BB 58 clasp is back from Simon Freese

[Stuno1]

After waiting 2 months ish my 58 clasp is back from Simon with an additional micro adjustment hole 2mm in on the clasp. It has made the watch perfect and wears exactly the same as my BB GMT. I really couldn’t get a good fit before this. It was either far too tight or far too loose. Now it’s perfect. It cost £78 for those what sent to know.

https://imgur.com/a/tRuYpKn

Stu

[Montello]

Can we see a photo with the clasp open?

Did he have to file off and polish a rivet on the end link?

[Mj2k]

Looks OEM, great job


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[Stuno1]

Can we see a photo with the clasp open?

Did he have to file off and polish a rivet on the end link?

Here you go.

https://imgur.com/a/Q9GcAot

Yes a link had to have the rivets removed for this to work.

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Looks OEM, great job


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That was the goal and I agree it looks oem.

[kamyk]

£78 for drilling 2 holes?

[Onelasttime]

I was about to say "£78 for drilling two holes – I'm in the wrong business", but then saw he had to remove the rivet as well. Does look a good job.

I had the same problem on a MKII GMT Kingston. I couldn't actually use the last hole because of the link rivet. Bill Yao then released a new longer link to get round the problem of the rivet, but this defeated the object by increasing the overall length of the bracelet.

[Stuno1]

I was about to say "£78 for drilling two holes – I'm in the wrong business", but then saw he had to remove the rivet as well. Does look a good job.

I had the same problem on a MKII GMT Kingston. I couldn't actually use the last hole because of the link rivet. Bill Yao then released a new longer link to get round the problem of the rivet, but this defeated the object by increasing the overall length of the bracelet.

Haha! That’s daft.

Exactly he had to remove the rivets and ensure the holes are aligned etc. Also, 78 for a watch that is now a life long keeper is peanuts.

[walkerwek1958]

£78 for drilling 2 holes?

Drilling small holes of this size is much harder than it looks........how would you do it? Drilling tiny holes in stainless steel isn’t like drilling a 6 mm hole into a piece of wood!

There’s also a bit more work in the job than drilling two holes.

[Montello]

Drilling small holes of this size is much harder than it looks........how would you do it? Drilling tiny holes in stainless steel isn’t like drilling a 6 mm hole into a piece of wood!

There’s also a bit more work in the job than drilling two holes.

Seems a fair price to me, also keep in mind the risks of the job.

[demonloop]

I wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow at the price, looks perfect OP. Money well spent.

[Montello]

Here you go.

https://imgur.com/a/Q9GcAot

Yes a link had to have the rivets removed for this to work.

You can still see the rivet then, I guess he just knocked the top off enough for the link to go in the inside of the clasp. Yes?

[TAFKARM]

Going to get mine done I think. The BB58 is perfect apart from needing a half link

[EmilA]

Looks really good, and IMO a great price too

[xellos99]

Drilling small holes of this size is much harder than it looks........how would you do it? Drilling tiny holes in stainless steel isn’t like drilling a 6 mm hole into a piece of wood!

There’s also a bit more work in the job than drilling two holes.

Pillar drill, the right drill bit and drilling oil. Slow down the drill bit so it doesn't overheat. Use a pillar drill vice to keep the steel level and still.

[oldoakknives]

£78 for drilling 2 holes?

Pillar drill, the right drill bit and drilling oil. Slow down the drill bit so it doesn't overheat. Use a pillar drill vice to keep the steel level and still.

Good luck you two! At least you can save money by doing it yourself. (although to be honest I doubt either of you have the equipment or skills)

[zen123]

Looks good

[Stuno1]

You can still see the rivet then, I guess he just knocked the top off enough for the link to go in the inside of the clasp. Yes?

The rivets have been completely smoothed off.

[hafle]

Pillar drill, the right drill bit and drilling oil. Slow down the drill bit so it doesn't overheat. Use a pillar drill vice to keep the steel level and still.

Simon sounds cheaper.

[Thewatchbloke]

Pillar drill, the right drill bit and drilling oil. Slow down the drill bit so it doesn't overheat. Use a pillar drill vice to keep the steel level and still.

You forgot a couple of other steps that anyone running a business doing this kind of work has to do, like initially correspond with the customer about the job and what he wants doing, unpack the clasp when it arrives, book it into the work schedule then put it in the safe. Retrieve it when it's slot comes to the front of the queue, set up the pillar drill with the correct bit, carefully mark the position of the holes, fit the clasp into the vice making sure you don't mark the finish, actually drill the holes and finish the job, clean up the clasp, package up the finished clasp and pay for postage, address the package, prepare the invoice, email the customer explaining the job's completed and attach the invoice, check the invoice has been paid then take a trip to the post office to post it back.

And of course pay HMRC their cut.

[Montello]

You forgot a couple of other steps that anyone running a business doing this kind of work has to do, like initially correspond with the customer about the job and what he wants doing, unpack the clasp when it arrives, book it into the work schedule then put it in the safe. Retrieve it when it's slot comes to the front of the queue, set up the pillar drill with the correct bit, carefully mark the position of the holes, fit the clasp into the vice making sure you don't mark the finish, actually drill the holes and finish the job, clean up the clasp, package up the finished clasp and pay for postage, address the package, prepare the invoice, email the customer explaining the job's completed and attach the invoice, check the invoice has been paid then take a trip to the post office to post it back.

And of course pay HMRC their cut.

All of the above, plus add to accounts software, reconcile payment. Maybe chase late payment and then pay any VAT due. Plus carry the risk that the job may go wrong creating a liability.

People who have never run their own business have no idea of the overheads created by what seems to be the simplest of tasks.

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The rivets have been completely smoothed off.

Any chance of a close up of the side of the modified link?

[Stuno1]

All of the above, plus add to accounts software, reconcile payment. Maybe chase late payment and then pay any VAT due. Plus carry the risk that the job may go wrong creating a liability.

People who have never run their own business have no idea of the overheads created by what seems to be the simplest of tasks.

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Any chance of a close up of the side of the modified link?

I wasn't paying attention! The rivets have been trimmed not taken off completely.

[Seang]

Pillar drill, the right drill bit and drilling oil. Slow down the drill bit so it doesn't overheat. Use a pillar drill vice to keep the steel level and still.

Pillar drill is probably too heavy duty. You would want a sensitive drill for something that small. It's really easy to snap drills at that size with too much down force.

[Montello]

I wasn't paying attention! The rivets have been trimmed not taken off completely.

Ok, that’s what I had guessed from your photo.

[RD200]

Pillar drill is probably too heavy duty. You would want a sensitive drill for something that small. It's really easy to snap drills at that size with too much down force.

I think I'd prefer an end mill and plenty of revs and coolant.

[walkerwek1958]

If I was drilling this I’d use fine drill bit held in a pin vice and do it by hand, or a very fine reamer from the Seitz jewelling kit to make the initial start. When you start working on stuff this small you can virtually forget everything you’ve learned from bigger stuff, it’s a totally different ball game and previous experience on a larger scale (cars etc) can almost be a hindrance.

Fine drill bits snap very easily, they have to be supported very close to the tip otherwise they simply whip and flex prior to snapping.

Once the hole is drilled it needs smoothing off with a fine smoothing broach to make it look as clean as the original holes. There’s more to this simple job than there first appears to be, its the small scale that makes it tricky.

[Thewatchbloke]

I've done exactly the same job with my micro mill with the appropriate sized drill fitted.

[Hammond]

That finish is impeccable, very impressive. I was fortunate with my 58 that I got a good fit but I would have considered something like this for my Speedy Pro.

[walkerwek1958]

I've done exactly the same job with my micro mill with the appropriate sized drill fitted.

Micro mill is OK if you own one!

I had a mental picture of someone trying to use a 0.8mm drillbit in a full- size pillar drill...........’drillbits here, drillbits there, drillbits every f*****g where’...........you’d end up knee- deep in broken drills

Might invest in some better toys myself to expand my capabilities.

[Montello]

Reading this I wonder if he’d drill the lugs?

Would Rolex refuse to service the watch if it were modified in that way?

[jbethell88]

Would this modification void the warranty?

Last week I picked up my BB58 and having the same issue with it being either too loose or too small


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[TheTigerUK]

I think I'd prefer an end mill and plenty of revs and coolant.

Two flute slot drill would be better imo.

[Wallasey Runner]

Excellent job by Simon. Doesn't seem expensive to me, remember you are paying for a highly skilled guy.

[Stuno1]

Short clip on the work Simon did.

https://youtu.be/gMBtTbDANk4