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The yellow gold watch was the accessory that bling killed. It was once the go-to gift to mark retirement, a tradition said to have been started by Pepsi Co. in the 1940s. It also marked a special achievement, such as when Florida State Senator Grant Stockdale commissioned a gold Omega Ultra Thin as a gift for John Kennedy. It was inscribed with ‘President of the United States’ – Kennedy hadn’t yet won the election.
But by the 80s the gold watch had become too overtly symbolic of success: it was the Arab sheikh’s choice, that of the Del Boy-ish Barrow Bay done good, the rapper’s delight.
“You see this watch? You see this watch I’m wearing?” asks the brash salesman, played by Alec Baldwin, of his underlings in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). “This watch costs more than your car.” It’s a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date in yellow gold, of course.
The gold Omega Ultra-Thin owned by JFK, with a letter from Jackie Kennedy
Indeed, go back 60 years and it was Rolex who arguably kick-started the bling thing with its King Midas. It was the brand’s most expensive model, and also the heaviest gold watch commercially available. Elvis loved it. Of course he did. Scaramanga, the Bond villain in The Man With the Golden Gun, was also The Man With The Golden Midas.
And yet, for all of the historical debate around tackiness and taste, the yellow gold watch is back. The reasons are many. Some think there’s been overkill on steel models. Yellow gold, in contrast, can still make a statement. And relative to steel, many love gold’s warmth, lustre and the fact that no matter how scratched it may get, it only seems to get better with age.
Industry insiders say that the drip-drip-drip of pink and rose gold models has proven the ideal gateway drug for the ‘proper’ yellow stuff, while the popularity of vintage watches has also prepped us for gold’s revival. Others suggest that technical advances in propriety materials have made gold much more functional: A Lange & Sohne has its super-hard Honeygold, Hublot has scratch-resistant gold and ceramic Magic Gold, and Rolex has its fade-resistant Everose.
A Rolex King Midas
There are darker, less shiny reasons too. Investors are clamouring to buy gold again because of its long-term price stability. After all, it’s what you’re meant to snap up in times of geopolitical turmoil. Indeed, therein lies the problem: gold prices are at record highs, which means only the biggest watch companies, with the gravitas to sell big-ticket watches to well-heeled customers, can pull off a solid gold watch. That tends to rule out smaller brands and most independent ones.
Why so? Because a watch manufacturer needs a ton of spare cash to buy the gold up front. Then, it has to be able to order a sufficient number of cases from a case-maker, who, given the specialist tooling and techniques required for working with gold, isn’t going to take on the work for just a few. Finally, the brand has to be confident that they can actually sell them all.
Audemars Piaget Royal Oak in gold
Last year, the big guns had to swallow a 33% increase in the rise in the price of gold due to all those preppers hogging it. This year, many of them are passing that increase on to customers.
Some of them, anyway. For most of us, this is about getting a taste of gold through more accessibly priced products: a gold-plated or bi-colour/two-tone case, a steel model with just a gold bezel, or a gold watch on a leather or rubber bracelet. It all keeps the price down – for watchmakers and watch sellers alike. Yet there’s gold at the end of this limitation’s rainbow: it means, at least, that you can’t be accused of just trying to flash the cash.
6 Gold Watches To Consider For 2025
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222
One of the granddaddies of gold watches, this model originally dates back to 1977. It’s sporty, has design pedigree – it was from the sketchpad of a young Jorg Hysek, one of the greats of watch design – and is 18K gold throughout.
Of course, it comes with the associated price tag. You can expect to pay upwards of £70,000 for one. That will also buy you a Porsche Macan, FYI.
Shop now at Vacheron Constantin
Piaget Polo 79
For many commentators, this model was ‘the watch of 2024’. It’s a 200g lump of 18k gold, a larger update of a model first released in the 1980s when it became a totem of flash.
Today, its lateral-line design—carried through from the bracelet to the case and dial—would still make it hugely distinctive, even without all the yellow stuff.
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Bi-colour
The classic ‘first watch to be worn on the moon’ from Omega is usually considered a highly functional piece. But that doesn’t mean it can’t benefit from a sprinkle of gold.
Indeed, it comes in two types of gold: Omega’s Sedna gold (rose gold) or Moonshone gold (a paler version of yellow gold).
Tudor Black Bay 41 S&G
S&G? That’s steel and gold. This model is inspired by Tudor’s dive watches of the 1950s, blending polished steel case with a highlight of gold on the bezel and through the bracelet links.
It’s enough to make it feel dressier, but it’s not quite a dress watch—the S&G is still water-resistant to 100m, after all.
Tissot Prx Powermatic 80
This model has been a big hit for Tissot, arguably precisely because it caught the wave for yellow gold with perfect timing. Here, after all, is an all-gold watch with an integrated bracelet and the feel of something much more expensive for under £800 (with other versions half that).
Of course, it’s not real gold, but you knew that.
Shop now at Watches of Switzerland
G-Shock GMWB50000GD-9 Full Metal
Obviously, no real gold was harmed in the making of this watch. It’s coated steel. But it gets the look, with the added benefit of side-stepping the traditional styling that most gold watches pursue in favour of solar charging, alarms, calendars, Bluetooth, etc.
Some wag dubbed this the ‘CasioOak’, nodding to Audemars Piguet’s classic Royal Oak.
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