MIXED FORTUNES

The full platinum or gold watch may be too weighty for all tastes. Is bi-metal the way to go then? We make the case for and against

- ASHOK SOMAN

While our main section looks at platinum, and some related metals, and the coincidental release of the Rolex Day-Date in platinum, with fluted bezel in the same, makes the metal somewhat on-trend, the real story may be the rarely discussed Rolesium (a combination of platinum and steel). This is why we are following up directly on our main section with this accompanying section on half precious metal watches. So, to be clear, we are not really going with half-gold here, but half precious metal and half steel - although Audemars Piguet and Hublot in particular mix all sorts of materials, and we will get into that, briefly. Mainly, we want to look into the potential of platinum and steel watches, which means we will be using the term bicolour or two-tone sparingly.

Funnily enough, we have not covered bimetal watches as a category of watches in any depth. That is indeed a strange omission considering we have had more than 20 years to get to them! Well, this issue corrects that.

Watches that combine different metals have been around for some time, and they have elicited strong reactions from collectors for most of that time. They have even been called naf, especially for those who feel these watches bring to mind the 1980s. Rightly or wrongly, they also evoke nouveau riche sentiments, or suggest an identity crisis. This all might feel odd to the casual watch buyer, as one might simply like the way yellow gold plays with stainless steel, for example. On the other hand, bicolour or bimetal watches are quite unusual apart from those made by Rolex and Tudor. This represents a clear decision by most brands, which is easy enough to confirm by simply looking at their digital search fields. From Patek Philippe to Breguet, there is no way to search for bimetal options. Incidentally, Breguet has no half gold watches, and Patek Philippe has just one. How is that for scarce?