My explorer 1 getting black on the link edges

[krone26]

Hi,

I bought my first replica about two weeks ago, an explorer 1 from perfect clones. Its very nice and works good but on the last few days Ive seen that it has got abit black around the edges on the links of the bracelet. I have some questions about this...

1. Is this normal?

2. What can I do to prevent/remove this?

3. Does this mean the its not stainless steel trough and trough?

/ Krone

[Shundi]

Hi Krone26,

Welcome to the forums! I'll do newbie welcomings in lady V's absence (jk, no one can replace her)

Anyways,

I too have the Explorer I from Joshua, a rep datejust from Trusty, and a gen Datejust from...Rolex haha.

All three of these watches, especially the two datejusts with Jubilee bands, tend to get crud and dirt in them from normal wear and it's a pain to clean.

My Explorer does not have any "black" on the band but I'd assume since there's no ferous/rust/corrosion (usually that reddish stain) that you're probably ok. A good way to tell (I know from freaking out about my first rep band) is to lightly scratch the material with a fingernail or pocket knife. If it comes off, problem solved, it's just crud. If it doesn't, you may want to take some macro pictures and send them to the dealer you purchased it from.

I'd also invest a few dollars (Euro, yen, w/e) in a soft bristled tooth brush and use it to lightly scrub off some of the grime. There are also Cape Cod Polishing Wipes for polished surfaces/cleaning.

I'm not an expert on straps by any means but I'm just telling you what works for me. I'm sure someone like SD, Carlsbadrolex, Stephanie, etc who collect rollies can offer some great advice.

[jfreeman420]

The black is probable either dirt or oil used to lube the links. I don't think the rep factories lubricate the links so my guess is dirt. All of my watches pick up some kind of dirt between the links. Use soap and water and a toothbrush to get in the crevaces.

[highoeyazmuhudee]

i get this black tarnish as well on my oyster bracelets, i just ignore it.

[krone26]

Hi Krone26,

Welcome to the forums! I'll do newbie welcomings in lady V's absence (jk, no one can replace her)

Anyways,

I too have the Explorer I from Joshua, a rep datejust from Trusty, and a gen Datejust from...Rolex haha.

All three of these watches, especially the two datejusts with Jubilee bands, tend to get crud and dirt in them from normal wear and it's a pain to clean.

My Explorer does not have any "black" on the band but I'd assume since there's no ferous/rust/corrosion (usually that reddish stain) that you're probably ok. A good way to tell (I know from freaking out about my first rep band) is to lightly scratch the material with a fingernail or pocket knife. If it comes off, problem solved, it's just crud. If it doesn't, you may want to take some macro pictures and send them to the dealer you purchased it from.

I'd also invest a few dollars (Euro, yen, w/e) in a soft bristled tooth brush and use it to lightly scrub off some of the grime. There are also Cape Cod Polishing Wipes for polished surfaces/cleaning.

I'm not an expert on straps by any means but I'm just telling you what works for me. I'm sure someone like SD, Carlsbadrolex, Stephanie, etc who collect rollies can offer some great advice.

Actually it seems like its dirt, I feel abit handicapped when Ive not even tried to scratch it away. Its hard to get between the links though so I will try the toothbrush tips.

Thank you very much Shundi!

[krone26]

The black is probable either dirt or oil used to lube the links. I don't think the rep factories lubricate the links so my guess is dirt. All of my watches pick up some kind of dirt between the links. Use soap and water and a toothbrush to get in the crevaces.

Thank you!, but are you sure about the soap+water? I guess you need to use very little soap water as I've heard the reps are not waterproof.

[w.genzo]

a simple shower is safe with standard rep (no quality defects), just don't leave it soaked

[Shundi]

@Krone26:

No problem! You hear so much about QC issues that it can be terrifying to do anything "out of the ordinary" with your rep including scraping unidentified stuff off the links!

Best of luck,

Shundi