Gold Plated Steel…is it a “poser” watch?

https://youtube.com/shorts/TeFWIQNrCjM?si=VXFON4NYGFgn5mB7

To help further the discussion…

For me it depends on the watch and wearer. The PRX, Brew Metric, and others are more color than statement I feel. I cannot see a wearer pretending otherwise. Or I hope, but who knows.

Where I feel it is odd is those that wear homages of otherwise famous gold watches. IE, I have a neighbor who has an Invicta “bluesy” and I have experienced him telling others it is gold. I am not going to call him out in person, but there will always be those that want to pretend. Let them be, they know at the end of the day they are not being truthful.

More color than statement is an insightful choice of words.

You don’t feel the PRX is a homage to either the 222 or AP? The all gold is the thing that throws me off. Mostly because I think the PRX in steel is a no brainer, good looking value watch

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but I don't think anyone is being tricked into thinking you're wearing a solid gold watch. It's been standard since, like, the 1940's(?) to wear gold plated (or rolled gold if you're extra fancy) watches / bracelets. Maybe the context has changed? I don't prefer gold tones myself, but I don't think it's necessarily a flex based on material alone.

Do I think it is similar to those? Sure. Does anyone that isn’t a watch person know what a 222 is? Unlikely. Perhaps an AP, I can see that. Those that know what a PRX is, will know exactly what it is.

I appreciate the PRX, but I too would rather have the steel, but to each there own in that regard. I have a steel Brew Metric, but I am a big fan of that plated one.

I do like the gold PRX (especially the auto), but there's something about it that screams "sleazy uncle" about it. I really can't explain it.

Would you feel the same about an all gold AP, Rolex or VC 222? Or is that sleezy vibe because you know it’s trying to be something else?

I might probably feel the same about the AP, but somehow not really about the 222 🤔

I do like this

https://www.brew-watches.com/collections/watches/products/brew-metric-gold

Interesting.

@AllTheWatches brings up an interesting point above. I don’t feel the same way about the Gold Brew that I do with this PRX. But I love the PRX. Maybe it’s just me. My grail is the 222 and so for me personally it feel like a poser. Maybe on someone else who may not see the 222 in the PRX, it hits different

Maybe I don't feel that strongly about the gold PRX because I own a regular steel PRX so it's a watch I am very familiar with, both AP and 222 are far far beyond my reach

If we were in the 1930s it may have been different, but I expect these days most people in the general public will assume that any gold they see on a watch is plated.

If you have a 35mm PRX and you want cheap Amazon rubber straps for it, in black, let me know. I got a free set for the first up ask for it.

That’s right, PRX strap, black rubber, FREE. Read my PRX post and you’ll see why I don’t need them. I’d love to give them to you, or maybe trade… whatever. Message me.

They can be, depending on wearer? I can't separate my aversion to inauthentic gold and my fear of how badly the finish will age. Were things more homogeneous alloys, I think I'd be much less concernced.

Not a fan of gold watches unless, small dress watches with a nice black leather strap. Anything else is too blingy and can look like costume jewellery IMO.

Most people who wear watches wear fashion watches and 100% of those that are gold colored are just that.

To the avarage person, the only watch brand they know and associate with actual gold is rolex.

Nobody who knows anything about watches will mistake a prx for an actual gold watch.

It's purely a fashion piece.

But if you, the wearer, associate gold color jewelery with status than wearing a gold tone watch will probably not feel right for you.

I say that because I had a plaque or vintage omega seamaster with gold bracelet until recently. I really like the look but gold plating is just not the same as solid gold. So I sold it again.

Now I know that I do not like gold plated because it just feels kinda fake to me but I still like solid gold watches.

Another anecdote would be my fiancée who only ever wears yellow gold jewelery because she likes the color and it fits her well. But gold plated feels fake and cheap to her. Anything that isn't solid 18k is not even on the table. It's gold or nothing. Because it is real. It feels real and it has a real value. She says "If I spend money I want the real deal. Money spent on imitations is wasted because the thing is worthless the moment you hand over your cash."

If you wear a gold watch you have to wear it with confidence and if it feels like you're faking it to yourself you won't have that confidence and you won't like the watch. And if your grail is an actual solid gold spirts watch like the 222 wearing a "fake" gold watch will probably feel even worse.

This is HGP from 1979, as long as the plating is of good quality the finish can last a long time. Gold Filled is far better than this however

Here is a deterrent for you

Depends on your style, if you are going for a really minimalistic style then maybe not, but if you have a style which incorporates more jewlery (especially Gold) then it'd fit, to be honest nobody really cares nowadays

For me gold is color, not material. I'm not an 18k solid gold kinda watch wearer. I once considered a nice 1970s Omega DeVille rectangular 18k solid gold but it was over 3000 USD and most of that cost was due to the material. A gold plated version of the thing would've cost about 1000 USD. I didn't think solid gold was worth the extra 2000 so I let it go. My Cartier Tank is gold-plated and that's fine for my purposes. I don't wear jewelry of any kind (except, if you consider watches as jewelry) and don't like how they look on me. I do like the yellowness of some watches though so I'd get those if the price is right. I'm only paying for the watch not the gold.

Never been a fan of gold plating.

In the early 80s Santa gave me this beauty, a Seiko Chronograph, and I wore it for the next couple decades. Wore it out, in fact. There was nothing odd or ostentatious about it. Yes, the 80s were a different time, but I would easily wear it today if it were in good shape.

Santa was nice back then. I hear now all he delivers are Pagini Designs.

I own an all gold AP and I do feel sleazy wearing it. I’ve worn it a total of 2 times in 2 years in public, and once was for my wedding. However, that’s just a fashion choice since the trend these days is old money aesthetic/quiet luxury and all gold screams.

If I did wear my AP more often, I would not think a gold plated PRX was a poser watch, similar to how I wouldn’t think a Tudor GMT is a poser for the Rolex GMT-Master II. I don’t see any issues with others wearing plated/ PVC watches because I agree with the folks above - plating or PVC is to change color, not signal purchasing power like fake diamonds.

Not sure if this train of thought is helpful but… if your grail was hypothetically a white gold VC 222, would you have an issue wearing a white gold plated PRX?

Side note, what could contribute to thinking a watch is a poser watch is the weight. I know some people don’t wear titanium watches because it’s lighter than steel so it “feels cheap”. You could face the same problem with gold-plated steel vs. 18k gold.

I think white gold often gets mistaken for steel. So it’s actually the exact opposite issue. But I get your main point.

Ps. If you need someone to wear that AP from time to time let me know. It deserves to see wrist time.

There is a old saying: you can read the time as good on plated as on 18k gold.

There is an older saying that you can get a more accurate and legible time on your iPhone, but…here we all are. 😂

Truth 🤣

I like the gold PRX

The same way inergrated watches are not posing the royal oak, nor divers the submariner, gold plated watches are just another style of watch. I see loads of gold plated digital casios, and they certainly aren't trying to pretend to be the 222