Stretching problem in vintage gen bracelet?

[rwgforumfan]

I read on VRF that wearing a bracelet loose will cause stretching. Why would it do that? Shouldn't it be the other way round because every hand movement "pulls" on the links if the bracelet is worn tight?

[japanic]

i believe stretching is caused by the slow deformation of the adjoining pin in each link, after some time the pin starts to become bow shaped.

[highoeyazmuhudee]

yeah its from the bending of the wrist (wearing the bracelet loose) and the rubbing of metal on metal accelerated with wrist sweat and dirt that wears away at it.

pictorial link of bracelet with such problems

http://nickhacko.blogspot.ca/2009/05/bottom-of-harbour-haven-for-rolex.html

[tabularasa415]

The best thing that you can do to prevent stretch in bracelets is to ultrasonic clean them every 6-ish months. You'd be amazed at the crap I've shaken out of both gen and rep bracelets.

[freddy333]

Regardless of how you wear a bracelet, it gets stretched when the links are placed under tension. If you bend your wrist & the bracelet is in a position where it is placed under tension, that, over time, will stretch or wear the links.

A number of hears ago, I posted a thread detailing how I restored 1 of my jubilee bracelets, which had become loose/stretched, which you may be able to search out. It contains a number of before/after pics that show what wear looks like close-up.

[Dizzy]

The more the bracelet flops around on your wrist, the faster it will stretch. If its snug on your wrist, the links dont constantly move and it wears slower. On the other hand, the snugger it is, the better chance you have of breaking a pin or deforming a link if it gets torqued on by the sudden movement of your wrist. For example if you fall or something and brace yourself with your hands.