20mm Rolex Spring Bars

[bruce79]

I was wondering if anyone had a good/reliable source for 20mm spring bars for subs. The 2mm/1.2mm bars. I placed an order with ofrei last Wednesday only to be told today that they are out of stock and won't have any for another 2 weeks. Shoot me a pm if you'd like. Thanks

[thewightstuff]

ive yet to find any other than gen rolex items that cut it and ive tried many sources.

theres plenty of rolex parts people who deal with bits and pieces and have spring bars readily available, your local AD may also have some if you can convince him.

try posting an ad on timezone for some and you should get some readily.

[mystix]

Whats the difference between rolex and regular spring bars?

[thewightstuff]

rolex ones seem to be stornger and longer than regular rolex copy type spring bars and way more beefier than general watchmaker spring bars. they also dont have end stops to catch against the watch casing as they are instead designed to go right inside the lug holes.

ive found copy rolex ones to be of varying quality in general terms and more importantly not long enough to go anything more than just slightly into the lug holes. if you arent bothered about the aesthetic side of things, or have a case without drilled through lug holes then generic version will be fine if you get ones of a decent quality and made out of stainless. they will certainly be more sturdy than the ones the reps come with from the dealers and that can only be a good thing

[bruce79]

this is for a tw case with the lug holes drilled to accept 1.2 bars. they should't have the little stoppers on the end. There are a few places on ebay but I'd thought I'd ask here first to see if you guys had any shops you like to buy from.

[thewightstuff]

are your holes drilled right the way through then?

if so i'd really recommend trying to get some gens though ive had a few pairs from ebay that have been better than any ive gotten from stores, though the retractable portion was still shorter then the originals.

gen bars go through and almost pop out the outside edge of the case, while all rep ones havent done this, leaving the holes empty and hollow.

maybe someone will chime in with a good place for some. $6 or so will probably get you some good ones from ebay that will do the job other than the length part.

have you drilled out your bracelet to fit the new thicker bars too? the main part is 2mm thick

[TJGladeRaider]

Perhaps someone knows better than I, but my advice would be, "go cheap."

Consider, you are talking about a product manufactured by a company that expects to sell everything they make for a ridiculous mark-up. Look at a gen Rolex springbar, and compare it to a heavy duty standard springbar that costs pennies - they look different of course, but is it plausable that the Rolex Springbar could cost 100 times more to make?

I have about 100 of these from different manufacturers - if someone can show me a difference between the ones I got on E-Bay from Hong Kong for about $1 each, and those I bought for a lot more than that, I'd like to know.

My Source

Like I said, I'm not the expert here - and we have several. All I can tell you is what I see.

I have never seen a gen springbar, so those may be better/different and the comments to the effect that the gens are longer do appear to be true - I have noticed that my springbars do not go to the very edge of the case like some I have seen. I thought that the rep lugs might be slightly thicker, but it could just as easily be the gen bars are longer.

Good Luck,

Bill

[thewightstuff]

the ones in the link provided are exactly the same as the generic ones i decided were about the best around.

these are nice quality but certainly not the same as gen ones. the gen ones are made better, its readily noticeable when you have them in your hand as they are just more solid, thicker metal and they are vastly longer, especially with regards to the retractable portion. it goes in with a smoother motion and sticks out further.

whether the gens are worth the cost is a personal choice. to my mind its similar to the gen bracelets, once youve tried you cant go back.

gen spring bars can be picked up used for $5-$10 a pair. at this price its crazy not to pick them up however getting a pair similar to those linked above are definately a step in the right direction.

be prepared for a fight getting them to work with your bracelet though too.