes about (and photographs!) the newest gold additions to the Speedmaster Moonwatch lineup.
Talking Watches With Roni Madhvani
In this edition of Talking Watches, we meet a collector with a sumptuous array of golden timepieces.
A gold Day-Date is kind of absurd. It's just so much ... But the heart has its reasons.
Explore our entire, curated, collection of gold watches, here.
A Week On The Wrist With The Neomatik 41 Update, NOMOS Puts A Ring On It
The Spec Sheet HODINKEE's Newest Series Debuts 60-Second Videos On Breitling, Cartier, Bulgari, and Rolex
Second Opinions If You Really Love a Watch, Give it Away
In-Depth The Chronoscope Isn't Just A New Omega Speedmaster – It's All Speedmasters Ever, Packed Into One
Photo Report We Went To Basketball Courts Around NYC – And The Watches We Saw Surprised Us
Entry Level H. Moser's Least Expensive Watch Is Your Ticket To The World Of High-End Independent Swiss Watchmaking
Watching Movies Brad Pitt Fights His Way Across Japan's Railways Wearing A Platinum Breitling AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-edition In 'Bullet Train'
Buying, Selling, & Collecting I Found An Incredible Arabic-Dial Seiko In An Unlikely Place
Enter the World of Hodinkee
All the watches you need to know about, delivered to your inbox daily.
Enter the World of Hodinkee
All the watches you need to know about, delivered to your inbox daily.