The gold used in luxury watches is usually a lower-gold alloy than jewelry, 14 or 18 carat (example [1]) and thus have a hardness of anywhere from 85-165, or up

The gold used in luxury watches is usually a lower-gold alloy than jewelry, 14 or 18 carat (example [1]) and thus have a hardness of anywhere from 85-165, or up to 230 if annealed [2], which is comparable, or harder than common stainless steels at 140-180[3]. [1]:https://www.rolex.com/watches/new-watches/sky-dweller https://www.rolex.com/watches/new-watches/sky-dweller [2]:https://24carat.co.uk/frame.php?url=hardnessofgoldalloys.html https://24carat.co.uk/frame.php?url=hardnessofgoldalloys.htm... [3]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_hardness_test https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_hardness_test