Hi thank you for writing in with the following question:
"IS AN ELECTROPLATED 18 K GOLD WATCH REAL GOLD?"
The process of electroplating was first used in the 1840s. So there are some very old electroplated pieces around. Many 19th century American pocket watch case companies used gold filled and had their own way of describing them. Electroplated means it is not solid gold but a thin layer of gold is electroplated onto a base metal.
Is it worth something? This will be depend on a number of things and one is the condition of the watch. The beauty of antique pieces is you have two stores of value, the price of gold on the one hand and the antique store of value which depends on a number of factors separate from the gold or lack of gold composition.
