Yet another Michael Young report

[iclick]

About 10 years ago I replaced the Oyster Flip-Lock band on my vintage GMT and lost track of it. Until recently I had assumed that I had tossed it like I did the original and subsequent Jubilee bands many years ago, a habit I held onto for too long in thinking worn-out bands, etc. were trash and of no further interest to me or anyone else. It's only a miracle I didn't toss my original faded fat-font bezel after I lost it in the yard for several years, which was replaced before recovering it, but that's another story.

Anyway, I found the discarded Oyster band (93150 with 93160 Flip-Lock clasp and 580 end links) a few months ago and thought it would be a good candidate for Michael Young, the band guru in Hong Kong. After he received it I got an email from him stating that it would take 8-10 weeks for service, but after only two weeks he emailed me again with the news that it was ready for shipment. I received it only a few days ago and thought I would write a report. BTW, I shipped via FedEx without insurance, but I would recommend using EMS that allows insurance for the full value, as that will help with your peace of mind and costs only 2% of the declared value extra.

The overall appearance and finish is first-rate, especially on the outer surfaces, which I tried to depict in the photos. Unfortunately the outer surfaces of the links (Photo 1 & 2) look almost ceramic in the photos, but in reality look like the brushed finish I remember in a new band. The slack in the links is much less than before, and laying the pieces out I tried to place them in a position that shows the maximum slack, which as you can see isn't much. The piece with the extra link has a bit more than the other. Photos 3 & 4 show the underside.

The only negative I might suggest is that the link in the clasp (Photo 5) has more slack than any of the other links and more than I see in the clasps of the other Oyster bands I have. I doubt if this would be any functional issue at all, however, but I wonder if perhaps they forgot to service that one.

I regret that I forgot to photograph the band before shipping it out , so you'll have to take my word that the appearance and slack are much improved. It was not a basket-case by any means with only moderate slack in the links, but looked like a well-cared-for daily wearer with about 19 years under its belt.

Overall I would give the band an A- with the only deduction the loose clasp link. Finish is an A, time of completion A+, but communication only a C. He failed to answer my first email and didn't answer all the lame questions I had, but I give Michael Young a thumbs-up overall for the service he provided.