I'm seriously thinking of getting my watch and bands gold plated by a really good plater on eBay. (Well - feedback is 100% and the photos look amazing) Anyone here done it and are you happy with the results? It's fine for worldwide users to tell their stories too.
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Anyone have their SS gold plated? (UK)
- Thread starter Defender2010
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My firstconcern would be warranty and/or future Apple repairs. I am not sure but I would think it would completely void the warranty, and Apple may even refuse to do repairs on a modified product.
100% feedback doesn't tell the entire story. You need to know about long term customer satisfaction of the gold plating. That's the key. Many companies who do gold plating have 100% satisfaction from customers upon receipt of their watch, but over time the gold plating begins to chip, fade, or easily scratch. Also, how long is the warranty on the gold plating? Thirty days, six months, one or two years? How long has this company been gold plating stainless steel watches? A LOT of companies started their gold plating business right after the Apple Watch began being sold in April, 2015. These things need to be considered when deciding which company to use for gold plating your SS Apple Watch.
I had my SS ⌚️ gold plated the first part of July, 2015 after doing a lot of research. It still looks fantastic! I used a company that had over 20 years experience in restoring fine watches, their movements and cases. They offer a two year guarantee on their services. I live in the US and would highly recommend thetimepreserve.com for gold plating.
As an aside, I also tried a couple of other companies for gold plating a couple of bands, much to my disappointment! I've learned my lesson! Anyway, that's my recommendation.
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Agreed - it would be refused as they'd argue the problem could have occurred as a result of modding it.
And aside from voiding the warranty and AppleCare+, I don't want my SS Link to look like I've just dipped it in a toilet.
The company can reverse the process if there are any issues with the watch- but the warranty doesn't really bother me too much. I'm going to buy a SB watch next week anyway. This is just for my amusement.
Forget eBay. I don't trust them. Go to watchplate.com. They will gold plate 18k your Watch for $350 or buy from them which they plate. Essentially you purchase the model you want and they plate it Price depends on which Stainless Steel model you choose. The black sports band is around $1,100. Good plating again in case is around $100.
I'd suggest that you stay away from watchplate.com. Simply search for past threads on this company and you'll find out why. They even have to resort to applying a clear film on the underside of the watch case to keep the gold plate from rubbing off. A properly plated watch will not rub off in this manner.
This is the link to the playing service. Been chatting to the seller and they seem to know what they are talking about.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/272118386193
http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/272118386193
Doing something like that on eBay seems rather risky to me. I don't know. I'd rather find a company that has a good track record on its own - that's just me.
As for reversing the procedure, I never heard of that. I would assume that would subject the watch casing to caustic chemicals that could corrode and pit the metal. I mean the process of gold plating is meant to be permanent
If they're promising that its reversible, I'd either say they're blowing smoke, risk damaging your watch or doing something that is not exactly permanent.
As for reversing the procedure, I never heard of that. I would assume that would subject the watch casing to caustic chemicals that could corrode and pit the metal. I mean the process of gold plating is meant to be permanent
If they're promising that its reversible, I'd either say they're blowing smoke, risk damaging your watch or doing something that is not exactly permanent.
Look up "reverse electroplating". It's the same procedure as gold plating but in the reverse direction. While the poor man's version of it may use harsh chemicals (for the sole purpose of getting the gold off as scrape and not caring about the underlying structure), there are gentler methods that are no more harsher than gold plating.
However, you do have a point about being suspicious about someone's claim that it's easily reversible. WatchPlate has made the claim that they could reverse it and nobody would be able to tell it was ever gold plated, but we know from the various posts here that their work doesn't stick.