Channeling Your Inner Gordon Gekko With Six Yellow Gold Watches

Trends come and go, and we see the same happening in the watchmaking industry. Retro is still very much hot, so it’s only natural multiple brands dive into their archives and see what can be brought back to life one way or another. Other brands might rather take a prised baby into new directions by pairing together new materials and colours. With these ebb and flow movements of the industry, however, some surprising styles pop up every now and then. Until not too long ago yellow gold was often seen as too flashy, too outspoken a material, but it seems it has broken those shackles again, and is on the up and up! So with that in mind, we once more take a look at six full yellow-gold watches to satisfy your inner Gordon Gekko.

piaget polo 79

In what is a celebratory year for both the Polo (45 years) and Piaget itself (150 years), the party kicks off with this superb Polo 79. This brings back the original design of the Polo, as envisioned by Yves Piaget in the late 1970s. The full yellow gold case is very complex in construction, with its signature gadroons extending to the dial and bracelet. Piaget has opted for the ultra-thin Calibre 1200P1, measuring only 2.35mm in height and driven by a micro-rotor. The end result is genuinely fascinating and very coherent. The price is rather steep though, at EUR 80,000 incl. taxes, despite the fact it’s pretty much solid gold top to bottom.

For more information, please visit Piaget.com.

Quick Facts – 38mm x 7.45mm – 18k 3N yellow gold case, brushed & polished – gadroons across case, dial and bracelet – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – 18k gold Dauphine hands – Piaget calibre 1200)1, in-house – ultra-thin micro-rotor movement – 29.9mm x 2.35mm – 21,600vph – 44h power reserve – hours & minutes – 18k yellow gold integrated bracelet with triple-blade folding clasp – EUR 80,000 (incl. VAT)

bvlgari octo finissimo automatic blue & gold

The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo is a modern icon in watchmaking and one to set many records in the process. Even though it has been around for over a decade now, it has lost little, if anything at all, of its appeal. The latest member to join the ranks is a blue and gold edition of the Octo Finissom Automatic. We’ve seen time and time again that the brushed and polished faceted design of the OF is well-suited to any material, but the shine of yellow gold takes it to another level, especially paired with this sumptuous sunray brushed blue dial. As ever, power comes from the Calibre BVL138 in-house micro-rotor automatic. The price is EUR 49,200.

For more information, please visit Bulgari.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 6.40mm – 18k yellow gold case, satin-brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – blue lacquered dial with sunray brushing – gilded hands & indices – small seconds subdial – calibre BVL138, in-house micro-rotor automatic – 21,600vph – 60h power reserve – hours, minutes, small seconds – integrated 18k yellow gold bracelet with concealed folding clasp – EUR 49,200

omega constellation meteorite moonshine gold

Since 2019, Omega has had something called Moonshine Gold in its arsenal, a yellow gold alloy with a slightly paler hue than traditional 18k yellow gold. The material also has a higher resistance to fading. It has found its way into various Speedmasters and Seamasters, but is now used in the Constellation collection as well. Part of a series of 5 new watches, the Constellation Moonshine Gold has a gold-coloured meteorite dial, alternating finishing on the exterior elements, and the Master Chronometer certified Omega 8901 automatic movement. The integrated bracelet naturally follows suit with the case. The price is set at EUR 39,750.

For more information, please visit OmegaWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 44mm x 13.5mm – 18k Moonshine Gold case, brushed & polished – 18k Moonshine Gold bezel & claws – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – gold-coloured meteorite dial – applied gold indices & hands – bevelled date window – Omega Calibre 8901, Master Chronometer – automatic winding – 25,200vph – 60h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date – integrated 18k Moonshine Gold bracelet with folding clasp – EUR 39,750

Vacheron constantin 222

Two years ago, Vacheron Constantin brought back its fabled 222 to complete the Holy Trinity of luxury sports watches. This return of the 1970s icon was met with great praise from the watch community, even though many would have favoured a stainless steel version instead. Nevertheless, the full yellow gold Vacheron Constantin 222 is a thing of beauty and comes very close to the original. It has the same overall design with a fluted bezel, a Maltese cross on the corner of the case, and a perfectly integrated bracelet. Inside, the very modern Calibre 2455/2 meets the Hallmark of Geneva standards. It’s not cheap though, at EUR 62,000.

For more information, please visit Vacheron-Constantin.com.

Quick Facts – 37mm x 7.95mm – 18k 3N yellow gold case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – fluted bezel – white gold Maltese cross – 50m water-resistant – gold-toned dial – yellow gold indices & hands – Calibre 2455/2, in-house ultra-thin automatic – Hallmark of Geneva certified – 28,800vph – approx. 40h power reserve – hours, minutes, date – integrated 18k yellow gold bracelet with folding clasp – boutique exclusive – EUR 62,000

Rado diastar original skeleton

While all these watches are very fine examples, they do come with a rather hefty price tag. So, if you’re looking for that full yellow-gold vibe, but don’t want to remortgage the house, the Rado DiaStar Orginal Skeleton might be perfect for you! The trick here is that it might look like yellow gold, but it’s actually PVD-coated stainless steel for the case and bracelet, and PVD coated Ceramos for the bezel. The openworked dial and automatic R808 movement draw you into this delightful slice of 1970s watch design even further. Retailing for EUR 2,600 Rado certainly offers a more down-to-earth way to have something shiny and cool on the wrist.

For more information, please visit Rado.com.

Quick Facts – 38mm x 45mm x 11.9mm – yellow gold PVD coated steel case – yellow gold PVD coated Ceramos bezel – square faceted sapphire crystal – sapphire crystal caseback – 100m water-resistance – skeletonized dial – golden indices & hands – pivoting Rado anchor – Rado Calibre R808, skeletonized – automatic winding – anthracite bridges & plates – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – Nivachron hairspring – yellow gold PVD coated bracelet – EUR 2,600

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 35mm

The Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 35mm in full yellow-gold PVD-coated stainless steel is an even more attainable option for a yellow-gold coloured luxury sports watch. This compact version of the insanely popular PRX collection not only has a yellow-gold toned exterior but repeats it on the embossed tapisserie style dial as well. To keep in check with the vintage theme it’s inspired by, we opted for the 35mm PRX instead of the 40mm version. For the very sensible price of EUR 875, you also get the reliable Powermatic 80 movement, which has a running time of 80 hours and a Nivachron hairspring to combat magnetism.

For more information, please visit TissotWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 35mm x 11.3mm – gold PVD-coated stainless steel case, brushed & polished – polished bezel – sapphire crystal on top – see-through caseback – 100m water-resistant – gold-coloured dial with embossed tapisserie pattern – applied indices & baton hands with Super-LumiNova – bevelled date window – Tissot Powermatic 80, automatic – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date – integrated gold PVD-coated bracelet – EUR 875