Rolex 950 Platinum

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Mainly reserved for their Day-Date and Cosmograph Daytona models, Rolex uses 950 Platinum for their wristwatches and component parts. The bezel and dial of the Rolesium Yachtmaster use this platinum as well as the bezel of the 18 karat white gold Yacht-Master II.

Photo of Rolex 950 Platinum
Rolex 950 Platinum (photo: Rolex/Cédric Widmer)
This platinum alloy contains 950 thousandths of platinum mixed with ruthenium. Platinum is amongst the densest and heaviest metals of the world. It has exceptional luminosity, but its properties also make it hard to polish. It requires a large degree of experience with these metals to get the platinum alloy to develop their shine.

Rolex also coats the graduations on the bezel of steel and white gold models with platinum using physical vapor deposition, or PVD. This combined with the Cerachrom used in their ceramic bezels assures a long lasting, scratch resistant bezel display.

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Rolex Everose Gold Alloy

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The Rolex brand is known almost as much for the vertical integration of their wristwatch manufacturing process as the watches themselves. From the ceramic bezels they produce to the blue parachrom hairsprings in their watches, there is very little that goes into their timepieces that isn't produced behind the tight security of their facilities in Switzerland.

Rolex Everose Gold Alloy
The gold they use is no different, cast in their own foundries using specific formulas to meet their own standards. Their Everose gold contains a small percentage of platinum, the most noble of the metals, meant to help the metal retain its color throughout its lifetime.

Some posit that this may be nothing more than a clever way to differentiate their products in the luxury watch market. However, the idea behind the patented metal alloy is to reduce corrosion or fading that may occur over time when the wristwatch is exposed to sea water and chlorine present in swimming pools.

photo from inside rolex foundry
Rolex Foundry 
Regardless of the validity of the claim that Rolex's Everose gold is less likely to tarnish than any other rose gold, its copper tint is a nice addition to the traditional yellow and white gold that is more commonly used for watches. There is both a modern and classic element to the color that makes pieces using the metal far more interesting, especially when styled with other metal finishes.

UPDATE: Rolex has unveiled several 2016 model configurations with combinations of their Everose gold and stainless steel.

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904L Stainless Steel Superalloy Used by Rolex Since 1985

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If you've been on the market for a stainless steel Rolex, you may have seen that the company advertises their use of 904L grade stainless steel superalloy in their wristwatches as superior to the 316L grade stainless steel that the rest of the industry uses. 

More commonly used in the tech, chemical and aerospace industries, 904L grade stainless steel was developed for chemical processing, seawater cooling, wiring and gas washing. These industrial applications make sense as the alloy has a higher resistance to corrosion in extreme conditions, however some question the reasoning behind using this grade of metal for wristwatches.

photo of rolex 904l stainless steel
Rolex 904l Stainless Steel
Rolex started using 904L steel in 1985 because it polishes well and is more resistant to scratches in comparison to 316L. It also resists corrosion due to possible salt water or acid buildup that may get trapped in the watch case for years between cleanings.

904L stainless steel has a different chemical composition than 316L. It has a lower amount of carbon and a higher concentration of nickel and chromium, with copper added to make it less corrosive and more resistant to stress cracking.

It has been reported in forums that higher nickel content in 904L steel can lead to rashes in people with allergies to the metal, however, this is disputed as 316L stainless steel would create a similar allergic reaction, thus making the point moot in comparing the use of 316L over 904L in the wristwatch industry.

Though the average person wearing a Rolex may not be battling the elements on a daily basis, the quality of sheen and higher tolerance for scratching may be a good enough reason to choose a watch made with 904L grade stainless steel over a model using 316L.

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