Rolex Pros - End link Fitment Issues???

[bobandshawn]

Hi Guys,
I've enclosed a few photos that I quickly found online, but there are PLENT more examples on gen sites. Question: Why is the fitment so poor on many of the rivet bracelets? I recently purchased the old Yuki that was the "best" available to date, and it does NOT look good at all on my MBK 5512 (nor my JMB 1016). Looking at vintage gens this seems quite common. Am I missing something?

Thanks for any responses!

Bob

[dbane883]

When new, the endlinks generally fit pretty good, but not great. However, as the watch is worn over the years, the top portion of the endlinks wears out as it rubs against the curved surface of the midcase. As a result, the endlinks will rattle around even more which causes even more friction.

To reduce the rattle, the endlinks can be "squeezed" such that the top portion rests along the vertical portion of the midcase. Obviously over time, it will get lower and lower.

There's a reason Rolex moved to SELs in the early 80's to prevent having to constantly adjust or replace the structurally inferior hollow endlinks


PS: I think the AirKing in the first photo is using incorrect endlinks, which is why that one in particular looks stupid

[bobandshawn]

Thanks DBANE. I just purchased this YUKI and was dissapointed with the fit. I started doing some research and found that it was very typical. I just don't understand why YUKI would emulate this...

 

https://www.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/333876-Old-Yuki-7206-rivet-bracelet

 

Bob

[dbane883]

Well a poorly fitting $200 bracelet makes a lot more sense than a poorly fitting $2000 gen bracelet.

[bobandshawn]

True. It's a shame because I really love this unknown rivet I'm using for my 1016. The heft, the feel, the looks...except for that stupid last link!

 

 

[woof*]

It's just the design.

[bobandshawn]

1 hour ago, woof* said:

It's just the design.

??? Of Which...

 

B

[mymanmatt]

The bracelets back then were made by spiedel. You may not remember, spiedel twistoflex. But they made the bracelets for the stainless rolex's. They did fit better when they were new, but not perfect.

[Nanuq]

It takes a lot of tweaking but it's possible to get the Yuki bracelets to fit a vintage case quite well.  These are all Yuki 7206 bands:

[bobandshawn]

I had a Speidel on my Accutron Spaceview...

 

B

 

[woof*]

29 minutes ago, bobandshawn said:

??? Of Which...

it's not just Yuki's bracelet, even gens fit this way. Nanuq is right though, you can tweak the endlinks carefully and get a better fit.

 

B

 

[droptopman]

It's a crap shoot on vintage. I bought brand new gen 580's for my 1675 and because of the wear/polish on the lugs they do not fit as good as a pair of old beat up 501's. The old 55's on an old Swiss jubilee fit the best on that particular case.
So so fit with new 580

Better fit with old 55's


Once MY restored my 7206 it fits my 5513 perfect, but that case is still pretty thick for a 50 year old watch.


With modded cases it can even be more difficult and takes some sanding and bending to get a good fit.
MBW case and Bracelet after some work

[freddy333]

6 hours ago, mymanmatt said:

The bracelets back then were made by spiedel. You may not remember, spiedel twistoflex. But they made the bracelets for the stainless rolex's.

???

As they say, anything is possible with vintage Rolex & I know that some of their more uncommon pre-70s bracelets were made for them by 3rd parties, but I have never heard of Rolex getting anything from Spiedel. I do know that Rolex created their (painfully) expanding Oyster bracelets as an alternative to the Twist-O-Flex, which became popular in the late 50s & 60s (I also have 1 on my Accutron).

As for ill-fitting Rolex rivet (or folded link) bracelets, the most common problem is end links that do not match (or are incorrect for) the case. Because many vintage Rolex bracelets are in short supply & have permanently attached end links, unless delicate & often damaging end link transplant surgery is performed, due to their rarity & cost, often, new owners must make due with the right bracelet fitted with the wrong end links. It seems that far more of most of the common vintage bracelets left the Rolex factory fitted with end links made for models that are less popular today than they were 50+ years ago. So, often, unless you are willing to spend a great deal of time & money on the hunt for the correct match for your case/model, you often have to accept a bracelet with end links that are a close (but imperfect) match for your case. End links that appear similar may vary in length, width or curve by only a fraction of a millimeter, but that fraction can be the difference between a good fit & an unsightly gap or loose/noisy parts. Try to locate a folded link Oyster bracelet for a 6239 with the correct links & you will see what I mean.