What is a Gold Nugget Rolex?
Gold nugget jewelry, which has an irregular, knubby texture designed to mimic raw gold nuggets, became popular exactly when you’d expect–the 1980s. By the early 1990s, custom gold nugget Rolex bracelets were on the scene, usually put on pre-owned Day-Dates. While watch enthusiasts tend to scoff at aftermarket parts, gold nugget Rolex watches are so over-the-top that they have come to occupy an interesting space in the collector zeitgeist.
Who Made the Gold Nugget Rolex Bracelets?
Rolex never made a gold nugget bracelet; they’re all aftermarket. Nova is a brand name you’ll often see on the clasp, but these were definitely being made by a few different jewelers.
The USA seems to have been the epicenter of this trend, and if you walk into the New York diamond district, I’m sure you’ll still have no problem finding someone willing to make you custom gold nugget jewelry. Some jewelers even put diamonds in the bracelets:
More on Rolex:
How Much Gold is in a Gold Nugget Rolex?
Most gold nugget Rolex bracelets are applied to vintage 1803 or 18038 models, which are made of 18k gold and probably contain about 1 ozt. of pure gold in the head itself. Gold nugget bracelets, being custom aftermarket products, naturally vary in thickness and weight, but they almost all are 14k in purity. 2 ozt. is a reasonable guess for the average gold content in a typical gold nugget Rolex bracelet, so you’re probably looking at the ballpark of 3 ozt. in total gold.
These things aren’t light, but they’re not as heavy as you might think–largely because the gold nugget texture is “hammered out” from beneath. So the links aren’t as thick and solid as a normal modern gold Rolex bracelet.
Price
Gold nugget Rolex Day-Date watches generally sell for about $18,000-$22,000. If priced right, they actually sell quite fast. You can also find smaller models for a bit less.
How Do They Attach?
Some gold nugget bracelets appear to be soldered onto the top of the case (shudder) and don’t cover the sides. Others snap over the top and cover the sides, secured by soldering bars that go through the lugholes. This seems like a superior design to me.
Eminem’s Rolex
Eminem has been widely reported to wear a gold nugget Rolex on occasion. It looks like he has a somewhat unusual version where the bracelet covers the bezel and has a scratchy texture on the side, similar to this one listed by our friends at TraxNYC, but for a Day-Date.
In any case, despite their loud and unapologetically dated aesthetic (or perhaps because of it), gold nugget Rolex watches have remained somewhat popular for years. Obviously, they have plenty of haters, but that’s part of the fun.
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