Rolex Bracelet Stretch / Flex?

[socialpro]

Can someone elaborate on the Rolex Bracelet stretch / flex that I see sometimes with older (5 digit and older) models?

Is this a worry when looking / purchasing one? Why does it occur?

What do I look for or ask to be shown to make sure its not an issue? Can it be fixed if the bracelet shows signs of it?

Has this been eliminated with the 6 digit references and newer bracelets? Please clarify!

[SCsailor]

The metal is not actually stretching. What happens is that the pins in the links get worn down over time. Cleaning the bracelet with a soft brush and soapy water seems to be the best prevention. Some claim the solid center links in the 6 digit references will solve the problem. I'm not sure. The day dates have solid center links and you see tons of them with lots of bracelet stretch. The best fix is done by a guy named Michael Young in Hong Kong. Do a search. You'll find tons on his work.


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[Sublover2166]

Wearing the bracelet loose on your wrist combined with the dirt and grime that get into the center links and literally wear away the metal pins is what causes bracelet WEAR (sloppy, looseness etc. Metal does not literally "stretch". Wearing the bracelet properly fitted on your wrist (snug) and cleaning it on a regular basis with soap, water and a toothbrush are the best way to keep it alive. Michael Young in Hong Kong is a magician restoring worn out bracelets to almost as new for the fraction of the cost of a replacement from Rolex. Every link is pulled apart and he uses a sleeve to slide over the worn bracelet pin to "tighten" the links up. He can also rebuild severely worn links where metal has been ground away by laser welding steel or gold where needed. The results are usually very positive and the prices are very reasonable.

[77T]

Originally Posted by socialpro

Is this a worry when looking / purchasing one? Why does it occur?

Yes because you never know when a severely stretched bracelet is ready to separate. The pins wear out from abrasion.

Originally Posted by socialpro

What do I look for or ask to be shown to make sure its not an issue? Can it be fixed if the bracelet shows signs of it?

Stretch looks like this




Tight is more like this

Originally Posted by socialpro

Has this been eliminated with the 6 digit references and newer bracelets? Please clarify!

Too soon to know for sure - we'll know more in about 20 years...

[captain_NEMO]

[QUOTE=77T;6791604]Yes because you never know when a severely stretched bracelet is ready to separate. The pins wear out from abrasion.



Tight is more like this



Now that's what I call tight! It probably squeaks too, huh?

[77T]

I should have said these are not my pics. They came from earlier TRF threads on stretch.

But I can share a pic of my pebble that proves how to solve bracelet stretch once and for all!




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[ronricks]

Seems the solid link bracelets don't stretch near as bad as the hollow linked ones. I haven't seen a 6 digit sport Rolex with stretch.

[socialpro]

Originally Posted by 77T

Yes because you never know when a severely stretched bracelet is ready to separate. The pins wear out from abrasion.





Stretch looks like this




Tight is more like this






Too soon to know for sure - we'll know more in about 20 years...

Thats very helpful thank you!

Def getting a better idea of what to look for and that is some serious stretch in that one! So that is a legitimate question or picture to ask for when shopping around for an 'older' rolex?

Are there certain specific models that are more prone to it then others? Or is it more based on years of watch production?

[77T]

Perfectly legit to ask for pics like I shared. Ask seller to hold the head so the pic shows how much or little the bracelet droops.

Ron answered which bracelets tend to experience stretch - but a lot has to do with how the various owners used it. Like Indy said in the movie, "It isn't the years, it's the mileage"


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