Rolex + nickel

[LadyMartin]

And that rules out a rolex for me.

Me too. I have a wicked nickel allergy.

 

[Griffonelle]

That is absolutely crazy that they would use that much nickel when so many people have allergies! My best earrings were made in platinum or palladium white gold because I did not want to risk allergies for myself or for my family members who will eventually get them.

Thank you for posting about this as I would have never known. Crazy to think about spending $10k+ on a watch that isn't even made with surgical stainless! Now that makes me wonder about Cartier as that was really what I had my eye on.

I have worn Cartier and Baume et Mercier for more than fifteen years...never a problem, with SS or their gold. I did call Cartier New York last week, and they assured me their watches are 316L SS, and that they are additionally made to be hypoallergenic. I wouldn't expect anything less from a company who specializes in fine jewelry... there is an advantage to getting a watch from a fine jewelry house...they know women's wrists are thin skinned, and they also know about alloying in ways clumsy Rolex doesn't because they've designed JEWELRY.
Love my new Breitling, by the way. Sporty, waterproof, and Kicks you know what. They are a really 'aware' company.

P.S., I put my diamond studs in platinum or 18k gold.

 

[EVIE1001]

I just wondered if anyone has had problems with nickel content in a luxury watch. I'm all set to buy a Rolex ss datejust having taken ages to choose 'the one' but having only just found out about the percentage of nickel in the stainless steel that Rolex uses I'm very wary now about the purchase especially since it's something I would be wearing every day. I can't wear anything with higher than standard nickel content at all, found that out years ago as a teen buying cheapie fashion jewellery. Standard stainless steel is ok. Already looking at an Omega De Ville Prestige mop with diamonds and Roman numerals as an alternative.

 

[Jill N]

Rolex has more nickel than most luxury watches. I was lucky to be able to return due to my Nickel allergy. My arm was a mess. Returned this Rolex which hurt because I loved it and got a Cartier. No issues so far.

 

[chessmont]

Rolex has more nickel than most luxury watches. I was lucky to be able to return due to my Nickel allergy. My arm was a mess. Returned this Rolex which hurt because I loved it and got a Cartier. No issues so far.

OMG looks so painful! I'm glad they took it back. Your Cartier is beautiful! If I didn't have too many watches, jewelry and handbags I would love the watch model you have!

 

[vasttracts]

(Old discussion, but it's worth adding some info here for posterity as I came across this thread looking for solutions to nickel allergies. Maybe I'll post this in a separate thread with some references if people are interested.)

Nickel-free options:
Titanium: Grade 2 (commercially pure) titanium is probably the safest and most biocompatible metal of all, but Rolex uses Grade 5 titanium which includes aluminum and vanadium, which have unknown safety. Breitling and Omega sometimes use Grade 2 or Grade 5. On a side note, Viking makes a line of cookware which has a titanium inner layer for food safety; it runs $1000-1600 for a set.
Platinum: 95% platinum and 5% Ruthenium; typically the most expensive Rolex material due to the cost of labor/tooling. Platinum appears to be pretty inert; ruthenium is more rarely tested heavy platinum-family metal and appears inert, but there isn't as much data.
Yellow gold: 75% gold, plus a secret blend of copper and fine silver. Copper can sometimes cause allergic reactions, but at least is a required trace nutrient (very little is needed, however). Gold seems quite inert with centuries of eating/testing. Silver can occasionally cause reactions. Copper has some interesting antimicrobial properties.
White gold: 75% gold, plus platinum, palladium, and silver. This was verified by customers using x-ray fluorescence. Palladium sometimes causes allergies, as can silver.
Ceramic: ZrO2 (zirconium dioxide) is used for joint replacements and dental work and is quite unreactive, but most watches like the Chanel J12 unfortunately still have a stainless steel back touching your skin, exposing you to nickel. Omega has an all-ZrO2 watch with a sapphire crystal back, but the strap is leather or rubber. Also, it's unknown if the sapphire crystal back is coated with antireflective coatings. Who knows what is leaching from that crystal.
Stainless steel: 18/0 stainless contains zero nickel (hence the 0) and 18% chromium (hexavalent chromium is toxic and carcinogenic, but other forms are not harmful and some are required nutrients). However, I have never seen a watch made with 18/0 stainless and it is the most rust-prone. Typically you will only see this alloy in inexpensive pots and maybe flatware. 316L, 904L, 18/10, etc. all contain large amounts of nickel. Rolex uses 904L alloy due to the high corrosion resistance since people apparently still scuba dive with Rolexes. Other stainless steel watches may use 904L or 316 but they all contain significant amounts of nickel (316L Nickel (Ni): 10–14%) as that is what gives it rust resistance, along with significant chromium. Needless to say, many people are allergic to nickel, and even if you don't suffer an allergic reaction to nickel, increasing evidence points to nickel being a toxic and carcinogenic heavy metal for humans.

Good luck in your search!

 

[N_Tonks]

My husband is struggling with irritation on his wrist when he wears his Sub. His is a newer model made with the 904 stainless. My SA is still telling me he cannot possibly be allergic to it and that he’s having issues because he doesn’t clean it enough or the right way.

We’re going to send it in for a professional cleaning and then see what happens. I truly do not know if he’s allergic, but this is his dream timepiece that he planned to wear forever, and it is upsetting.

 

[vasttracts]

My husband is struggling with irritation on his wrist when he wears his Sub. His is a newer model made with the 904 stainless. My SA is still telling me he cannot possibly be allergic to it and that he’s having issues because he doesn’t clean it enough or the right way.

We’re going to send it in for a professional cleaning and then see what happens. I truly do not know if he’s allergic, but this is his dream timepiece that he planned to wear forever, and it is upsetting.

Sorry to hear that... yes it can be painful when a favorite piece causes problems.

The silver lining is that the Submariner has great resale value and in theory he could swap it for a white gold or yellow gold (yellow is generally safer than white gold due to palladium allergies in white gold) Submariner. It will be heavier and usually more costly than a stainless steel Submariner.

The cleaning excuse the dealer gave seem possible but not very likely. New watches can be washed thoroughly, but if he has already done that and rinsed the cleaners well, it sure sounds like an allergic reaction. Once it is rinsed, does he get a reaction on the other wrist?

Some people use the nail polish trick, but it wears off over time, isn't intended for skin contact, and might affect the watch's warranty or resale value. Hope this helps.

 

[N_Tonks]

Sorry to hear that... yes it can be painful when a favorite piece causes problems.

The silver lining is that the Submariner has great resale value and in theory he could swap it for a white gold or yellow gold (yellow is generally safer than white gold due to palladium allergies in white gold) Submariner. It will be heavier and usually more costly than a stainless steel Submariner.

The cleaning excuse the dealer gave seem possible but not very likely. New watches can be washed thoroughly, but if he has already done that and rinsed the cleaners well, it sure sounds like an allergic reaction. Once it is rinsed, does he get a reaction on the other wrist?

Some people use the nail polish trick, but it wears off over time, isn't intended for skin contact, and might affect the watch's warranty or resale value. Hope this helps.

So I realize I said it was a newer model (and it is, the model right when they went to the maxi case), but here’s the thing—it’s not NEW. I mean, I bought it new, but he’s had it roughly ten years. That’s the thing that makes me really scratch my head about whether it’s a metal allergy. Can something you wear be fine for the better part of a decade and then BOOM, one day you’re allergic?

It’s very odd.

I think we will try the cleaning bit, but if that doesn’t work, I don’t know what’s next. I hear you that precious metal Subs would likely work, but he really loves the classic stainless. Perhaps an older model with the 316 stainless or maybe switching to a different brand altogether.

 

[vasttracts]

So I realize I said it was a newer model (and it is, the model right when they went to the maxi case), but here’s the thing—it’s not NEW. I mean, I bought it new, but he’s had it roughly ten years. That’s the thing that makes me really scratch my head about whether it’s a metal allergy. Can something you wear be fine for the better part of a decade and then BOOM, one day you’re allergic?

It’s very odd.

I think we will try the cleaning bit, but if that doesn’t work, I don’t know what’s next. I hear you that precious metal Subs would likely work, but he really loves the classic stainless. Perhaps an older model with the 316 stainless or maybe switching to a different brand altogether.

Yes it's actually typical for allergies. There are two phases, the sensitization phase where the (future) allergy sufferer's immune system recognizes the potential allergen as something to react to, and the second phase where the immune system actually reacts to the allergen. This can happen over days, years, or a lifetime, and our immune systems are constantly changing with the environment and age.

A lot of people have this experience: they move to a new place, and for the first year they have no problem with the local pollen, but when they encounter the foreign pollen the next year, their immune systems are sensitized from the previous year and react strongly. My friend, whose favorite fruit is mango, "overdosed" on dried mangos one day and now is allergic to it.

Other watch brands might be somewhat better, but all stainless steel alloys used for watches contain substantial amounts of nickel to resist corrosion. It's like ~10% nickel vs ~20% vs ~30% nickel. It might help, but it's still quite a bit of nickel either way, and allergies might also develop to the new nickel level in the future.

Most people who have those allergies recommend pure titanium as a substitute (or precious metals, though they contain more allergens than titanium except perhaps 950 platinum and 24k gold, which isn't used in watches). Ceramic might work if you can find a strap or bracelet that works.