Need ideas...MIL's ladies "president" bracelet beyond repair?

[greg325i]

Hi all,

I need some advice that I can pass on to my mother-in-law. She has a late-80's/early-90's ladies yellow-gold Datejust with a "president" bracelet. She's in need of a service, as you can see. Her main problem (besides a general overhaul/polish) is that her bracelet is really messed up by the endlinks. I thought pins could be replaced, but I guess I don't know what I'm talking about ;)

She has taken it to a few Rolex dealers, but they give her the standard, "it needs replacement." Well, for a solid 18k gold bracelet...from Rolex...that's pretty pricey. She has a few other nice watches, so this has just sat.

On the advice of some members here, I've taken my wife's DJ to Jean-Claude, a local Rolex-certified watchmaker who did a fantastic job bringing her DJ to tip-top shape. On the strength of his work, I suggest that my mother-in-law let me take her watch to see what he could do. Obviously he'll do a full (and excellent) service.

My question is on the bracelet however. He didn't think much could be done either. So that leaves a few open questions I'd like some input on. First, he told me that there are aftermarket options that look exactly like a president bracelet that are designed to replace a Rolex bracelet and look identical...also made of 18k gold. He said that he would look into that option, and let me know. The clasp on hers is still in good shape, so it would just be some links that are replacement. This was his option if the price of a new solid gold Rolex part was too astronomical.

I suppose another option would be to get a leather strap and a Rolex 18k tang buckle.

Finally, is there an option for repair that I've not heard about possibly?

I'd love to hear some suggestions, as it would be great if I could help her with a solution that was not "oh well, new bracelet from Rolex like everyone has said - open thine wallet!" I'd love the mother-in-law cred. I'd earn ;)

Some pics:

[kilyung]

Send it to Michael Young... nothing to loose.

[mmmk604]

I agree with Mike, send it to Michael Young in Hong Kong.

Will probably take a month or so, it'll come back perfect!

[joseluu]

I agree: Michael Young.

[Kingair]

MY is your best and cheapest solution !

HAGWe

[gpfps]

My dd prez bracelet had a link wear where the clasp rubs . Rolex trained tech used some new tech weld it . I do not know if that will fix your problem but might ask.

[DrLindaPhD]

Send to Michael Young. He'll have all the potential options for you. You have nothing to lose by doing this and you will know exactly what her options are. I will bet he can restore it. It's a beautiful bracelet. If your replace it you will probably have to scrap the gold or just keep it in a drawer if she doesn't want to scrap it. But, I think Michael can restore it. I've seen his before/after shots and they are amazing. That's what I would do. It's an absolutely beautiful piece. It's worth it to try.

[DoxaDavid]

Gee, looks like your MIL was wearing that while doing some serious gardening!

It should definitely be repairable. Rolex likely won't do it nor most AD's because the art of repairing something is lost on them. All they want to do is sell new.

MY should be able to repair it or if you look, there are others who do similar work but may be a little more expensive in the USA. I found a place when I was looking to have my day's DD refurbished last year who would make a link when repairing a bracelet if too damaged but from the pics, it looks like they can be filled and polished. MY charged me $850 plus shipping( last year) and the places I found here in US were around $1500 but in either case, significantly less then replacement.

Nice piece and worthy of being refurbished.

[Tools]

Although Michael Young does some excellent work, most of it is replacing the connecting pins. This bracelet seems to have considerable damage to the links as well and I would say that new pins would likely pull through those weakened links..

As mentioned, there are many excellent aftermarket Prez bracelets available for half the price of the Rolex. Also, Rolex does offer a trade-in value for the old bracelet in conjunction with a service.. This reduces the cost to only partially astronomical..

[Boopie]

My MIL has the same proble, with her gold ladies' President from the 1970s. She sent it to the Dallas RSC for service. The watch works perfectly but the RSC said her mega-stretched bracelet was beyond repair. Rolex offered to take the bracelet and sell her a new one at a discount. She didn't take them up on it.

We sent it to a jeweler who specializes in vintage watches. He is working on getting us an estimate for repair. If it is too pricey we will consider Michael Young. Please post when you decide what to do.

[classicwatchparts]

Yes we can give it a try here. For some of the links it is certainly beyond repair but we can recast those problematic links and make the whole band 90% like new again.

RSC takes a different approach, when they fix it they have to bring it back functionally 100% like new otherwise they won't do it. And they probably charge you more than what your watch is worth at current market value. Pretty whatever they left off is something that we handle.

Send me a message and we can discuss off line.

Cheers

Michael Young