Oval Link Jubilee work?

[morafa4]

Hi all - I'm taking in the oval link jubilee to get some links removed (outfitting it to my '67 1675) and want to walk in armed with alittle knowledge.

Any word on what the process is for removing links on the oval link jubilee? I'm currently traveling overseas in South America and my guy down here sees a fair amount of vintage items walk-in, but probably none so much as to be so well versed as removing links on the oval link jubilee. Anyhow, I'm looking for any pointers, or description of what the process is like, so I might be able to supply him with the know-how to ease the work. The bracelet is like NOS, so I want to keep his fumbling to a minimum...

Any help would be appreciated; a cursory search of VRF and TRF turned up nothing worthwhile - thanks!

[springer]

There are three rings on each link. Remove the two outer rings and the link can be removed.

To remove the rings, place something in the ring - like a screwdriver - and pry it apart. When done, connect the two rings to the link and squeeze them back together.

[morafa4]

Thanks for the response, Springer. My initial suspicious are confirmed then - I thought prying open the bent link connectors might be the answer, but wondered if there might be some trick I hadn't known about. Is this perhaps a job better suited for a jeweler?

Originally Posted by springer

There are three rings on each link. Remove the two outer rings and the link can be removed.

To remove the rings, place something in the ring - like a screwdriver - and pry it apart. When done, connect the two rings to the link and squeeze them back together.

[R.W.T.]

Is this a usa band or a swiss?

The USA bands have removable links at the ends. They are held in by big spring bars.

[morafa4]

It's one of the USA bands - I remembered hearing somewhere that there were removable springbars for the links, but couldn't find them or figure out how to access them, so I figured this bracelet wasn't of that kind. But it is most definitely the USA made oval-link bracelet.

I also noticed small holes on the ends of a random oval-link near the clasp - could these be holes to access the oval-link's spring bars? Thanks in advance! I knew there must've been someway to go about it without bending things out of place.. or at least I hope that's the case! THX

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

Is this a usa band or a swiss?

The USA bands have removable links at the ends. They are held in by big spring bars.

[R.W.T.]

Yes! Those push in!

It's a bugger to do but they do come apart that way.

They are likely full of crud. You need to clean them out good with ultra sonic or just dig around with a needle and clear up the holes so that a spring bar pusher or other small round object will fit down in there.

Add lubrication/solvent {lighter fluid is the universal solvent :-) }...just work with it...they are very big bars and very gnarly to work with but if you have an inclination you can figure it out.

T

[springer]

The link rings can be spread quite easy and will close tight after the link is removed. Trying to open the link with the pin is futile.

[77T]

IMHO, telling a watchmaker how to remove the links is fraught with trouble. Since the bracelet is like NOS it might be better to have it done by a well-experienced one.


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[R.W.T.]

Originally Posted by 77T

IMHO, telling a watchmaker how to remove the links is fraught with trouble. Since the bracelet is like NOS it might be better to have it done by a well-experienced one.


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Well...depends on the watchmaker.

Watchmaker is a mixed term....and Rolex is a very vast and specialized subject...add the word vintage in there and one gets a completely different set of variables.

Not every "watchmaker" will be familiar with this niche bracelet. These haven't been made since before many current watchmakers were born and this certainly is not taught in watchmaking school. There's not a chapter on vintage USA J B Champion Jubilee Bracelets.

I was very fortunate to have come into the world of watch repair...strictly learning on Rolex....from a Certified Rolex Watchmaker.

Many things that people don't know about....and that I too had no clue of how to approach have been right at my fingertips with a question to the old master.

He turned 91 yesterday.

[morafa4]

I was very surprised by how little discussion there was out there about resizing it - i know obviously alot of the people on the forums have long standing relationships w/ their AD and what not, and handing little odd-jobs of that nature to them usually is an after thought.

The watch techs down in South America are very-much mom/pop shops and address each thing that comes there way from an Ad-Hoc approach... An "approach" that I don't particularly think fits well with vintage... hah.

Anyways, it's looking purdy and I'll be sure to post a picture of it once I find myself spiffed up enough to do it justice. Thanks RWT, Springer and Co. for the pointers.

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

Well...depends on the watchmaker.

Watchmaker is a mixed term....and Rolex is a very vast and specialized subject...add the word vintage in there and one gets a completely different set of variables.

Not every "watchmaker" will be familiar with this niche bracelet. These haven't been made since before many current watchmakers were born and this certainly is not taught in watchmaking school. There's not a chapter on vintage USA J B Champion Jubilee Bracelets.

I was very fortunate to have come into the world of watch repair...strictly learning on Rolex....from a Certified Rolex Watchmaker.

Many things that people don't know about....and that I too had no clue of how to approach have been right at my fingertips with a question to the old master.

He turned 91 yesterday.

[morafa4]

K. thanks all - I did it myself. Here are my observations. The oval link bracelets usually have one link with the drilled holes to access the singular (oval-link) spring bar for resizing. This makes it easier to remove the clasp-to-bracelet attachment point, but STILL requires you to pry open some of the connectors further along the bracelet for resizing (to remove the bits that make it slack).

As Springer maintained from the beginning, prying open these connector bits along the middle of the jubilee bracelet is integral to resizing the bracelet. And like he said, it's very easy.

Seeing as I was worried with scratching, etc to preserve its NOS look, I masked taped off the oval link bits on either sides on the under side (flanking the middle connectors that needed to be pried open) and pried them open with a micro-flat-head screw driver, removed them, and squeezed them back with needle-nose pliers with the ends wrapped in masking tape. Looks as good if not better than what I assume would be done at a jewellers, seeing I have the interest of being surgical about it. Anyhow - here is an image of what I was dealing with for clarity

[morafa4]

Jesus - apologies for mega sized image. I put the mini-spring bar next to the 20mm spring bar for comparison. But the access hole on the spring-bar oval link is clearly visible. Future reference for anyone trying to do the same!

[R.W.T.]

YAY! You did it ! ! !

Glad I was able to help someone!

[springer]

Good work morfa! I had to remove seven links from one the other day. The only way to do it was by splitting the rings.

[morafa4]

All in a day's work!

I feel ya, I wear my 7206 riveted bracelet with just 10 links and totally maxed out on the clasp pins. aka small wrists over here too

Originally Posted by springer

Good work morfa! I had to remove seven links from one the other day. The only way to do it was by splitting the rings.

[R.W.T.]

Originally Posted by springer

Good work morfa! I had to remove seven links from one the other day. The only way to do it was by splitting the rings.

Actually the fixed links on the USA JB bracelet pry apart. The pin that goes through the middle is pressed in to the side pieces. Once again takes some doing but it may be more advantageous than bending the center links. It just depends.