freddy333

No, old gen.

I have (been experimenting). So far, with no success. I have been trying to expand the tube by running slightly larger phillips head screwdrivers into it. But I keep hearing metal tearing sounds. Trouble is, as you may know, that the tube is formed by a sheet of steel that feeds in through the bottom of the end link, which is looped to form the tube & then fed back out the same way it went in. The same piece of metal that forms the tube is also what connects (& secures) the end link onto the hinge of the 1st standard link in the bracelet As the bracelet arrived, the loops were pulling the end links fairly tight against the 1st links & my dabbling has caused them to tighten even more. So much so that the end links are difficult to rotate around the 1st link & I still cannot fit the springbar. Once again, I just cannot understand how anyone could spend the time required to copy the details of something so intricately only to screw up something so important as how you attach the finished product onto its intended mate. By the way, the 7206/80 bracelet is also correct for 1016s, 1019s, 1675s, 1680s, 5512s, 5513s, 5514s & 6541s (Subs & some other models require 2mm springbars).

Congratulations. Dials can be an iffy proposition since the dimensions of aftermarket dials tend to vary. However, I have 2 of their 6536 cases & 1030s are perfect fits (which does not surprise me since the cases are made for 1030s) In the case of the gens, both the 6536 & 6538 used the same (1030) movement, so you should have the same experience fitting a 1030 into that case. In my experience, Yuki has been very honest (& honorable) in all of my dealings with them. But, as always, with aftermarket parts (especially in view of my recent 7206 experience), ask the seller specific questions before you buy. You cannot assume anything.

ebay security was alerted by a number of people. Hopefully, they took action before the auction ended. It is 1 thing to build frankens for yourself & tout them as gens to your friends, but it is another kettle of (stinking) fish when you try to pawn (sell) them off as gens to unsuspecting buyers.

Ditto Alli (as usual). Definitely a 1570. It will probably go for between $1,200-$1,500, which is current market value for a clean, but unserviced movement from a reliable seller.

Not easily. The end links on the 7206 (& a number of other riveted & folded link bracelets) are semi-permanently attached to the bracelet. And even if you are able to get the existing end links off, you then have to locate a gen pair to re-install & I do not recall ever having seen a set of fixed end links for sale separately. Further, you end up with hinges looking like this Under nearly all circumstances, there is never any reason for this area of a bracelet to be damaged like this. Unless, of course, the entire bracelet looks the same. So, when searching for 7835s, always look carefully at this hinge (& ask for good, clear pics if they are not provided, which is itself a good reason to suspect monkey business). It is a tell-tale sign of a franken-bracelet & a considerable number of the rivets & folded links I have been seeing for sale on ebay (even from generally trustworthy sellers) are frankens. Buyer Beware.

I agree. But only if/after they fix the springbar issue on the 7206, so they understand the importance of a little detail like that. I can see little to be gained in producing another nearly perfect bracelet that is functionally unusable on the watches it is intended for.

For a standard rep watch (most of which come with thin springbars), this bracelet should work great. But, for a franken or gen, or if you have drilled out your lugs to fit gen (2mm) springbars (as alot of MBW/MBK owners do), I would recommend that you see how these thin springbars fit in your case before you order anything.

I am glad to hear the thin springbars work for you. But if these 7206s have been around for a year & a half, why has no one ever mentioned it? There have been numerous threads discussing how crummy the 'rivet' bracelets are that come with vintage Rolex reps & asking if a source of something better exists. The answer, until last week when I discovered the pics of the 7206 on Yuki's site, had always been that no one is making any good rivet bracelets. Anyway, the thin 'bars do not fit an accurately made early Sub or GMT (I have tried the thin 'bars in both my gen & Silix-modded 6542 cases). The lug holes in these watches are made to fit 2mm 'bars. The thinner 'bars look wrong (their pins do not fully fill the lug holes) & the end links are too loose. Unfortunately, I just received a reply from Yuki & it does not sound like they can (or will) correct the end links. They offered me a free pair of thin springbars, which do not properly fit my watches.

Click me

Got it. So the narrow tubes on my bracelet are there by design & not a defect, which means that until/unless Yuki can get the factory to correct this, the bracelet will be a beautiful door stop. Thanks.

Exactly, it is the nature of the beast. Most people soak their rep bracelets in an attempt to loosen-up the few links that slightly bind (due to imprecise machining/assembly). Every link in a stretch bracelet binds & lubrication does little to change the way they feel. I guess if you like to wear bracelets tight against your wrist, the stretchability would be a welcome change. But, if you are like me (I wear my watch so that I can slip a pinky finger in between the bracelet & my wrist), the binding nature of a stretch rivet is just something you put up with in exchange for authenticity (which, for me, ranks above all else).

7750s occasionally pop-up for sale in the Trading section, but you (or your watchmaker) would need to remove the rotor (or auto-wind assembly) yourself. Otherwise, buy a donor watch from 1 of the collectors here or check ebay or some of the watch supply houses (ofrei.com, cousinsuk.com, etc).

Did your fit gen (2mm) springbars or were they aftermarket (1.5mm) 'bars? And did you post any pics of the bracelet on your watch? If so, I wonder why no one spotted it (or mentioned it)? Considering how long the market has been crippled with junk bracelets, the appearance of an accurate sample is pretty newsworthy stuff.

What watch was it attached to?

Quite the contrary. In fact, the 7206 is 1 of, if not the most uncomfortable bracelet there is. The discomfort is not so much from the pinching (which they do), but from the fact that the springs maintain tension to keep the links drawn together, which leaves the links somewhat stiff & less pliable. These bracelets feel kind of like a cheap rep bracelet where the links bind a bit, making the bracelet feel stiff. This is 1 of the reasons I use only folded links on my Daytonas (62xx Daytonas were available with either folded links or rivets). And you sold it why?

Yes, like the gen, it is screwless. To resize (assuming the clasp does not provide sufficient adjustment), you need to unfold 2 links & then either add another link (to enlarge) or remove a link (to reduce). Then, refold the 2 links. Unfortunately, very few watchmakers outside of the Rolex service network have the correct tool to perform this procedure. It can be done with a pair of screwdrivers, but, without having the proper jig to hold & shape the links during the unfolding/refolding, the end result (in my experience) is often bent &/or mangled links. Fortunately, because Yuki's bracelet is roughly 1/12th the cost of the average gen, you can always get another bracelet if the 1st 1 is less than wearable after a diy resizing job.

Beautiful.

Believe me, even an expert will have trouble ID'ing this bracelet if seen in the right context (like attached to a gen watch or sold by a generally reliable seller, who, himself, may not know). This thing is that good. The intended purpose for the stretch-ability is comfort. In hot weather, when your wrist tends to expand, it allows the bracelet to expand so the owner does not have to manually enlarge the bracelet at the clasp & then reduce it when his wrist contracts again. I could also wear it over a wet suit or use the stretch to remove the bracelet without unclasping it. But, if the the internal springs on the rep bracelet are similar to the springs on the gen, I would not exercise the bracelet's stretching limits too far or too often. 1 of the reasons I paid $1,200 for my last gen is because the springs are all in perfect working order, which is rare for a 7206. The springs on most of these bracelets tend to wear out or break over time or if stressed frequently.

As it turns out, you CAN get an accurate, well-made riveted Rolex bracelet. And you can have your cake & stretch it, too (but you may not be able to fit it onto your watch). Read on......... I just received my black 62xx Daytona bezel & 7206 bracelet from Yuki & I have some good (actually HEADLINE-worthy) news & some bad news. The bezel The good news is that the factory finally got the spacing correct on the '110' The bad news is that the printing quality is not as good as DW's. Some of the printing is slightly off-axis, some numbered pairs' sizes do not match &/or not real crisp (typical aftermarket quality). So, compared to DW's bezels, it is 1 step forward (since the '110' spacing is no longer a dead give-away), but, once again, 1 step backward (the variable printing quality). The 7206 riveted (stretch) bracelet The good news is that the quality is light years better than any other non-Rolex 'rivet' bracelet I have ever seen (& I have seen ALOT of them). Although the gen is somewhat flimsy compared to many modern bracelets, Yuki's copy feels exactly the same. I suspect it weighs the same as well. The REAL good news is that, overall, the design is nearly a 1:1 copy. This thing even s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s. Yes, just like my gens Overall, I would rate its accuracy at about 98% (by contrast, previous aftermarket rivets get about a 50% rate, at best). Good enough so that at an arm's length away (my benchmark for judging the credibility of a rep watch), I CANNOT tell it apart from my gen 7206s. And I am not exaggerating. Even next to each other in the palm of my hand, I can barely tell them apart & if the gen was not attached to my Sub, I am afraid I would be unable to reliably ID Yuki's from the gen without a close inspection. The clasp is nearly perfect & the individual links are nearly the same size & shape as the gen links. Even the (80) end links are an almost perfect match. This bracelet, like the recent crop of Asian-made ETAs, is so filthy good that it WILL be finding its way onto ebay & sold as gen -- either alone or attached to a gen watch & there is little you can do to protect yourself against paying gen prices for 1 of these. This bracelet is so good that I am (almost) kicking myself for spending so much for my last gen. Anyway, enough of my chatting, have a look for yourself (in case you are finding it difficult to tell them apart, the gen is attached to my watch) Now, the bad news. The leaves in the clasp lack either a date or date code. While I have seen a couple gens like this, I remain unconvinced that these undated bracelets ever left the (Rolex) factory that way. So that is an issue. The engravings also differ from those on the gen bracelets. But the worst news is that the tubes within the end links are too small to fit 2mm springbars, which are what the watches designed to accept a 7206/80 bracelet use (gen on top) I have contacted Yuki to let them know about these 2 issues & will update this thread as soon as I know more. Can you imagine the fun when these guys produce a 19mm 7205/71 or 7205/271 of similar quality (assuming they have not already done so)? Boggles the mind.

Most likely, the 726 part is also discontinued & Borel just has not updated their site listing (frequent problem with them). More than half the vintage Rolex movement parts I have ordered from their website, result in my receiving a note a week or 2 later (by land mail) explaining that the part is no longer available. Yet the parts remain listed on their website.

Weird. I picked up a copy of H a couple years ago for 1 of my early DW projects, but it had a (symmetrically pushered) Landeron movement instead of Valjoux. So I re-sold it.

Wearing this old thing today