Sea-Dweller 43 bracelet screws. A lesson!

I love a dabble. It’ has cost me before on subsequent repairs by a professional... but hay-ho, all part of the interest.

Anyway. Picked up a new Rolex 50th anni. Sea-Dweller this week. No time to have it sized in shop and as I am super competent (...) I thought I’ll enjoy doing it at home.
And did so late evening.

First of all - they use a decent blob of loctite on them new! Was a little work to get the screws moving initially.

Secondly - the screws taper with the bracelet!
Upper links have longer screws than lower, and the clasp screws.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...be60e027f0.jpg


Thirdly - I need better light in my office.

Fair play Rolex, they are deeply cut screw heads and tough steel, as I slipped a few times and managed not to burr the heads.
(This should be expected for nearly £10k, but have had other pricey marks whose screw heads were like butter!)

I put the watch back together and was stumped as to why one screw would not seat properly, even started cleaning out the thread end of the link in case it was old loctite etc.

Came to my senses, and all good.

Then I either tightened one too much, or there are really fine variances in size - as I ended up with the polished screw end (that shows on the opposite side of the link to the screw head) just sticking out a touch.
Almost imperceptible but you could catch it with your nail.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...25e2e3e25f.jpg
(Excuse the grubby fingers, just had to change a tyre, slightly more success than the bracelet!!)

In my rush and the low light last night, I had not realised it was the end of the screw and popped back into Goldsmiths and gently complained that the link had not been properly polished...
They explained, politely, and away I went feeling like a proper plum.


Finally all sorted and everything flush now.

I am now taking commissions and happy to work on any expensive piece you need bracelet resizing or strap changing...

(Insert tumbleweed emoji)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did the exact same thing on the same watch when the shop wouldn't remove the divers extension for me as they said it was a modification. It cost me £60 for a new link and screw. Lesson learned.

Ha ha ha - so glad to hear that!

New link? At least I managed to dodge that bullet!
I think it’s the first I have owned with screws that taper like the bracelet


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I needed to order an extra link anyway after removing the divers link and as the screw went too far through I thought I'd better not keep it on the watch in case it came loose or something stupid so went for two links instead.

Luckily I didn't do the same thing with the D-Blue as I saw a comment from verv explaining to someone else that when removing the divers link you have to use the same screw.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by notenoughwrists

I love a dabble. It’ has cost me before on subsequent repairs by a professional... but hay-ho, all part of the interest.

Anyway. Picked up a new Rolex 50th anni. Sea-Dweller this week. No time to have it sized in shop and as I am super competent (...) I thought I’ll enjoy doing it at home.
And did so late evening.

First of all - they use a decent blob of loctite on them new! Was a little work to get the screws moving initially.

Secondly - the screws taper with the bracelet!
Upper links have longer screws than lower, and the clasp screws.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...be60e027f0.jpg


Thirdly - I need better light in my office.

Fair play Rolex, they are deeply cut screw heads and tough steel, as I slipped a few times and managed not to burr the heads.
(This should be expected for nearly £10k, but have had other pricey marks whose screw heads were like butter!)

I put the watch back together and was stumped as to why one screw would not seat properly, even started cleaning out the thread end of the link in case it was old loctite etc.

Came to my senses, and all good.

Then I either tightened one too much, or there are really fine variances in size - as I ended up with the polished screw end (that shows on the opposite side of the link to the screw head) just sticking out a touch.
Almost imperceptible but you could catch it with your nail.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...25e2e3e25f.jpg
(Excuse the grubby fingers, just had to change a tyre, slightly more success than the bracelet!!)

In my rush and the low light last night, I had not realised it was the end of the screw and popped back into Goldsmiths and gently complained that the link had not been properly polished...
They explained, politely, and away I went feeling like a proper plum.


Finally all sorted and everything flush now.

I am now taking commissions and happy to work on any expensive piece you need bracelet resizing or strap changing...

(Insert tumbleweed emoji)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Not sure if i missed it, why didnt the screw seat properly? and how did Goldsmiths fix it?

The screw I could not seat was because it was too long (it was an upper link screw that I tried in a clasp link location).
The one that seemed to protrude slightly from the opposite side of lug - I just took all the screws out, ordered them short to long, and refitted in order of shortest first running from clasp back up the bracelet.

Seemed to work. All links are perfect now.

Goldsmiths did nowt, as I had left the removed link and divers extension, plus 2 screws, at home.
They said pop back in with them and they’d sort it all - but I came home and engineered my way through it!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by notenoughwrists

The screw I could not seat was because it was too long (it was an upper link screw that I tried in a clasp link location).
The one that seemed to protrude slightly from the opposite side of lug - I just took all the screws out, ordered them short to long, and refitted in order of shortest first running from clasp back up the bracelet.

Seemed to work. All links are perfect now.

Goldsmiths did nowt, as I had left the removed link and divers extension, plus 2 screws, at home.
They said pop back in with them and they’d sort it all - but I came home and engineered my way through it!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Glad you sorted it, for a moment I thought you had well and truly screwed it up :kermit: