Rolex Watches with no Gold – Are There Rolex Watches with Zero Gold Content?
Is there any Rolex watch that doesn’t contain any gold whatsoever? There are a number of reasons why you would want to look for a Rolex watch without any gold. But the most common reason is that the religion of islam prohibits the use of any gold.
From what we have been able to understand, there are 2 schools within Islam where some people mean that you are not allowed to wear any gold whatsoever, whereas others don’t follow it as strictly and may use some levels of gold, at least if they are not visible or blatant.
Regardless, if you’re wondering whether Rolex watches exist without any gold, you have come to the right place.
The answer to the question is generally no. Almost all Rolex watches, with a few exceptions, have at least very small amounts of gold in them. If your goal is to buy a Rolex watch without any gold whatsoever, it’s more of a challenge. But if you can accept tiny amounts of gold, then there are some options available to you.
Are there Rolex watches that don’t contain gold?
Now, you may be thinking ”but if I buy a stainless steel watch, where is the gold?”. And the answer is that from around the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rolex started to use white gold hands and markers for its watches. Previously, Rolex used regular polished stainless steel but eventually started to discover an issue with this over time which was tarnishing.
To prevent tarnishing, gold is the best metal to use as it retains its beautiful luster year after year without tarnishing or oxidizing. As a result, all stainless steel Rolex watches now have white gold hour markers and hands. So if you are very strict about the concept that you should have no gold whatsoever, a modern stainless steel watch from Rolex is a no-no.
Obviously, all gold or gold and steel watches have gold both on the case, but also for the hands and hour markeras. They may also have gilt text print on the dial, which contains real gold.
Since Rolex began using white gold markers and hands in the late 1970s and early 1980s, these watches, made in stainless steel would be the best options for you. Of course with the exception of those that have gilt dials. But if you’re very strict about the fact that it should contain zero amounts of gold, you run into another issue. This is the fact that the engraving, including the text ”Rolex”, amongst other things, on the movement has gold. Rolex doesn’t only use gold paint, but actually a 24kt gold plating for these engravings.
Ultimately, it depends on how strict you are with following the rule of no gold. Because the small gold-plated text on the caliber doesn’t even amount anywhere close to 1 gram. But the fact of the matter is that there are almost no Rolex watches that have a gold content of zero.
Some followers in Islam chose to wear the Explorer II because of its blacked-out hands and markers. This is because even though they are made of gold, it is hidden behind black paint and thus not visible to the eye. But it all depends on your interpretation of the rule and whether you would consider this a viable option.
So, the bottom line is that there are very few Rolex watches that actually have no amount of gold in them. There may be some, rare exceptions of older vintage watches, but the issue is that they don’t speak to anyone. Ultimately, whether you can choose a Rolex watch despite the fact that it contains some levels of gold depends on your personal beliefs and interpretations. A stainless steel watch will basically only contain gold on the hands and hour markers and almost no one will ever know that it is gold, except those that are well-read about Rolex watches of course.
