Question removing gold-coating ( cases OMEGA & Co.)

Fallout Boy
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Hi, I would like to restore a vintage Polerouter, gold-capped/coated, 60? microns.

First time in my life, I have planned intentionally to „destroy „ a scruffy rotten case.

-> My question is: do I find the 100% original steel-case after removing the „gold“ and can I (no me, any PRO) restore it to „steel“. Or did they use a different steel-alloy

Does anyone know how (if) the case was originally pre-treated?

Or should I abandon this experiment?

merci for any input
 
JimInOz
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Gold CAPPED, or gold PLATED?

There's a significant difference.
 
Fallout Boy
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IMO they are gold capped- I do not posess the watch .... It is only the upper side of the case in "gold".
What do you think: UG capped the polerouters??? Watch is from 1953
 
gatorcpa
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Early Polerouters had very thick layers of gold. Up to 300 microns if memory serves. This is more than the contemporary Omega Constellations.

Older gold plating was around 20 microns and modern stuff is as little as 5 to 10 microns for comparison.

https://download1531.mediafire.com/...gbHLjs1srDG1SrfkA/0lm6y9wl4eg5k01/GoldCap.pdf

I think you would need to consult with a specialist company like Replateit to determine if the work is feasible.
gatorcpa
 
gatorcpa
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Fallout Boy Fallout Boy
The question(s) from above remains. 😉
Please read the article. Generally, there is stainless steel underneath. However, I would guess that even if it were possible to chemically remove the gold, you’d either need to heavily polish or replate the case to get it to be presentable.

Some gold-capped watches had solid gold bezels. I do not know if the Polerouter was one of them.

I realize that you are not in the U.S., but if you happen to find a U.S. 10¢ coin, it would be like removing the top layer of copper-nickel alloy.
gatorcpa
 
X350 XJR
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So I tried this experiment sometime ago on a trashed 1950s gold capped Seamaster case and this is as far as I got. That layer of gold is pretty damn thick.

IMG_2169.jpg
 
fskywalker
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What about removing a 20 micron gold layer off a watch bracelet?

IMG_4493.webp
 
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