Who should adjust the bracelet?

[allanofcalifornia]

Here's the situation. I was looking at new Rolex watches at a local AD and then bought 2 pre-owned watches. I need links taken out of the bracelet to fit me. Where should I go to have the watch adjusted to fit me and how much will they charge?

1. Take out the links myself.
2. Go to the local AD and have them take out the links even though I did not buy the watches from them. Will they be upset I did not buy the watches from them?
3. Go to someplace else like a local non-Rolex watchmaker.

Thanks
Allan

[AIKO]

[QUOTE=allanofcalifornia;1040652]Here's the situation. I was looking at new Rolex watches at a local AD and then bought 2 pre-owned watches. I need links taken out of the bracelet to fit me. Where should I go to have the watch adjusted to fit me and how much will they charge?

1. Take out the links myself.
2. Go to the local AD and have them take out the links even though I did not buy the watches from them. Will they be upset I did not buy the watches from them?
3. Go to someplace else like a local non-Rolex watchmaker.

Thanks
Allan[/QUOT]

A local AD adjusted my new Sub, took about 2 minutes and was free. I purchased it here, pre-owned.

[ijen0311]

I'm not so bright and I do it myself!

[bodybump]

Originally Posted by ijen0311

I'm not so bright and I do it myself!

you are smart jen.....

[DesertDogs]

I bought a tool-kit on Ebay and has really come in handy for not only our Rolex's but also the 50+ other watches we own. If I can do it, anyone can!

[moby33]

I always get a kick out of those that think they need an AD or some kind of 'expert' to take a link out. If you've ever used a flathead screw driver to remove a nut, then you have the ability to do this. If you've never used a flathead screw driver to remove a nut, you still have the ability to do this.

No need for anything fancy, a simple jewelers screwdriver (as in one that most people use to adjust reading/sun glasses) will do the trick. It takes about 3 mins of your time. Why anyone would waste time & energy driving to an AD to take out a few links is beyond me. Cheers.

[bodybump]

you can do it your sell allan..its like unscrewing a bolt on a tire..its very easy..buy a toolkit on ebay it only cost $17...i did bought one myself...its a good use for future watches...If your going to an ad they will charge you from $20-40..so might aswell buy the tool....

[Lion]

Go to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200.00!!! LOL!!!

[Whiskey]

Actually, if you have the tiny screw-driver for watches, you can take the link out yourself if it's an oyster bracelet.

It's not difficult at all and putting the screw back in is not that big a deal.

The only thing is, is that Rolex uses a special jeweller's "loctite" which they drip a bit on to the thread of the screw so as to prevent the screw from working itself loose from the link later on and resulting in the watch/bracelet slipping off your wrist.

I don't know where you'd get this special loctite.

You can take it to a jeweller or another AD. They'll do it for you, but will charge you for the service. Someone here once said $15 from an AD. For $15, they better do it right and they better use some loctite, but how are you going to ensure they do as they'll take the watch to the back to adjust it.

[gregdolley]

Originally Posted by Whiskey

Actually, if you have the tiny screw-driver for watches, you can take the link out yourself if it's an oyster bracelet.

It's not difficult at all and putting the screw back in is not that big a deal.

The only thing is, is that Rolex uses a special jeweller's "loctite" which they drip a bit on to the thread of the screw so as to prevent the screw from working itself loose from the link later on and resulting in the watch/bracelet slipping off your wrist.

I don't know where you'd get this special loctite.

You can take it to a jeweller or another AD. They'll do it for you, but will charge you for the service. Someone here once said $15 from an AD. For $15, they better do it right and they better use some loctite, but how are you going to ensure they do as they'll take the watch to the back to adjust it.

Ah, that's right, I used loctite myself because one of the screws was constantly getting loose. Buy Loctite 222MS grade - that's what I used. It worked beautifully. You can get it from numerous sellers on Amazon or eBay.

The 222MS grade is removable - it's not like a glue, it just makes the amount of friction between the screw threads and the socket much higher, thus helping it stay in place.

I've had my loctite on for a few months now, and the screw that was constantly getting loose before, now hasn't moved one bit. It's good stuff.

-Greg

[moby33]

Originally Posted by gregdolley

Ah, that's right, I used loctite myself because one of the screws was constantly getting loose. Buy Loctite 222MS grade - that's what I used. It worked beautifully. You can get it from numerous sellers on Amazon or eBay.

If no loctite around, here's another thing that works perfectly and doesn't hurt a thing. Borrow any of your girlfriend/wife's clear nail polish and put a tiny drop on the pin...it holds it in place perfectly & will never come out by itself. Cheers.

[Z-Sub]

DIY is what I always do.
Good point with Loctite. 221 is fine as well.

[gregdolley]

Originally Posted by Z-Sub

DIY is what I always do.
Good point with Loctite. 221 is fine as well.

Yup. Any of the removable grades will work.

[Cato]

Do it yourself: it's easier and cheaper to go to the hardware store and pick up the screwdriver set than going to an AD and having him do it. If you're like me, your wrist swells and shrinks so you might have to do it often to have that "perfect fit."

It's fun too!

[moby33]

Originally Posted by Cato

Do it yourself: it's easier and cheaper to go to the hardware store and pick up the screwdriver set than going to an AD and having him do it. If you're like me, your wrist swells and shrinks so you might have to do it often to have that "perfect fit."

It's fun too!

So true...I use to feel your pain. But enter the amazing Glidelock, and those days are long gone. Best innovation to watch bracelets in history IMO! I probably do 3-4 micro adjustments per week...all on the fly without even taking the watch off. Nothing better!

[postiff]

Originally Posted by moby33

So true...I use to feel your pain. But enter the amazing Glidelock, and those days are long gone. Best innovation to watch bracelets in history IMO! I probably do 3-4 micro adjustments per week...all on the fly without even taking the watch off. Nothing better!

As is the Easylink on my IIc I use it daily.

Oh ya, I bought a good screwdriver from watchbands.com








.

[allanofcalifornia]

I always adjusted my cheaper watches but wasn't sure if it was safe to do it on a Rolex and wasn't sure what most people did.


Thanks
Allan

[moby33]

Originally Posted by allanofcalifornia

I always adjusted my cheaper watches but wasn't sure if it was safe to do it on a Rolex and wasn't sure what most people did.


Thanks
Allan

I hear ya...nothing special about Rolex. Be advised, I have found some screws are a bit harder to break free at first...Rolex uses a mild thread lock and sometimes there appears to be more glue on some screws than others. Just make sure to push down real hard so you don't slip off and scratch the clasp. Cheers.

[Lion]

I am not the most mechanically inclined so I had my AD show me how to do it. Now I can do it myself!!!

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by allanofcalifornia

Here's the situation. I was looking at new Rolex watches at a local AD and then bought 2 pre-owned watches. I need links taken out of the bracelet to fit me. Where should I go to have the watch adjusted to fit me and how much will they charge?

1. Take out the links myself.
2. Go to the local AD and have them take out the links even though I did not buy the watches from them. Will they be upset I did not buy the watches from them?
3. Go to someplace else like a local non-Rolex watchmaker.

Thanks
Allan

1. Take the out yourself.

[Mrdi]

I'll do it for free and live in So Cal.
If you're near Surf City I'll teach you how

Mrdi

[timetravel125]

My experience with Ben Bridge, when it comes to bracelet adjustment has been good. They had in the past did it, free. Where I went, the store had an in-house watchmaker.

If it were me, I would look around for an AD that employs an in-house watch maker. $20 won't hurt, as long as it's properly done, as opposed to taking it to a mall watch store and having your watch all scratched up.

I had learned a lesson in the past. I wanted to save money and went to a cheap watch store to have my bracelet replaced with a strap. It was a female watchmaker. While she was removing my stainless bracelet, to replace it with an original Breitlling strap-- her toddler was chewing on my strap! She replaced the bracelet alright, but it was bent badly. I wind up sending it to Breitling U.S.A.

Moral of the story, it's better to spend $20 by having it done by a professional. Rather than trying to save money and banging your head on the wall later.

Cheers.

[moby33]

Originally Posted by timetravel125

My experience with Ben Bridge, when it comes to bracelet adjustment has been good. They had in the past did it, free. Where I went, the store had an in-house watchmaker.

If it were me, I would look around for an AD that employs an in-house watch maker. $20 won't hurt, as long as it's properly done, as opposed to taking it to a mall watch store and having your watch all scratched up.

I had learned a lesson in the past. I wanted to save money and went to a cheap watch store to have my bracelet replaced with a strap. It was a female watchmaker. While she was removing my stainless bracelet, to replace it with an original Breitlling strap-- her toddler was chewing on my strap! She replaced the bracelet alright, but it was bent badly. I wind up sending it to Breitling U.S.A.

Moral of the story, it's better to spend $20 by having it done by a professional. Rather than trying to save money and banging your head on the wall later.

Cheers.

$20 for literally 2 mins worth of work = $600/hour rate!!! I hear the hardest decision Harvard students are having to face these days is the question of should they continue their education at Harvard Law so they can someday charge $600/hr or go directly to Ben Bridge with tiny screw driver in hand to pull in the same hourly rates. Ha, ha....I think I wouldn't be able to get out of the store fast enough due to extreme laughing if anyone tried to charge me $20 to remove a screw & then put it back in.

[Sperry]

There are people who would pay you to touch your watch, just for the sheer pleasure of working with it's mechanical intricacy . . however,

Even if I had to wear magnifying glasses and skip coffee for 24 hours . . . and skip coffee for 12 hours,
I'd prefer to do it myself. The Oyster bracelet is tapered, yes? If you mix up the pins, you'll catch the mistake, and correct it.

Whoever originally "adjusted" my bracelet mixed up or swapped the first link pin with a longer pin.
Maybe they were working at a bench cluttered with other projects, maybe the shorter pin rolled off.

The seller of my watch to me included a French-made screwdriver. The tips are interchangeable. There's a 1.2-mm in there now, I believe.
I'm going to pick up a range of tips at the next high-end hobby shop I pass.

[allanofcalifornia]

Originally Posted by Mrdi

I'll do it for free and live in So Cal.
If you're near Surf City I'll teach you how

Unfortunately I live in Northern California, outside San Francisco, East Bay.


Allan

[Jason71]

You might get it adjusted at an AD, but then you might also read some of the horror stories about mall salespeople TOTALLY JACKING-UP somebody's bracelet, or stripping-off a screw head. Nobody will take care of your watch like you take care of it. Taking out a link is a fairly simple procedure. One tip that I could give you that I have learned......make sure that your flat-head screwdriver is the right size. If it is undersized, you run the risk of ruining things.

[Psmith]

Although I'm happy to do this sort of thing myself, if you walk a watch into the RSC here in Melbourne they will adjust the bracelet on the spot (usually) and free of charge (always).


Cheers

[gregdolley]

No need to go anywhere. You can do the adjustment yourself in 5 minutes. You'll need a 1mm screwdriver. Those inexpensive mini screwdriver sets that come with five different sizes and cost about $5 to $10 bucks will work perfectly fine. Or if you have one of those $2 buck eye-glass repair kits from rite-aid - the screwdriver which comes with it is the right size.

Look at the bracelet and you'll see links around the buckle which have little screws in them. Identify which links you want to remove. Note that, unless you're just removing one link, you'll probably want to remove a set of links from the 6 o'clock side of the buckle and the 12 o'clock side to keep things balanced. Now just unscrew the left-most and right-most links that you want to take off. Place them aside. Use one of the screws which you just removed to fasten the bracelet back together. Take remaining extra screw and place it back in one side of the links which were removed.

-Greg

[BLM2]

I think the Locktite comes in either blue or red. Can't remember which Rolex uses. I have also read that fingernail polish works.

Lee

[gregdolley]

Originally Posted by BLM2

I think the Locktite comes in either blue or red. Can't remember which Rolex uses. I have also read that fingernail polish works.

Lee

It used to be just blue and red, but there are other colors now. Before, blue meant that it was removable, and red meant that it was permanent.

Update: my 222MS grade is in a red/purple-ish bottle. So I wouldn't go by the colors anymore. It says "low strength" and the specs on Loctite's site say it is removable.

-Greg