How to check if your watch is solid gold

Solid gold watches are almost always stamped with 10k, 14k, 18k, 417, 585 or 750 either on the back or the inside of the casting (you may need to remove the casting to see it).

Most gold coloured watches are electroplated with a very fine layer of gold, and may be worth more as a timepiece or collectible than as a source of precious metal. This can be evaluated on site at any of our locations and priced accordingly. But if your watch is solid gold and has seen better days, or is a more common metal, it’s probably worth more in precious metal than as a watch.

We commonly see watches made by Rolex, Cartier, Hublot, Breathing, Omega, Piguet, Breguet, IWC, Perrelet and Patek Phillippe. Lesser known brands have also produced solid gold watches over the years which have little collectible value, but their precious metal content could fetch you a significant amount of cash with todays gold prices. If you are unsure about the value or metal content of your watch, we are here to help. We take into account all aspects that influence the value of a wristwatch, including its condition, brand, and market desirability.

Need an expert opinion?

If you can’t find a stamp, want an expert evaluation, or are curious to see how much your gold watch is worth, book an appointment or drop by any Canada Gold location for a free, no-obligation evaluation.

We will examine your gold (remove?) watch in front of you, perform industry-standard tests to determine the gold purity and weight of the gold components, (remove? Instead say “perform industry standard tests to determine the value) and make an offer which you are welcome to accept or decline. No pressure, and nothing to lose!

Below I have written a draft of what we would like to include on the new watch page, which will be focused more on purchasing watches for collector value. Again, we would like this to be on the “What We Buy” drop down menu as its own category. Perhaps just called “Watches” or “Collectible Watches”.