1016 Springbar Comparison: Gen vs Aftermarket

[lhooq]

RWG.cc sometimes gets derided as the rep forum for anal-retentive types who obsess over trivial details like genuine Rolex springbars. I can't claim to speak for the majority of fine people, but I plead guilty as charged.

Genuine Rolex springbars for the 1016 can be very hard to come by. After years of admittedly light searching, I was able to snag a pair last month for the grand sum of $10. These 20mm springbars for the 1016 Explorer are assigned p/n 23-9293, as opposed to the 20mm bars for for older Submariners (23-9291), and Datejusts (23-9290). In the past, I've used Fasci's "Genuine" 1016 bars for my builds, as I liked their rounded tips and thought they were identical to the gens. I've also used Yuki's "short" 20mm springbars with thin pivots. Lastly I've included for comparative purposes a generic Submariner-type springbar bought from Nam Hing Watch Supply in Hong Kong. These are pretty good.

So how do they compare dimensionally?

(mm) Shaft-Lngth Pivot-Lngth Shaft-Diam Pivot-Diam

Fasci 19.85 1.65 1.82 1.27

NamHing 19.85 2.70 2.02 1.20

Rolex 19.75 1.58 2.03 1.21

Yuki 19.85 2.22 1.80 0.81

The Fasci and Yuki units are 0.2mm thinner than gen-spec, which is useful if you're trying to squeeze them into, say, one of Yuki's 7206 bracelets. Similarly, the Yuki's needle tips offer more flexibility, at the expense of stability once in place.

Finally, a closer look at the pivot tips, which will peek through the lugholes:

J.Borel also sells 23-9293 substitutes, though I've never managed to get any. If any of you has one, please let me know how they match up with the gen.

[woof*]

A long time ago..you pointed me to these from an Aussie eBay seller.

Are these acceptable? Other than the crazy price?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280268065798?redirect=mobile#ht_2455wt_689

[lhooq]

A long time ago..you pointed me to these from an Aussie eBay seller.

Are these acceptable? Other than the crazy price?

http://www.ebay.com/...e#ht_2455wt_689

That's the 'Fasci' bar in the OP. Definitely the second-best in this group, and the tips look nice enough.

But in hindsight, an even better alternative would have been to take a Submariner-size bar and just get busy with a file!

[woof*]

Oh ok, I wonder how his sub bars are?

I ordered "tubes and pins" from him a couple months ago for clasp repairs and he delivered alot faster than I expected.

I might order a few different springbars from him and see how they look.

[redwatch]

Fascinating comparison! It's those little things that make such a difference. Be as anal-retentive as you like M! I love these posts and I always learn so much from them.

Can we see some pics of the Fasi vs Gen bars in the 1016?

[Nanuq]

Nam HING bars look best. Seadweller with nam HING bars. Looks best.

[lhooq]

Can we see some pics of the Fasi vs Gen bars in the 1016?

Sure, S, and I'm glad you asked since it showed me just how incredibly minor the visual difference is.

Fasci:

Gen:

So the difference -and only if you're looking really hard- is that the gen pivots are shinier and protrude a little bit more. Not captured in the photo is the much tighter feel of the endlinks.

So, yes, my suggestion would be to take your favorite Submariner bars, file them down, and polish the tips.

Counting cards. Yeah, counting cards...