Cheap platinum back in vogue by Chinese buyers

An employee of Cox Co, the operation company of the face-mask speciality shop Mask.com, holding a luxury face mask decorated with the diamond, platinum and Swarovski crystals which is selling for one million yen ($9,640), is reflected on a mirror at the shop, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan November 25, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

EVEN before the release of the next James Bond film -- "No Time to Die” -- Swiss watchmaker Omega is offering a platinum-gold version of the Seamaster Diver 300M that actor Daniel Craig wears when playing 007.

The 51,700 Swiss franc ($57,000) time piece -- made 95% from platinum -- underlines a renaissance in demand for the silvery-white metal. Omega isn’t the only luxury goods maker to note the trend, with interest in high-end watches helping to almost double platinum-jewelry demand in Europe in the third quarter from the preceding three months.