Reply With QuoteMichael Young in Hong Kong does this type of work.
I recently bought a 16710 GMT Master form 2004. The bracelet is a tad slack, for my liking. Is there any way the bracelet can be tightened up?
Michael Young in Hong Kong does this type of work.
Cheers, but I was looking for something closer to home, or tips how to do it myself.
It probably has the hollow centre links*, if so, nothing you can do other than replace it with one with all solid links.
*Did Rolex upgrade to solid links before the ceramics came out?
Have you had a Rolex bracelet tightened up by them?Originally Posted by Cinch
No but I did contact Seth (the watch dealer) this week to ask his advice on my oyster bracelet. There are comments in here and TRF about his good work. I was certainly impressed with his quick reply and his comments on the pics I sent of my bracelet.
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...ht=Watchdealer
I was looking at I really didn't want to send all the way to Michael Young.
Thanks, I had forgotten about that thread!!
+1 for Michael Young, just be careful on return postage if you want it insured, he has to declare the value on the outside of package and you'll get clobbered for VAT on the declared value. You have to claim it back from Customs after you've paid it.
Good to hear about someone in the UK - I have sent several emails to M.Young's company with no reply yet!
Last edited by Kakadu; 20th April 2014 at 22:05. Reason: several
He can be extremely busy at times....it actually took him 3 weeks to turn mine around, I was expecting more like 10 weeks...very surprised I was...keep trying, the workmanship is very good....
I will hang on in there - possibility of duty on the way back gives me the willies though!
Ask at your local main post office. They'll advise you about sending an item overseas for repair. (It's not as complicated or painful as you might think.)
When posting outwards make sure that the declaration is marked as for "repair", and the same with the return declaration, Duty is not charged on repairs.
Another recommendation for Seth he is rebuilding a 1675 for me did a dial change on my 18k Daytona and I have 2 18k bracelets going to him this week for tightening up
Hollow vs. solid links aren't that big of a deal, and there isn't a solid-link option for 16710s anyway (other than seprately sourcing a Super Jubilee). The bracelet is in tension, so the presence of steel in the centre has no effect on the rate of wear as long as you keep it clean. They just make the bracelet slightly heavier.
Seth repaired a rather over stretched Bi metal Jubilee bracelet for me. It was done quickly and came back looking great. I can certainly reccomend him. No customs worries , Uk telephone number and he is very helpful. One happy customer ;-)
But a hollow link can never support the pin/screw all around, so will never be tight, even when new.
How much wear will also depend on which side of the sticky out bone on your wrist you wear it. Above, OK, but if you wear it below, on the actual joint, so everyone can see what a lovely watch you're wearing, the constant flexing of the wrist will cause much more wear and tear. I believe this is the main cause of bracelet stretch.
Last edited by SlimJim16v; 23rd April 2014 at 13:03.
But they are tight when new!
Fixed that for you
I have a week-old 78360 bracelet (hollow-link) at hand, and it has very little lateral flex. The difference between a non-abused year-old 78590 one (solid-link) is negligible.
Absolutely. There's no doubt that a slack bracelet wears out faster.How much wear will also depend on which side of the sticky out bone on your wrist you wear it. Above, OK, but if you wear it below, on the actual joint, so everyone can see what a lovely watch you're wearing, the constant flexing of the wrist will cause much more wear and tear. I believe this is the main cause of bracelet stretch.
There are cases of stretched solid link Rolex bracelets, so it's not as if it's impossible to do. The whole issue of stretch is overblown on the forums. My most comfortable bracelet (an IWC Flieger with the small individual links) articulates in two planes and it has since new. That second dimension of articulation would be called "stretch" on a Rolex bracelet.
Short answer: keep them clean and don't worry about it.
I hope Blowers don't mind me reproducing this as an example of how stretched an oyster can get. Only 10 years old - must have had a hard paper-round. The end-links are solid BTW.
Looking at that photo, makes me realise mine's almost as bad. I would just replace as many links as needed with quality repros.
I have a hopefully good quality bracelet on the way, just to cannibalise for the centre end links. Obviously I'll try it complete first.
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