9ct Gold Watch Hallmarks Question

[lordy]

Hi, just wondering if anyone can help.

I've got a ladies 9ct gold cocktail watch and inside the case there are marks for 9ct gold which are letters and numbers 375 which means 375 parts gold per 1000 = 9 carat, but was wondering does this hallmark mean the rest of the watch is gold as the strap looks like gold as well.

[paul]

Hi Lordy,

In most cases with gold watches the strap is not gold unless it has its own hallmark which can usually be found on the buckle and back of the strap. Although you do say the strap looks like gold... I have also had a lot of watches that were hallmarked gold in the case and had straps that looked like gold...(it makes all the difference because usually the case is about 2 - 8 grams depending on the size of the watch with ladies being small (2-4 grams and larger mens watches at 4-8 grams....so obviously if the strap is gold also then this will mean lots more gold.)

However in most cases where the strap is not hallmarked then it has turned out to be rolled gold... and although this still sounds like a form of gold it is really nothing more than a heavy gold plate and does not have a precious metal value.

I have handled hundreds of gold watches similar to yours and have yet to find one that had a gold strap that was not hallmarked...but in some cases you can come accross a watch that has no hallmarks at all in the case but is gold, this is common for very old watches about 100 years or more old.

[thecollector]

Most watches that have hallmarked gold cases have rolled gold straps which do not have much instrinsic gold value at all unless you have hundreds of them. They have little gold quantity eg the strap may be 'hallmarked' 1/5th 9ct Rolled Gold. Some people assume that if they weigh the strap they can get the gold quantity, eg it weights 10 grams and one fifth is gold then there must be 2 grams of gold, however this is not true because you have to take into account the internal workings of the strap eg springs etc, also you have to take into account the wear, especially on an old watch you can usually see places where the gold has worn off substantionally and you can see the metal interior of the strap.

Most gold dealers will not buy this kind of gold because of the little gold involved and the amount of work / cost needed to extract the gold, but in some circumstances if you have a huge load of them...say 100 items of rolled gold then you can pay about £20 for a melt from a legitimate gold trader such as one in Hatton Gardens London.

You can pay the £20 and they will melt it down and extract the gold for you - then you can sell them the gold if you choose or keep it. But if you keep it then you will need to pay for it to be assayed else you won't be able to sell it on.

[fredswatch]

I've had a few gold watches in my time as well, and used to make the mistake of scrapping them for the gold value, but I noticed if they are working and in good condition then you can get good money for them on eBay, especially mens gold watches. Providing you use the correct description, don't just put something like "mens gold watch", use all the space you get..if you use something like Mens 9ct 9 carat Solid Gold Hallmarked Swiss Watch not Scrap.... ect...then you will get a good price, and if possible then take the mechanism out and weigh the case and put the weight in the auction eg .. it weighs 6.5 grams.

[paul]

Yes, most gold watches are worth a lot more than the intrinsic scrap value for the weight of the gold, especially as that for a watch to be made in gold it would usually have a quality movement, although there are some Gold Watches models of Rotary that are quartz which seem to be getting more common.