advice on refurbishing a jubilee bracelet?

[lis]

The GMT 1675 I bought -- wrist shots when it arrives! -- has its jubilee bracelet from about 1977. Seems to be quite stretched out, tho I haven't seen it in person yet. What can be done and what to look for? I've read about the wonders of Michael Young in HK (still the case?) but there's a very quirky watch repair place near me that handles Rolexes. They say they can deal with the bracelet. If they do, what should I watch out for? Would pieces have to be replaced? Anything advise?

[MitchSteel]

My advice would be, send it to MY and have no worries, he's a wizard when it comes to bracelet rebuilds,and very reasonable pricing

[Loevhagen]

Regardless of the repair, it involves inserting metal tubes onto pins currently in the bracelet. These tubes eliminate parts of the wear. If you have the patience, tools to disassemble links, Loctite and the (thin) tubes, you can do this your self.

[Floorguy]

There's NO WAY they can do what M.Y. Does! Send it to him......

[crowncollection]

My for sure

[Loevhagen]

Originally Posted by Floorguy

There's NO WAY they can do what M.Y. Does! Send it to him......

If MY can do it - why can't other do the same. Strictly speaking.

What does MY charge for a Oyster and a Jubilee that is not FUBAR?

[springer]

Here's what to watch out for:

Repair shops using $40 aftermarket Jubilee bracelets as a replacement for your bracelet links then adding your original clasp and end links.

[CharlieMae]

Springer: True Dat..

[Lgear080]

Others cannot do the same as the repair is technical and specialized.
Frankly no one else has the techniques and know how.

[Loevhagen]

Originally Posted by Lgear080

Others cannot do the same as the repair is technical and specialized.
Frankly no one else has the techniques and know how.

That is suspect. MY couldn't do it either - before he tried and now have the know-how.

You gotta think that you CAN do it - and failing before success - is just missing practice. :)

[MitchSteel]

MY has the tooling,material and experience.Sure, anyone is capable of rebuilding their own bracelet, but I'm sure it takes more than one try to get it right, and MY gets it Right

[Loevhagen]

Originally Posted by MitchSteel

MY has the tooling,material and experience.Sure, anyone is capable of rebuilding their own bracelet, but I'm sure it takes more than one try to get it right, and MY gets it Right

Your Spot On.

But - what if.

What if you managed to do it yourself? You could. What would you obtain. What would you feel.

I guess if you do not dare, you do not win. :)

I might be a overconfident person. That is however better than a weak and not-self-assured person.

It is better to have tried and failed - than not have tried - and by doing so; failed by default.

[MitchSteel]

Ummm, ok

[Loevhagen]

Originally Posted by MitchSteel

Ummm, ok

Think about it.

MY is best - but have gained experienced refurbishment. At some stage he started at scratch 0.

So, it is not more magical than that. You might call it "Ummm, ok" if you have no ambitions.

I am surprised to learn that US and Canadian citizens are so modest. I thought that Scandinavian people were de facto shy. Empirical data in this thread is quite interesting. :)

[MitchSteel]

no ambitions here, none what so ever

[crowncollection]

There seems to be others that can do it. I saw an add on USA eBay the other day, for gold bands and it was not MY. I believe a member Stan can do it and there is definitely someone in the uk now as well.

[samuelhuntington]

Originally Posted by Loevhagen

Think about it.

MY is best - but have gained experienced refurbishment. At some stage he started at scratch 0.

So, it is not more magical than that. You might call it "Ummm, ok" if you have no ambitions.

I am surprised to learn that US and Canadian citizens are so modest. I thought that Scandinavian people were de facto shy. Empirical data in this thread is quite interesting. :)

Think your missing the point a bit... Sure anyone could probably do it themselves. Go out and buy the right tools ( which you'll only need once or twice unless your going into the bracelet repair business) do a bunch of research and give it a shot on your one and only bracelet and risk really screwing it up and have to send it to a professional in the end....

Or just send it to michael young in the first place for around $300 bucks and a few weeks later have a brand new looking bracelet. I know many people are do-it yourselfers but some projects make sense and some don't. I don't think this one is worth the time and potential risk, jmho

[sennheiserz]

Here's my in depth review of a jubilee that I sent to Michael Young with before and after, he's awesome!

http://www.wristtimes.com/blog-1/201...celet-magician

[lis]

Well I definitely can't learn how to do this - no time or aptitude for that - but I definitely can quiz my local person on what he would do. Better yet... I'll ask him for some references. Otherwise, given how long it too me to find the right watch, I think it makes sense to call on MY if thats the best. Even tho really I want to wear the watch the minute I get it!

[watchcrank]

My local guy fixed one of mine. Only took him couple days and three times what MY charged me. LOL Go to an expert. m

[nrlgolf15]

Great advice on this thread. Can some be kind enough to let me know how to contact MY? I think his name is Michael Young, but I am not 100% sure. I am not finding his name.

Thank you!!!

[southtexas]

[email protected]



www.classicwatchrepair.com

I've got (another) one there now, he does good work.

To Op: looking forward to some pics!

[waQstar]

Michael Young, magic only magic.....

[motoikkyu]

I've had great satisfaction in having my jubilee bracelets and even one oyster restored by MY.

So, I know I could gain the skill to install flooring in my hovel. I don't really feel "weak" or "not-self-assured" because I'd rather hire someone to do it for me. On one hand, there is the satisfaction of doing the research, buying the tools, practicing, and getting a decent result. But I'm not in the flooring business and have no ambition in that direction. I might not even enjoy flooring. I certainly hated walling, but I had no choice in that matter. Admitting that someone else is very good at what they do is giving credit where credit is due, that is not weakness. Saying that I could do the same, with the right materials, tools, and enough time to learn seems a little like denying that proper credit. The German expression doesn't translate well but it's something along the lines of "and if my Grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bus."

[Perry Stafford]

I'm new to the site and am looking for advice on repairing a vintage Rolex Oyster Chronograph circa 1960 with a damaged and broken stainless steel bracelet. Reading the various posts, it seems like Michael Young in Hong Kong is the master at this….how do I go about arranging for him to look at the bracelet….do I need to send the entire watch or just the bracelet…looking forward to your replies…I'll try to post photos of the watch and the band but don't know if they'll make it on the post. Thanks!!

/Users/pwstafford/Desktop/IMG_1413.jpg
/Users/pwstafford/Desktop/IMG_1414.jpg

[Alcan]

All you need to do to repair your own bracelet is design and build the tool in the first post in the link (no pun intended), learn how to use it, and practice a few hundred times:


http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=276849


There's 10 pages of interesting info and pix.

[Charlie3755]

Michael Young

Before


After


3 weeks to get there from Dallas. A little over 2 weeks with him and the results speak for themselves.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kingface66]

A recent, and similar experience.

Months ago I bought a 1970 GMT from a very reputable dealer. Attached to it was an expandable C&I riveted bracelet with fairly moderate stretch, and at least one, and probably two, damaged links (the springs inside were shot and didn't "spring" anymore). It was driving me crazy and I desperately wanted to get it fixed so I could wear it.
Everyone on this forum said "Send it to Michael Young"

But, the impatient part of me wanted it done quickly and, preferably, locally. I live in New York City and thought, "Surely, there are capable repair guys here." I couldn't believe that ONLY MY was the one guy on earth who could fix it!

I brought it to Aaron Faber, a well-known and high-end business watch repair shop in midtown. They had it for 4 days before even giving me an estimate: To fix the one broken link, and tighten a second one - $350.

The next day I packed it up and sent it off to MY.

Four weeks later, I had the bracelet back. All the links were repairs, it was completely refurbished, tightened, cleaned, etc., and looked stunning.
Repair and shipping to and from Hong Kong - $200.

Couldn't be happier.