Hi,
I have only had the one Rolex; a 114270 with this 78690 bracelet.
Just taken it off to give it a good clean in the ultrasonic bath and was wondering how we are doing for wear on this bracelet?
Having no other bracelets to compare it with (only my Zenith) I have no idea where I am in terms of the life of this; this watch is from 2002.
Is this worn out or is this level of wear about what you'd expect in 15 years of life?
Shown below I have stretched it on the window so you can see how big the gaps are ...
I'd say that's a moderate amount of stretch. Stretch is obviously a function of how often you wear a watch and, more importantly, whether you wear watches tight or loose.
I wear mine tight so stretch isn't a major issue.
I wouldn't worry. It still looks wearable for a while yet and, if you wanted, you could get it "seen to" for about £120. As long as the clasp is as secure as ever, I wouldn't worry about it.
Originally Posted by David_D
What does that mean?
I think he's referring to getting it tightened up.
Stretch is something of a misnoner, what’s actually happened is the pins holding the links together , plus the links themselves, have worn slightly. This is caused by the grinding action of dirt and is exacerbated by a loose-fitting bracelet, an active wearer, and (obviously) dirt in the bracelet.
Very few people are able to fix this; the fixed links need pulling apart to enable the pins to be replaced, thus making the bracelet ‘tighter’. Michael Young in Hong Kong does this work and a guy called Seth (The Watchdealer?) in the London area is the only guy I’m aware of in the UK who can do this. Frankly I find it hard to believe that a complete rebuild of the bracelet to sort the stretch problem could be done for this price.
It may be worth having the bracelet refinished and living with the stretch. Provided the bracelet is still strong enough this might be the best way forward. The alternative is a full ‘rebuild’ and I’d be amazed if this can be done for £120.....but I’m happy to stand corrected if I’m wrong!
Paul
What I am trying to get a feel for is ... how worn is this?
Is this as expected for a 15 year old watch?
How much life is left?
I added a new link to my bracelet, in doing so I had to release an existing link and then join it all back together.
The pins that hold it all together had a step in them and were at least 50% worn, I knew the bracelet was worn but carrying this out brought home what little was securing my 2007 Explorer 2 to my wrist.
Seth is now carrying out a repair/referb.
After a while the edges of the "male" links will ware the inside face of the "female" part of the link and you will see a distinct step in both, I can only see this in one of your links.
Last edited by Shrimper; 23rd November 2017 at 13:18.
Out of interest i enquired with Rolex, a new one is £1000.
Yes, he is ....
You're wrong!
Seth did a very satisfactory job for me on a bracelet that was probably the same or a bit worse than the OP's. I'm sure he would give an honest assessment and wouldn't attempt something he thought was beyond repair. Definitely an option before spending £1,000 on a new one.
OK, I`m wrong, but I`m surprised. The work involved in pulling all the links apart (which very few people can do), fitting new pins, rebuilding the bracelet, then refinishing it, seems a lot more than £120 to me. Then there's the clasp, which probably needs stripping and new pins fitted.
If he's doing all this for £120 that's a bargain.
Paul
My bracelet is significantly worse than the ops, and is currently with Seth, perhaps when I have mastered putting photos on this site I will do before and after shots.
As a general tip, it helps a lot with longevity if the watch is worn snugly on the wrist and the bracelet is given an ultrasonic bath periodically. Grit and movement grind away the metal, so keeping it clean and tight greatly reduces wear.
I'm currently pondering my options ...
One thing I am considering is selling the watch and buying a brand new 116000 https://www.rolex.com/watches/oyster...l#configurator
A new bracelet is £1000; god knows why they are so expensive; apart from the fact it has Rolex stamped on it ...
The next service is probably £500; so a service, bracelet plus what I could sell it for would get me to around £5000.
I could have a brand new watch and £1000 spare ...
For sure. A 116000 with the blue 3-6-9 dial is a great option.
On the other hand, there's plenty of life in that bracelet, and you can certainly do better than £500 for a service through an independent.
I shall go and have a look.
I’d always thought that Rolex offered two prices on bracelets, one for purchase and one for replacement when they retained the old one but it would seem this is not the case.
How "snugly" do you think? Are we talking about comfortably tight with a relaxed wrist, and decidedly tight when you flex your wrist?
That sounds a bit excessive. Just snug enough to keep the watch from dangling below the wrist bone oughta do it; it shouldn’t ever be uncomfortably tight.
Of course, if the watch is worn above the wrist, flexion shouldn’t make much difference anyway.
My wrist changes size fairly significantly above the wrist bone. It happens when I flex my forearm. The joys of being ultra thin.
Yeah, there’s definitely an individual element to it. Should be fine as long as it’s not loose and dangly; there are some watches out there whose droopiness goes way beyond anything required for comfort. :P
Might be something to do with all the individual components, made from high grade stainless steel, that are accurately assembled that has some bearing on it. Rolex are no more expensive than say Breitling when looking at replacing a Bracelet....
I think we all know that a big chunk of the bill is for the branding.
UPDATE:
I took the plunge and bought a new one from Rolex; it is very nice and it is like having a new watch.
A couple of points of note:
1) To start with they were not going to give me the spare links; they have a link for link policy on new bracelets and would only replace what was there; I said that was not what I expected and I wanted the spare links. She stood her ground for a while and then went of and had a chat with someone and in the end they gave me the two spare links. So if you want a new bracelet on service send it back with the spares in
2) When I was about to leave I had to ask for the old one back ... she kind of look at me quizzically and said; "oh you want the old one?" I said yes and she handed it over but clearly some people don't want or ask for the old one back
When they assessed the old one they would not be drawn on the level of wear and the potential life left in it ... which is probably quite a lot but I figure I may as well have this now than in 5 - 10 years time and get the enjoyment of a nice new one ...
The service by the Rolex staff was very professional as you'd expect.
I have probably been over cautious on this upgrade but better that than lose the watch.
Last edited by Montello; 14th December 2017 at 15:55.
I`m amazed at the initial reluctance to supply the full-length bracelet with all the links, cheeky Rolex buggers! At least they gave you the original back.
Even though it's eye-wateringly expensive for a fairly basic steel bracelet I think you've acted wisely. OK, it's a bit extravagant but it has a huge effect on the 'feel' of the watch. Having the old one reconditioned would never be quite the same.
It's a dilemma: when a genuine new replacement isn`t available you've no option but to sort out the original, but when a new replacement can be sourced you know deep down it's the best way forward......just a shame the prices are so daft thesedays.
Enjoy!
Paul
Yes, the watch feels very different.
Interesting that they had only had one in the UK, it has a 2009 date code.
I’m now wondering what to do with the old one.
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