Vintage gold watches in line for scrap?

lindo · Oct 12, 2025

Old watches with gold cases are once more under threat, as gold prices soar to levels that invite owners to cash them in for their scrap value. It has happened before of course, but the amazing gold price today must be tempting to more than a few collectors.

This came to mind when I was looking at further pruning my vintage collection. For example, I have this 1960s vintage Movado Museum watch with a 14ct 34mm gold case. Although my collection is mostly Omegas, I bought it because it was so attractive.

Designed in 1947, it was selected in 1960 for the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York (the first watch dial awarded this distinction), after which the watch became known internationally as the Museum Watch. It was way ahead of its time in 1947.

Modern versions of it are basically cheap fashion watches, but this vintage one sticks to the original design.

I took the movement out and found the gold case weighed 12gm. Its scrap value exceeds what I can sell it for online, but I cannot bring myself to destroy a classic watch. The movement is a manual Zenith 2552c in perfect condition - another reason not to scrap it.

So here it is just for interest.

JimInOz · Oct 12, 2025

A sad fact of life, there are people who can't see beyong the cash.

I bought this for AUD$1967.00 because I liked the look of it, and the fact that it had a solid "Made In India" 18ct gold bracelet attached.
I sold the 53 gramme bracelet and that pretty well covered my outlay.

This won't be going to the furnace any time soon.

lindo · Oct 13, 2025

If you had hung onto that gold bracelet it would be worth at least AUD$7400 today. 😜

Davidt · Oct 13, 2025

We’re seeing this more and more and it only likely to get worse.

Obviously collectors are only prepared to pay up to a certain amount for say an 18ct yellow gold seamaster deville, irrespective of its gold value. Recently as the gold value has exceeded this collector value I imagine many watches are going into the pot.

If you’re just a seller who inherited/found a gold watch, why bother spending ages dealing with potential buyers to hopefully sell at some point in the future when you can sell for the same amount or more, instantly to a gold buyer.

Interestingly, if this significantly reduces the supply of vintage gold watches, I do wonder if this will increase the collectible value and drive it back up above the gold price?

JimInOz · Oct 13, 2025

lindo
If you had hung onto that gold bracelet it would be worth at least AUD$7400 today. 😜

If my Auntie'd had balls..............😉.

GuiltyGear · Oct 13, 2025

JimInOz
If my Auntie'd had balls..............😉.

If you bought bitcoin instead of the gold watch, you'd have 150k+ today 😂

GuiltyGear · Oct 13, 2025

I have an 18k Seamaster (pictured below) which isn't going anywhere. Bought it 2 years ago at €1.8k, and now gold scrap alone is €2.4k.

But I also have a domed dial 18k Constellation which I haven't been able to sell at cost. If gold surges a bit more, it'll make more sense to just scrap it. In the end of the day, it's about economics and market demand.

Pahawi · Oct 13, 2025

Every now and then the thought crosses my mind - I hope I can resist 😀

sheepdoll · Oct 13, 2025

I have a little one. Little ones need ❤️ too.

No plans to send it to the 🔥❤️‍🔥🔥

This style is more likely to be scrapped, which is too bad. Movements tend to list for around 35$.

Not sure what the point would be to exchange something with intrinsic stable value, to something that is basically illusion. Still think saving garden seeds for easy to grow plants would make more sense if everything was to fall apart.

Tony C. · Oct 13, 2025

sheepdoll
Not sure what the point would be to exchange something with intrinsic stable value, to something that is basically illusion

I don't want to push too far out on a tangent, but are you not aware of the remarkable history of gold as a store of value?

As Bernard Baruch once said, “Gold has worked down from Alexander’s time. When something holds good for two thousand years I do not believe it can be so because of prejudice or mistaken theory.”

What we are currently witnessing underscores that he wasn't wrong.

sheepdoll · Oct 13, 2025

My views on gold have been expressed in a number of threads.

Gold is something one buys and does not sell unless forced to. So there is not much point at the moment to exchange gold for paper or quantum state fluctuation.

Would not want to touch gold stocks or gold futures as those are simply paper scams.

I had a friend and mentor who's family survived the Wimarcht republic as they had coins hidden in a soup pot, so were able to bribe their way to the US. He had a safe full of gold and gold watches hidden in tool bin around the shop.

Of course the soup pot and piano are now the first places looked. (and the sock drawer.) Perhaps people still stuff it under the mattress.

If it make one feel secure than who am I to say otherwise.

I enjoy gold for the art it makes and the happiness it brings. And I do own at least one gold watch, So obviously I like gold too.

Plus it is good for taking out cybermen.

Evitzee · Oct 13, 2025

A lot of gold watches and jewelry has previously been scrapped when gold was in the $2,000 range. There were all kinds of popup buyers in hotels taking in gold at that time. My wife sold some gold jewelry that she inherited that was never going to be worn and had no sentimental value, and no design beauty. You don't see those buyers now as much of that gold is long gone from peoples jewelry chests.

tritto · Oct 14, 2025

Likewise, I have a nice 18k 34mm Omega 354 bumper that I estimate has around 14g of gold in the case and caseback. That's around $2000AUD, which is certainly more than I could sell the watch for. Not motivated to break it down, but selling the watch is on the cards if there is a significant purchase and that would sharpen my consideration of the matter. I'd even earn a bit more by selling the movement, dial and hands. Say I could get $2300 all up, compared to $1500 for the watch whole. Bears thinking about, although I don't know if I could really do it.

padders · Oct 14, 2025

You can’t buy a loaf of bread or a pint of beer with gold so this lifelong store of value talk is all well and good but not entirely practical.

I’ve got a few gold pieces but one telling example is a solid 18k fat lug Seamaster 2846. It has around 22g of gold in it. I suspect I’d struggle to sell it above $1,750 USD as a watch but if I did so I’d be leaving over $300 on the table. Luckily I don’t need to sell but if and when I do there may be some tough decisions.

Waltesefalcon · Oct 14, 2025

I've three 14k Hamiltons, and an 18K Eterna. They won't be going to the scrapper, but I don't blame folks who care nothing for watches for selling for scrap value. I'm not sure I would own any of these watches if gold were as high five years ago as it is today. Okay, that's a lie, the white gold Piping Rock I would own, it's a grail watch for me.

cristos71 · Oct 14, 2025

I've always liked gold and I've always liked watches, so managing over the years to add these to my collection always felt so right....with in the back of my mind that if the bottom were to fall out of the vintage market I'd still be well hedged with the gold.

However although I have always thought fiat money was a joke this recent pricing surge has too taken me by surprise.

Funnily I haven't seen much pricing change in the Deluxe market, there just seems to be a collector/gold value swap going on and the prices seem to be stable around €5Kish.

The 7077's are another story of course!

Davidt · Oct 14, 2025

cristos71
I've always liked gold and I've always liked watches, so managing over the years to add these to my collection always felt so right....with in the back of my mind that if the bottom were to fall out of the vintage market I'd still be well hedged with the gold.

However although I have always thought fiat money was a joke this recent pricing surge has too taken me by surprise.

Funnily I haven't seen much pricing change in the Deluxe market, there just seems to be a collector/gold value swap going on and the prices seem to be stable around €5Kish.

The 7077's are another story of course!

It’s always nice to see pictures of these.

Canuck · Oct 14, 2025

Thread drift, I guess. But about 5 years ago, I gathered 33 grams of gold, including broken karat gold jewellery, gold cases from destroyed ladie’s watches, dozens of broken spring rings (without the springs), and old wedding bands that came from family inheritances, etc. Karat gold content ranged from 10 karat, to a 22 karat gold wedding band. I sent the scrap to a goldsmith friend and asked him to convert all the scrap to two bangle bracelets. The completed bracelets were about 6 mm wide, and weighed close to 15 grams each. One went to a friend of my wife’s, and the the other was sent to a personal friend who makes beautiful jewellery, and also does beautiful hand engraving. This bracelet is a prized possession of Mrs. C. At the time I embarked on this process, the price of gold was about $3,500 (Cdn.). I’d be guessing at the karat content, but it is likely 12 to 14 karat. This bracelet stands me about $400 for the process of salvaging and engraving. You have no idea how glad I am l didn’t sell the scrap!

noelekal · Oct 14, 2025

Some of my solid gold watches show their age with tired looking dials or worn cases. I am not scrapping any of them though. I prefer the watches to any funds realized through selling them for scrap.

I am a watch true believer.I never got into the vintage watch hobby to make a killing anyway.

lindo · Oct 14, 2025

noelekal
Some of my solid gold watches show their age with tired looking dials or worn cases. I am not scrapping any of them though. I prefer the watches to any funds realized through selling them for scrap.

I am a watch true believer.I never got into the vintage watch hobby to make a killing anyway.

When to sell gold is the rub.

A year ago I sold off a collection of gold coins that I had lost interest in, and the gold price then was attractive - or so I thought. What a bad decision.

But it has been the case all my long life that gold will always keep going up. So my advice is not to sell any gold until you absolutely have to. I wish I had followed it myself!