I was fishing for a stainless steel late 60's 6146-8000 Grand Seiko, ended up getting the same watch in capped gold.

I can see why filled/plated gold is less desirable, but why the derision towards capped gold? Is it the look of a gold watch in general that doesn't jive with current tastes?

 

You answered your own question:

 

Current tastes are something someone else possesses for I still love to own and wear various 1940s-1960s solid gold watches but am not too keen on acquiring gold plated/capped watches. Only three reside in the menagerie here and they matter to me for reasons other than their gold plating.

 

Depends on where you live, too.
In some Asian countries they prefer gold capped to ss.

 

you can also quickly devalue them by incautious cleaning/polishing. Once you see the edges starting to deform from cleaning/polishing you've no real way to determine how much more the case can handle before you break through to the base metal.

they also have a "sense" of cheapness about them as well.

 

This is what I'm wondering about... I don't see it but that's just me, so I figure I would throw it out there to get a feel for the group mores.

 

One thing that puts me off them is that they can look like scruffy if too much of the gold plate has been worn away or the scratches show the base metal. That means either you have to live with them or get them replated which can be expensive. I quite like some of the 70s gold ones but haven't seen any i would buy because of the look of them.

 

For me - it poses as something it is not, making itself look better/more valuable/more prestigious than it actually is. It is some sort of deceiving and that is not a positive thing when it is done "upwards". If done "downwards" - for instance - a white gold watch looking very much like steel, then it is a positive thing for me. Same goes for more than watches...

I do have a couple of capped watches and I justify them to myself by being vintage. I would never, ever, ever, use a modern watch posing as something it is not. And even when I use my vintage capped watches I feel a little awkward - wishing they were gold straight thru.

edit: I am a charlatan... I just realized I have a 166.0324 "Seamaster 300"...

 

I personally did not care much for gold nor plated watches when I started collecting, however a few pieces has found their way into the collection over time.
As for so called "gold on steel" watches (where a relatively thick layer of gold has been bonded to a stainless steel case) I think they are great alternatives to solid gold ones. However the plated cases are a bit more of a problem.

Keep in mind that a scruffed up plated case can be restored to a very good standard as long as the edges have not been worn/polished down.
I did a rescue job on a gold plated Zenith 40T chronometer some time back. I am very pleased with the end result:

Before:

After:

 

I am currently saving a 2577 cap. I have hope it will be half as good as that.

 

Work done by RePlateIt in Canada. They do take some time, but I would say it was worth the wait.

 

It boils down to personal taste, style and likes or dislikes. In general, I don't discriminate against gold capped models... here's a favorite of mine.

 

To be clear I'm talking about gold capped (around 200 microns thick) not gold plated (3 to 30 microns thick). Gold capping is applied as a thick veneer of gold whereas gold platting is an electrochemical process to bond a thin layer, prone to wear and se

I get the pretending bit but my new baby (still in the mail) never came in solid gold. To me it is a fantastic piece not for the material but for the watch itself. It may not be solid gold, but it is 100% a 6146-8000 Grand Seiko

 

That is a wonderful watch (I am a big fan of vintage GS).

Sometimes a watch comes along and it is just too good to pass - no matter cap or plated. Here is my 2577 chronometer - with a super dial and movement but with a cap that requires work (sorry for the bad pic). I just could not pass on the opportunity for a 354 chronometer.



Then it was this black dial capped 168.005. Case could be better - but that dial...



A rose gold capped Lemania. Who can really blame me?



Of course I would like them to be gold watches but I rather have them capped than not at all.

 

Sweet Lemania!
This white/silver dialed brother says hi! (And I have a black dialed one coming soon....)

 

Ain't that the truth!

In my experience, it also depends on the quality of the gold cap, something that vintage Longines does well. Here's a proof point:

 

Hey, I forgot this one...

 

Nice gold cap thread
Jumbo seamaster in gold cap

 

One observation might be that all these vintage watches was, and are, of high quality. That is - yesteryears you could often buy the same high quality watch in either steel, gold cap/plated or gold.

Are there any modern watches that are plated AND of high quality? Non that come to mind but I am not that well versed in modern..