SEL internal spring bars

[HERITAGE82]

Originally Posted by ecsub44

I'm not sure I would consider the design "under-engineered" considering that it has proven itself over 30+ years to be reliable, robust, and long-lasting.

I wouldn't trust your watch to a cheap repro bracelet. Instead put it on a nylon bracelet until you can get the original repaired. The repro could literally fail at any moment.

I assure you, there are VERY few designs that have proven to be "better" than the Oyster bracelet that is on your Rolex. They're out there...but at a much higher price.

Good luck.

The Original hollow NON SEL bracelets have lasted the test of time (the 30+ years) as you have stated and are still being worn by their owners even after decades of abuse. However, I have noticed that the SOLID SEL bracelets do not have the longevity (expecially with people who are hard on their watches) at the link that connects the bracelet to the the end link as what happened to the OP.

I see this as another example of Rolex changing a fantastic design to satisfy customer complaints and enhance the image to a more refined luxury item.

Here are IMHO the sequence in which Rolex went from a durable "tool" to a "luxury" item:

The first was Rolex going from plexi to sapphire crystals to save the complaints about scratches on the glass even though the plexi is more durable and a watch can continue to be worn and function if the plexi cracks but not if a sapphire breaks.

Then they changed the bracelet from hollow to solid since people were tired of the end links coming loose and paying so much money for a "light" bracelet. Again, the design was light and durable, but they had to change to charge more $.

Then the final step was to remove the lug holes from the case to make the watch look more streamline to the consumer even though having the spingbars go into the case added a lot of support and strength to the design.

All this just shows that change is not always for the better of functionality or durability of an item, but the changes were made to enhance the "look" of the product.

Rant over.....