Reviewing a Fan’s Amazing Solid Gold Watch Collection

Reviewing the collection of a watch geek and T&H fan named Rafael.

April 10, 2020

Today, Christian reviews the collection of a watch geek and T&H fan named Rafael!

Rafael, much like Christian, is a gold watch junkie of the highest order. It all started when he received a two-tone Datejust as a gift, and it was the watch that got him into this sickness that we all share. However, unlike so many of us, Rafael was able to kill this particular darling, sacrificing it in service of acquiring another, more precious goal – the Rolex Day-Date in yellow gold.

There’s a risk involved in the gold watch trajectory, wherein at any point you might find yourself looking in the mirror and going “Man, that Rainbow Daytona is the watch for me.” But Rafael didn’t go there. Instead, he toned it down, metaphorically speaking, and got a very classic, traditional Cartier Tank Francaise.

From there, we have Rafael’s final watch – a gold Rolex Daytona on a brown croc strap. So what do we recommend then? For starters, the gold variant of a T&H favorite, the Gevril Tribeca. It’s a gold 6263 Paul Newman Daytona homage from jewels to lugs, make no mistake, but it’s by far the best such watch to exist. There’s also the 15450 Rose Gold Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet, which fits in with the diameter requirements Rafael set forth, and it also helps bring his collection up a notch.

There are two more recommendations, though, that just might be winners. Both are from IWC, and the first is their Pilots Dopplechronograph in yellow gold. It’s a killer, slightly older model with a ton of character that helps it to stand out from the rest of their pilots watches. And lastly, we have the Mark XII reference 3241, of course in yellow gold. A 36mm pilots watch and classic from the brand, the Mark series has some impressive heritage behind it, and the Mark XII is perhaps one of the closest living relatives to the watches that were actually issued to pilots during the war.