I bought the 1171 Speedie bracelet from Uncle Seiko. Good quality and fit and gives my speedmaster that "vintage" feel. Definitely recommended.
Has anyone heard of these bracelets or bought one?
The maker seems to be a Seiko expert & Omega aficionado, he manufactures bracelets and straps that seem to be well regarded, selling at a reasonable price.
I'm tempted by the flat link bracelet for the Speedmaster but I wanted to see if anyone here had first hand experience.
Thanks,
I bought the 1171 Speedie bracelet from Uncle Seiko. Good quality and fit and gives my speedmaster that "vintage" feel. Definitely recommended.
Had a look at the website and it reads well.
I think I would go for it, a better value proposition than buying a modern Omega replacement 1171 or battered vintage one.
You could always stick with the one you’ve got, I’ve just refinished one and they do work well with the watch.
I was just about to start the same thread as their advertising appeared on my Instagram feed today. I’m dead keen to get one of their bracelets. Glad to hear experience has been positive.
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I have a SKX007 bracelet and it’s very solid - impressive and certainly good value.
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Just about to order one for my speedy tokyo.
All brushed or brushed/polished? Hmmmm.......
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I’ve just ordered one. I opted for the 1171 bracelet style. Cost me $102 with delivery. Let’s see how it all goes. I’ll post pics when it arrives and I fit it.
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For those interested in the flat-linked style I found this:
https://youtu.be/WQfjypBbQ_M
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Is this from US or U.K. site? I’m not sure if it was COVID induced but I wasn’t able to order the 1171 to the U.K. last time I tried!
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I ordered from the US site. I tried the UK site first but it didn’t have the option to purchase, so I backtracked to view the US one.
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The non Seiko stuff from Uncle Seiko is only available from the US site.
His bracelets are decent quality in my opinion. I have a Z199 reproduction and it’s well worth the £50 or so it ended up costing me, albeit from the UK site.
Just ordered a 20mm all brushed flat link bracelet for my Speedmaster. Including postage it came to £84. It'll give me something to wait for while I'm waiting for my James Cameron...
the flat link looks really nice in that video! thanks for posting
Surprised nobody's mentioned Forstnerbands yet.They are bringing out an Omega style flat link bracelet - solid end links 19 or 20mm,screwed links and expandable section.No price yet and coming out August.Looks amazing.
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I've ordered a flat-link Uncle Seiko for my -69ST. Will be very interesting to see how it looks when it arrives, certainly the photos look good, and his other (Seiko-focused) products that I've got are good. Fingers Crossed!
Yes I had seen this on another thread. I’m keen to see how these look. This is the reason I went for the 1171 from Uncle Seiko, and then I will probably follow-up with a Forstner flat-link. Roll on August....
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Although I don’t have a Speedmaster ( hope to get one in the future ) I am very impressed with Uncle Seiko and Forster Bands bracelets. I DM’d Forsterbands to see if they were thinking of doing a really good River oyster bracelet for vintage Subs and GMTs etc. They replied and said they are working on an expandable rivet oyster. What I would really want is if someone could provide a close copy of the C&I US market oyster that I think Steve McQueen had on his 5512 Sub.
I'm interested in the flat link for my Ed White, as sad as it sounds it would save my original 1035 from excessive wear.
Uncle Seiko has a thread on the Omega Forum's asking about details to make Speedmaster bracelets - https://omegaforums.net/threads/need...design.100804/
Last edited by murkeywaters; 14th July 2020 at 10:43.
I've ordered a brushed/ polished version for my Speedy. Never liked the modern Omega bracelet as it adds too much to the
lug-to-lug distance.
Does anyone know whether the Omega Apollo 11 50th bracelet is available separately and if so, what is the cost?
Based on the Omega forums, the answer is no - you can’t buy the bracelet on a standalone basis.
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I have a Beads of Rice, Chocolate bar, and Tropic strap from Uncle Seiko. Great quality for the price. The BoR is comparable with Strapcode's. The guy behind Uncle Seiko has real passion for watches so you can be assured that he would make his products to the same quality he expects from his fave brands.
I have the beads of rice and have used it on my Speedmaster and Railmaster. Fits both cases perfectly and build quality is quite good. Here’s a couple of pics.
Possibly bone question - the bracelets DO come with end links right?
Yes they do. And spring bars.
My polished/brushed flat link bracelet turned up, and for the price I am very happy. The end links aren’t the best fit, but the lugs on my speedy are a bit worn, so I think a bit of fettling will sort that.
It’s authentically rattly and tinny, and I love the trompe-l’oeil logo on the clasp - nice touch.
How long did you guys wait for shipping? I ordered the US1171 and PCL bracelet on the 15th July and it is yet to turn up. The COVID-19 effect maybe?
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I ordered on 10 July and it got to me on the 27th or 28th. Perhaps yours has gone walkies? (Or possibly got stuck at customs? I only ordered one bracelet and I guess the $89 value - declared - was below HMRC's threshold of interest...)
I ordered one on Saturday night and two hours later got a notification of shipping and a USPS tracking number, which wasn't bad for a site that said it was experiencing delays. I checked this morning and it has left LA for the UK, so probably in the air as I type. Not sure how long it will take to get through customs here though. No rush, not waiting for it.
I'm expecting to get hit for £20/£30 for VAT and couriers fees.
Mine took just over a month, most of which was UK side. I got stiffed for £22 in Customs fees.
I kept it for 3 days and sent it back - it's well made but it wasn’t for me. Uncle Seiko was very gracious about it and said he'd refund me
I felt guilty because I like the idea of what he's doing but it wasn’t for me - I prefer the heavier bracelets I've discovered.
The Unlce Seiko must be a million miles from a modern Deepsea bracelet. I like the charm of the thinner lighter bracelets. I found that with certain vintage watches like Seiko and even Rolex, especially those with the similar pop open clasp, they wear more like a piece of jewellery rather than a strong sturdy bracelet designed to keep a fairly robust watch head in place.
I don't disagree at all. In the pictures the US bracelet looks amazing, so it is in the metal. I even "knew" that period bracelets were light & jangly but it really wasn't for me.
I take your point about it being diametrically opposed to the Deepsea bracelet but in general I prefer a heavier bracelet.
I should have thought about it a bit more before buying it but Uncle Seiko was very gracious about the return.
UPDATE: I’ve just ordered the Apollo 11 50th bracelet from Omega for my Speedy pro. It’s £575. I’ll pick it up in a week.
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I didn’t think it was going to be an option based on reading other forums but Omega were fine. When I initially called they said there were no spare unique parts available for the Apollo 11 because it was so new...but a month or so later I got the call and they had even ordered one in for me.
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Mine seems to have been held up at Heathrow for 4 weeks now. At the risk of sounding picky is it me or do the end links look slightly too small for the Speedy case...?
I love the look of the bracelet, but I’d hope for a better end link fit to the case. Maybe it’s just the angle?
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Does anyone know if any of the 20mm bracelets will fit the SMP 2541.80 please?
There's a lengthy thread here - might have the answer to your question.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/need...design.100804/
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Nope - they measure as 20mm: the issue with the photo is that my elderly Speedy is a little idiosyncratic, the lugs are broader than 20mm. Not obviously bent but (I suspect) somewhat worn over the course of their 50 year lifetime! The angle of the end pieces is a little too "flat" relative to the case, I agree, but since they are bent steel I can re-profile them carefully for a better look.
I’d like to add a couple of thoughts to this thread, following my receipt of an Uncle Seiko 1171 bracelet for my Speedmaster.
Delivery only took two weeks from ordering but I was hit by the dreaded import customs, which added £22 to the price. All in all, it cost me just over one hundred pounds.
I also happen to have one of the modern Omega 1171/1 bracelets, and can thus directly compare the two bracelets. I bought the Uncle Seiko because I wanted to try his offerings and my Omega does suffer from a fair bit of stretch since apart from the end-links, it’s second or possibly even third hand to me.
I’ll begin by saying that the Uncle Seiko (US) is clearly better built while retaining the appealing form of the Omega.
First, the end-links fitted precisely and perfectly. I originally had to file down the new Omega 633 end-links. I think I did a good job on the sides, although there was still some ill-fitting between the case and the curves of the end-links, so that they projected just beyond the lugs. I’m aware that there is a design element to that look but the US manages this much better. The US end-links, feel more robust, fit better up to the case and between the lugs.
That applies similarly to the springbars. The only ones I could fit through the 633s are probably 1.3mm or 1.5mm, whereas the US’s are 1.8mm. I know that 633s can be adjusted to accept larger diameter springbars but on the US bracelet, I simply fitted the watch and started wearing it.
The clasp retainer did require some tightening, as it was initially too easy to undo the clasp. How to achieve this is helpful explained on the US site.
The main differences between the bracelets, is that the centre links are solid on the US and folded on the Omega. Personally, the audible jangliness of a bracelet doesn’t bother me that much. However the upgrade and clear refinement of having solid centre links will doubtless improve longevity, and make it slightly quieter for those that don’t appreciate its music.
I believe that the links themselves are ever so slightly larger than those on the 1171/1. Side by side, it is hardly noticeable. There are gaps between the links which gives the bracelet flexibility to adjust to your wrist in a comfortable fashion. With the EIGHT micro-adjustment points (please take note modern Speedy bracelet designers!) on the clasp, you can be assured of finding an excellent fit. The links may be removed with a pin and collar fitment. It would have been nice to have seen an further modernisation with screwed links but I suppose that would have transgressed against the spirit of the bracelet’s reincarnation.
The quality and evenness of the brushing on the end-links and links is very good, and similar to that of the Omega.
Overall, I’m very impressed with the quality of the US 1171. You’re buying an excellent and as near as damn it authentic bracelet for what, a quarter or a fifth of the price of an Omega? While I like to use OEM parts where possible, I’m not a huge fan of the U logo on the clasp, the value proposition makes tremendous sense, especially given its construction. I dropped Larry a line to thank him for his work and asked him if making a 1450 could be his next project. That too would sell. However, this is the 1171 Omega should have released.
The Omega 1171/1
and again
The US 1171
A friend of mine has a FlatLink (all brushed), and he is very happy with it.
An excellent write-up, a v. useful post. I bought an 1171 back in 2015 for a SM 300 I built from parts and I wasn't impressed with the quality, so its no surprise that the Uncle Seiko offering is better.