When Conventional Gold Isn’t Good Enough, We Turn To Special Golds

Gold has always been a representation of prosperity, grandeur, and divinity. It’s also long been associated with wisdom and is, of course, a symbol of achievement in sports or academics. It can also refer to a peak period in time or once life in cultural references such as the golden age or golden era. In watchmaking, it’s often reserved for the most prized watches and known for its heft, shine and aura of luxury. But what if you’re not content with “simple” white, yellow or rose gold? What if you want a little bit more, I don’t know, pazazz? As luck would have it, more and more manufacturers are weighing in on the topic with special alloys that offer a different tone or even a higher resistance to shocks or scratches. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the finest and special golds available!

A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph perpetual – honeygold

Let’s get straight into the most complex piece of this list, and one that’s housed in something called Honeygold: the A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph Perpetual. This exquisite 50-piece limited edition showcases the brand’s expertise in chronograph watchmaking, as well as adding in a tourbillon escapement, fusée-and-chain mechanism and a perpetual calendar display with a moonphase. The 684 parts that make up the movement are housed in a stunning 43mm by 16.6mm Honeygold case, an alloy that has a colour comparable to honey (hence the name). It is also harder than typical gold alloys, which means it is harder to machine and finish, hence the reason it’s reserved for A. Lange & Söhne’s most exclusive pieces.

For more information, please visit ALange-Soehne.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 16.6mm – 18k Honeygold case, polished – pushers for chronograph & rattrapante function – sapphire crystal front & back – 18k Honeygold base dial, relief-engraved – black-rhodium plated – 18k gold hands – Lange Calibre L133.1, in-house – manual-winding – 684 parts – 21,600vph – 36h power reserve – fusée-and-chain transmission – split-seconds chronograph – tourbillon escapement – perpetual calendar with moonphase – hand-stitched leather strap with 18k Honeygold buckle – limited edition of 50 pieces (sold out) – EUR 500,000 (when announced in 2020)

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak perpetual calendar Selfwinding – Sand Gold

Next up is the most recent addition to the long-running and iconic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak lineage, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Selfwinding 26674SG. This model uses the brand’s unique 18k Sand Gold alloy for the case, dial and bracelet, which mixes solid gold with copper and palladium. The material was introduced last year and has a unique champagne-like colour to it. Other than the difference in tone, it has the properties of gold alloys typically used in the industry. Nevertheless, the exceptionally subtle tone adds a discreet gold tone (and some proper heft) to one’s wrist! This newest APRO also gave us an improved and more practical QP movement, where everything is adjusted through the crown instead of through a series of correctors. The price is set at CHF 130,000.

For more information, please visit AudemarsPiguet.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 9.5mm – 18k Sand Gold case, brushed & polished – octagonal Sand Gold bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – sand gold tone dial with Grande Tapisserie pattern – full QP display – 18k white gold hands – Calibre 7138, in-house – ultra-thin automatic – 422 parts – 28,800vph – 55h power reserve – hours, minutes, perpetual calendar with week, day, date, month, leap year and astronomical moonphase – integrated Sand Gold bracelet with folding clasp – CHF 130,000

Omega speedmaster calibre 321 – canopus gold

A watch as legendary as the Speedmaster deserves not only a proper movement but also a proper touch of excellence on the outside. And with the Speedmaster Calibre 321 in 18k Canopus Gold, Omega certainly delivers in both aspects! The proprietary alloy is made of 75% gold, 20% palladium and 5% rhodium and platinum, which results in a material that’s more resistant to wear and fading. Virtually all exterior elements are machined out of this special material, which also happens to have a whiter brilliance than regular white gold. Inside, the faithfully recreated Calibre 321 is given a Sedna-gold-plated finish for a touch of contrast. The Omega Speedmaster 321 in Canopus Gold retails for EUR 80,000.

For more information, please visit OmegaWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 38.6mm x 13.9mm – 18k Canopus (White) Gold, brushed & polished – domed sapphire crystal, sapphire crystal caseback – 18k Canopus Gold bezel with tachymeter scale – black onyx step dial – 18k white gold hands – recessed subdials – Omega Calibre 321, in-house – historic reproduction – Senda gold-plated finish – hand-wound column-wheel chronograph – horizontal clutch – 18,000vph – 55h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph – flat-link Canopus Gold bracelet with folding clasp – security push-buttons & comfort release adjustment system – EUR 80,000

IWC portugieser hand-wound tourbillon day & night – armor gold

Next up is IWC Shaffhausen’s Armor Gold, in the shape of the rather splendid Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night. The beauty of Armor Gold, a special alloy developed by IWC themselves, is that it retains the lustre of conventional 5N gold yet has an improved microstructure that makes it more wear-resistant. It can be found in a number of watches, ranging from several Big Pilot models to this stunner in the Portugieser collection. The black obsidian dial reveals a flying tourbillon escapement and a spherical day/night indicator, with gold-plated leaf-shaped hands to tell time. Fitted to a black leather strap made by Santoni, it retails for CHF 105,000.

For more information, please visit IWC.com.

Quick Facts – 42.4mm x 10.8mm – 18k Armor Gold case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – obsidian black lacquered dial – applied gold numerals – gold-plated leaf-shaped hands – exposed flying tourbillon escapement – globe-shaped revolving day/night indicator – IWC Calibre 81925, in-house – hand-wound – 28,800vph – 84h power reserve – silicon pallet lever & escape wheel coated in Diamond Shell technology – black Santoni leather strap with 19k Armor Gold folding clasp – CHF 80,000

hublot big bang unico – magic gold

Last up is perhaps the most resilient gold on the market, Magic Gold by Hublot. This innovative material is a hybrid of gold and ceramic powder and was first introduced in 2015. Boron nitride is compressed in a mold and subjected to intense heat, creating a ceramic with a porous structure. Liquid 24k gold is then injected under high pressure, giving the composite material an 18k purity level and far superior properties when it comes to scratches and dings. The colour is also quite unique, as showcased by this Big Bang Unico chronograph. The muted yellow-greyish case is offset with black elements all around and an openworked movement. It retails for EUR 40,600.

For more information, please visit Hublot.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 14.55mm – 18k Magic Gold case, polished – black lateral protectors, screws and inserts – sapphire crystal front & back – openworked dial with applied rose gold markers & hands – openworked subdials – Calibre HUB1280, in-house – automatic winding – flyback chronograph with column wheel – 354 components – 28,800vph – 72h power reserve – integrated black rubber strap with black ceramic and black titanium folding buckle – limited edition of 200 pieces – EUR 40,600