The Breitling Watch Source Forums

This baffles me. Bought my wife a Colt Oceane TT and when I sized it i noticed the links that were gold were NOT solid gold but plated. In fact you can see the steel in between the links. I thought that it maybe was just the ladies models. But then I saw Fellman's men's TT Evo in the SC and you can see the gold links arent solid gold?

Why would a watch that retails for $13k not have solid gold links? Her watch was $9600 retail and though I got 40% of from the AD, it was still quite a bit of money....... Too much for non solid gold parts.

Anyone that has an answer i would love to hear it.

I think the all gold models are solid and the two tone models are rolled gold.

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-RJ

Correct.

Pushers and crown are also rolled gold.

I had a issue with this when I was looking at breitlings for myself, as stated the links (on a pilot bracelet anyway) are Caped or wrapped in solid gold. I think this "wrapping" is quite thick and in reality will never ware or polish off. When I asked my AD they said that solid gold would ware away to fast on the the inside of the links and that was the reason you see harder steel on the inside of the links. Not really sure about that because it does not make any sense to me, what about the all gold solid watches which I presume are solid gold all the way through. After look at forums and researching it I would not let it worry me in any way.
Breanach78

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Breanach78

A Few Breitlings.

It's a 20 micron thick sheet of 18k gold (which is not technically "solid gold").

This will be more resilient than all gold where there would be wear at all of the joints because gold is much softer than steel. The logic is that it's less of an issue with solid gold as they are rarely daily wearers. Let's be honest though - one of the main reasons it's done is profit!

I can never under stand that. You can go out a buy a gold piece jewelery, be it bracelet, chain or what ever in 14K, 18k again in whatever at a moderate cost be it 100E 200E or 300E but watch brands can not include true solid gold inserts, as above. Take the links it the TT pilot surely it could not cost much more to have the links solid. Would all the gold you need be equal to a 150E Chain!!!!!!!!!! while I am at it I recently learnt (thanks Roff) that on a TT chronomat the details are solid gold on the face but the pushers and crown are rolled. Why oh Why when surely they will get the most use therefor the most ware and be mostly likely to ware through Using the chronograph manual winding etc.
Sorry got my rant......Make sense of this issue for me
Breanach78

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Breanach78

A Few Breitlings.

This is probably more info than you really want to know.

18K Yellow Gold alloy is usually 75% Gold, 12.5% Copper and 12.5% Silver. Adjusting the ratio of the alloy metals changes the color of the gold and also the hardness. More copper makes the gold shade towards red, while more silver makes the color a lighter shade of yellow. You see a lot of rose gold in watches because the alloy is harder and more resistant to wear.

Working gold makes it harder but also more brittle. Gold alloy is usually annealed after working which return it to a softer state.

With the TT bracelet you have two different metals working against each other. The gold part of the links would wear rapidly at the stress points if they were a solid gold alloy. The plated links wear at the same rate as the stainless links because the same material is used at the stress points.

If you have an older watch with a steel bracelet, you can see the effects of daily wear. After a few years the links will be quite a bit looser than when the bracelet was new. If steel wears like that, think of what would happen to solid gold.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

You beat me to it onewatchnut! That's the long and short of it as far as TT bracelets go.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I can accept the explanations re: wear on solid 18k bracelets, but let me inject a little real world experience. I have a ss/18k gold Rolex, jubilee ss/18k bracelet. I've worn this watch daily for almost 20 years and if there is any noticeable wear and tear on the gold links you sure can not see it with the naked eye.

The wear is not so much on the exterior of the links, but on the inside. Rolex is perhaps the best known brand for having solid gold bracelets that "stretch out" over time, literally stretching and becoming looser in every aspect. I guess the issue is that when you have a two tone bracelet, the steel and gold hold up differently and can make t he bracelet wear unevenly--in theory, at least.

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-RJ