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Aquaracer 500M Rep - Is Gen Bracelet Worth it?


bamagrad03

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I got a 500M from Joshua today and I really like it, except the bracelet is a bit underwhelming. However, I've owned a number of Tag gens and the bracelets have always left me a bit underwhelmed.

Well, I saw a brand new gen Aquaracer bracelet on ebay $180 and I jumped on it. Do you guys think I'll notice a big difference?

It's a tough comparison because my daily wearer is a gen Raymond Weil Nabucco and it's got the nicest bracelet on any watch you'll find - be it $100 or $10,000 (not exaggerating). So I know even the gen bracelet won't be as nice as my daily wear, but I'm hoping the $180 will prove a worthy investment.

Thoughts?

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The 500m rep needs AR coating and superlume. I'd do those before a gen bracelet. Come to think of it .... I did!

The trick is to lubricate the bracelet with dry bike chain lubricant. The liquid portion flashes away leaving a Teflon layer inside the joints. Also go to work with a woman's nail file to knock off the sharp edges which should not be there.

Your replica bracelet is full of machine grit. Clean and lube it.

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Wash it in soap and water. Put it in a ziplock bag. Squirt the dry lube onto it and then work the bracelet vigorously. You will see black crud seeping out of every joint. That's machine shop grit.

Take the bracelet out of the bag and begin buffing it with a microfiber cloth. The wet lube will evaporate quickly, leaving a coating of Teflon inside the bracelet and give the outside an even sheen.

When the lube is dry you can stop buffing. The bracelet should now be silky smooth to flex.If this ten dollar procedure doesn't satisfy you, then you can think about gen bracelets. just remember that gen bracelets aren't full of magic unicorn tears to make them more silky. They are just cleaner and better lubricated.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If only they had unicorn tears...

Here you go ;)..but seriously..I feel that the rep bracelet is to close to gen to worry about. After some oiling and sanding/filing Im sure you will agree.

Tag bracelets dont Impress me much to begin with...for the most part anyway.

Good luck.

Mike

post-19368-0-53808000-1334862343.jpg

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Having had the Gen before the rep I would say don't bother either with the Gen bracelet ;) the look, feel and wear ability of the rep is really great once you work it a little.

Like the guys have said to you already give the thing a good clean down and polish and it'll feel a million times better, mine did :inverted:

I use White Lightning on mine its bloody awesome stuff and last for ages!

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The gen bracelet is definitely silkier than the rough brushing on the rep bracelet, so maybe do a decent brushing with a scotchbrite pad or sanding pad as well as the oiling and sanding above and it shouldn't feel much different, the rep clasps on the 500m aren't too bad at all, it's the end links that are noticeably poorer on the rep, but they mostly always are. For $180 full bracelet it's not too bad a purchase, it's the retail prices than are ridiculous.

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  • 1 month later...

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