DIY Jubilee Bracelet Restoration

[flickroll]

I have read all of the accolades about the work done by Michael Young in Hong Kong, and have thought about sending a 1980's vintage bracelet to him to restore and remove most of the bracelet stretch. However, the more I thought about it the more I think I can do this myself. Bracelet stretch seems to be mostly wear in the bracelet pins, and replacing the pins will get rid of a big amount of the 'stretch'. The other part of his service is refinishing the bracelet links which I will have no problem doing myself. I even watched a video of someone removing the fixed pins using a nifty tool and that looks pretty straightforward.

The problem I am running in to is I can't find the nifty tool for sale, nor can I source the fixed pins in the US. Perhaps someone can point me in the right direction for both of those items. Thanks!

[THC]

Oh lord, please no.. M.Y. will only be 250 ish and well worth it

[Floorguy]

Don't do it!!

[Fitz The Barber]

Do it!

[mikeps2006]

do it!! and if it works great. if it doesnt work out so well, you can be the test dummy lol.

[flickroll]

Never mind. Was looking for something helpful but guess that is not happening. 'Helpful' being pointing me in the direction of the tools/parts needed.

[Alexwwjd]

Originally Posted by flickroll

Never mind. Was looking for something helpful but guess that is not happening. 'Helpful' being pointing me in the direction of the tools/parts needed.

Don't be disappointed. I can't help you since I don't have the knowledge you need but keep looking and DIY. The satisfaction you'll get will be priceless.

Like you, I have a DIY project which is installing a CCTV system. It will be done in a couple days, it is taking longer but I am in no hurry.

Good luck!


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[Jim Smyth]

Otto Frei is one of the biggest watch parts guy in the country.

http://www.ottofrei.com/

If he doesn't have it he may be able to point you in the right direction. Redoing a bracelet IMO doesn't seem like a big deal either. The tools they use I have seem Michael Young post in some threads here years back. They were not very sophisticated either and could have been home made. I am a hobbyist knife maker and have a full machine shop in my garage. If I wanted I could make the tooling but my watches dont need to be redone so I have other things I am building. Best of luck and dont give up the quest.......

[flickroll]

Originally Posted by Alexwwjd

Don't be disappointed. I can't help you since I don't have the knowledge you need but keep looking and DIY. The satisfaction you'll get will be priceless.

Thank you. That is precisely why I want to tackle this myself. I could send the bracelet off to Hong Kong and perhaps for less money. But I am a tinkerer by nature and want to at least look into the challenge of the DIY bracelet restoration.

[terryuk]

Originally Posted by flickroll

Thank you. That is precisely why I want to tackle this myself. I could send the bracelet off to Hong Kong and perhaps for less money. But I am a tinkerer by nature and want to at least look into the challenge of the DIY bracelet restoration.

I don't know where you'll find the tools for this, but I offer my encouragement to you.
It's usually much more rewarding to DIY than just pay to have it done by someone else.
I've seen a video of the tool you're looking for on YouTube, but I don't have the URL.

[flickroll]

Originally Posted by terryuk

I don't know where you'll find the tools for this, but I offer my encouragement to you.
It's usually much more rewarding to DIY than just pay to have it done by someone else.
I've seen a video of the tool you're looking for on YouTube, but I don't have the URL.

That's the problem. I can't find the tool anywhere worldwide. Was probably a one-off. Pins are available but they are shipped from Asia.

[flickroll]

Thanks guys. I'll follow the lead with ottofrei.

[Boaters]

All I can say is good luck .. please post pics of before and after.

[DJRikki]

Lets see pics of how bad it is just now

[RolexguyinSF]

Don't be dissuaded by other posters here. There are a fair amount of things you can do to work on a Rolex bracelet. Despite what others here may think, it's a very low tech project. All you need is a little guidance and familiarity with hand tools. Please post pics and let us know how it goes.

[THC]

Originally Posted by RolexguyinSF

Don't be dissuaded by other posters here. There are a fair amount of things you can do to work on a Rolex bracelet. Despite what others here may think, it's a very low tech project. All you need is a little guidance and familiarity with hand tools. Please post pics and let us know how it goes.

Low tech project?
then I would respectfully ask, why are there no other companies or individuals that rebuild Rolex bands anywhere in the USA? MY is as good as it gets, save the Rolex factory in Switzerland.

[terryuk]

Originally Posted by THC

Low tech project?
then I would respectfully ask, why are there no other companies or individuals that rebuild Rolex bands anywhere in the USA? MY is as good as it gets, save the Rolex factory in Switzerland.

The reason that there are few companies doing this is not really to do with 'low tech ' or 'high tech.
You can't get much simpler technology than restoring these Rolex bracelets. Any jeweller/maker would laugh at the idea!

[THC]

Originally Posted by terryuk

The reason that there are few companies doing this is not really to do with 'low tech ' or 'high tech.
You can't get much simpler technology than restoring these Rolex bracelets. Any jeweller/maker would laugh at the idea!

[goldfixer21]

Originally Posted by terryuk

The reason that there are few companies doing this is not really to do with 'low tech ' or 'high tech.
You can't get much simpler technology than restoring these Rolex bracelets. Any jeweller/maker would laugh at the idea!

The reason there are so few companies that do it is because it's extremely time consuming, and a proper rebuilding is not something that is easily done. If you believe it's simple, please show us how you have done it.

[THC]

Originally Posted by goldfixer21

The reason there are so few companies that do it is because it's extremely time consuming, and a proper rebuilding is not something that is easily done. If you believe it's simple, please show us how you have done it.

[terryuk]

Originally Posted by goldfixer21

The reason there are so few companies that do it is because it's extremely time consuming, and a proper rebuilding is not something that is easily done. If you believe it's simple, please show us how you have done it.

eg: Oyster bracelet.

1) grip outer portions of each link in the vice tool, using the appropriate adaptor for the link type.

2) turn threaded shaft of tool , in order to separate the two outer parts of the link.

3) Remove each splined pin (if worn - poss. not neccesary for lower pin, as no wear. )

3) Replace pins. Press pins into one side of an outer link part. Replace central part of link.
Now press the other outer part of link to close the link unit.

4) Repeat for other worn links.

5) Refinish, (polish, buff and satin)

No high tech, OK?

[flickroll]

Originally Posted by goldfixer21

The reason there are so few companies that do it is because it's extremely time consuming, and a proper rebuilding is not something that is easily done. If you believe it's simple, please show us how you have done it.

Exactly. Cost prohibitive for a company, other than in a place like Hong Kong, to do it for you. But the DIYer has all the time he/she needs so labor is not a factor.

[goldfixer21]

Rebuilding a Rolex band , particularly a Jubilee, is far from low tech

[terryuk]

Originally Posted by goldfixer21

Rebuilding a Rolex band , particularly a Jubilee, is far from low tech

With respect, it's all relative. - one man's low tech might seem very complicated and difficult to someone else.
Take it from me, it's definitely not, in any way, high tech

[Kekela98a]

Good luck. Sometimes it's worth spending the extra money to avoid any frustration

[Ignace Worang]

I would do it. If it goes south then MY still on the table anyway. It’ll be expensive experiment but one can only learn from it. I did it on Genta braceler...didn’t go well unfortunately. At the end it got fixed by indie watchmaker.

[Bruno Datejust]

I would also suggest Otto Frei for supplies. I believe tools can be reasonably adapted from generic to purpose-specific. If you are ready to disassemble, overhaul and re-press a Rolex band, adapting a vice and a press doesn't seem a big problem to me. Considering that the grip surface to keep the outer links in the vice is much bigger than the contact between link and pin, the material of the vice adapters can be quite soft. Something like aluminium, copper or nylon. I don't believe that a clear technical mind should have problems with a basic overhaul. Rebuilding worn-off edges of links with the proper material is obviously another level I'm not considering.

[05carbondrz]

Originally Posted by kimquyet88

The tools are sale publicly here, people can refer
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY5...eCtw/playlists
https://watchcare.vn/rolex-bracelet-...t-repair-tools

That Tool looks extremely cumbersome to use.The main reason MY can remain on top is One Simple thing....Cheap Labor.