Pre-Owned Picks — 5 Gold Watches Under €5,000

I don’t know about you, but I am getting pretty fed up with working from home, not going outside, and not able to meet with people.

That’s why I thought it would be nice to bring some gold to the table. A little shine in this darkness. A gold watch does not have to be crazily expensive, of course, but the fact is that this precious metal does have its price. Especially in times like this, the prices on precious metals skyrocket. Anyway, buying a gold watch should be done for different reasons than the average gold price per gram, of course. I love the tone of gold and the weight. And, honestly, it just wears very differently from a steel watch.

My first gold watch was one I purchased back in 2003. It was a 34mm dress watch in 14K gold on a leather strap. Unfortunately, I sold it, because I felt a bit too young for gold at the time. But I have and had some nice watches in gold since, and I find myself wearing a gold watch quite regularly and not only with a shirt or suit.

5 Gold Watches Under 5K

Today, I will show you 5 pre-owned gold watches that are all below €5,000, and some even below €1,500. A gold watch doesn’t necessarily need to be over €15,000, so it is more accessible than you might think. Getting a gold watch in this price range also gives you the opportunity to see if a gold watch is really something for you. If you don’t like it, just sell it again (or keep it), and if you do happen to love it, you will have some more to think about next time you purchase a watch.

As always, every week we pick a few pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest market place for wristwatches in the world — watches that we love ourselves, or think they will be interesting to you. So to be clear, we picked the watches, Chrono24 only sent us the images without their watermark and in a proper resolution.

I decided to start with the most attractively priced one first, the Zenith Stellina Oversize, in 18K gold.

Zenith “Stellina” €1,200

The first pick is this 1950s hand-wound Zenith Stellina Oversize (38mm) in 18K gold. Stellina means “little star” and it really is one. This name was never officially used by Zenith, but it was a nickname used by the (Italian) fans of these Zenith watches. There’s a huge variety in these models, and these little dress watches were very popular in Italy. The Zenith Stellina is a beautiful dress watch in pink gold on a leather strap. On the dial, you will find a small seconds sub-dial and two beautiful Dauphin shaped hands for the minutes and hours. This watch is being offered from Italy. The only thing you need to do is find a nice pink gold buckle for the strap to make it perfect. Click here for the offer on this Zenith.

Omega f300Hz Ref.198.003 (€1,800)

The second gold watch in this overview is this 184 gold Omega with tuning fork movement caliber 1250. This movement has a frequency of 300hz, causing the famous humming sound (don’t leave it on your nightstand). Omega made several variations of this watch, including in the Seamaster and Constellation collection, for example. This model doesn’t belong to any of the Omega collections and was just offered as a gold Omega with a tuning fork movement.

The Omega f300hz offered here dates back to 1970 and measures 35mm in diameter. The tuning fork movements are not trouble-free. There are known issues with the date disc, for example. But this can be easily fixed. Luckily, there are enough watchmakers out there that can work on these f300Hz movements. The offer on this gold Omega f300Hz can be found here.

IWC Caliber 89 (€2,750)

The first IWC I bought was a vintage caliber 89, in steel. It must have been around 2002 or 2003 and I recall that it had elegant lugs similar to this one. Mine was not in gold, though, and if it had been, I probably would have kept it. These elegant IWC caliber 89 are a perfect and more affordable alternative to something like a Patek Philippe Calatrava.

This particular model dates back to 1949 and has a diameter of 37mm. It has a gold case back, without any engraving or inscription and once you remove it, you can see the beautiful hand-wound caliber 89 movement. The dial is just as stunning though, with its Arabic numerals. The case is made of 18K gold, but the IWC signed buckle that comes with the watch is gold plated. This particular watch is being offered by a dealer in Hamburg, Germany. The offer on his IWC caliber 89 can be found here.

Rolex Datejust Ref. 1601/8 (€4,599)

I hate it when dealers don’t have their stuff together. This watch is being advertised both as 1601 as well as a 16018, those are two different references. To me, this is a 1601/8 (the /8 to indicate it’s from gold). The dealer states it has the caliber 3035 inside, but that can’t be if this is a 1601/8. It should be (and probably is) a caliber 1570.

Anyway, this is a good example of why you do need to do your homework when purchasing a pre-owned watch. If you look past all that, what remains is a beautiful 36mm Datejust in 18K gold on a leather strap. A perfect dresser that can also be worn with a more casual outfit. Although you always have to make that up for yourself, of course. This watch comes on a strap with a Rolex signed buckle. The watch is located in Belgium and you can find the offer on this Rolex Datejust here.

Cartier Tank Solo XL (€4,960)

Last but certainly not least, and just under €5,000, is this Cartier Tank Solo XL in 18K rose gold. A beautiful rectangular (31mm x 40.85mm) watch with an automatic caliber 049 movement. Now, the thing is, the watch is not entirely made of gold, as the case back is made of steel. For me, that’s a bit of a let-down, but at least it is not visible. Officially, we perhaps need to speak of a bi-color watch, but aside from the case back everything is 18K pink gold.

The rectangular case, the typical Cartier dial with Roman numerals, the blue hands, and the blue sapphire cabochon in the crown make it that iconic watch called Tank. Personally I could have done without the date, but it isn’t bothering me either. This watch comes with box and papers and even though it is pre-owned, it is still under Cartier warranty as it isn’t even one year old. Click here for the offer on this Cartier Tank Solo XL.

As always, with pre-owned watches, make sure to do your (own) research. Also, feel free to make an offer on these watches (remember, these are merely asking prices), and don’t be afraid to discuss the warranty the seller can provide. Chrono24 offers its Trusted Checkout system, so you have proper buyer protection (more here). But it never hurts to be surer than sure. Always do your homework. Spending adequate time on a purchase can help minimize frustrations further down the line.

Happy Hunting!