Last week we examined watch straps. This week we will examine how to change or adjust watch bracelets. Watches have been worn on bracelets since the late 1700s. Early bracelets were made from precious metals and that reflects that until watches were made waterproof by Rolex, then they were worn largely as an item of jewellery. Nowadays, many popular watches are supplied on a bracelet. A watch bracelet is usually solid metal and is typically made of steel, precious metal, or a combination of both. Bracelets are supplied on both sports watches and on dress watches. They are water-resistant and hard-wearing

There are three main parts to a bracelet.

Links – which form the main part of the bracelet. These are the metal sections of the bracelet, and are held together by a pin or screw, to allow the bracelet to flex around the wrist.  

Clasp – the two halves of a bracelet are permanently connected by a clasp. This clasp is locked to tighten the bracelet to fit your wrist securely. Clasps can vary in complexity.

Connection to case – this can either be simple, hinged or integrated:

• Simple bracelets have traditional strap fittings to connect them to the watch case.

• Hinged bracelets have strap lugs that match the case seamlessly, for example with a curved piece matching the curve of the case.

• Integrated bracelets combine connection to the case within the strap itself.

A Brief History of the Stainless Steel Bracelet

The modern watch bracelet was invented in the late 1920s, and the style was known as a Bonklip. These watches were issues to Royal Air Force pilots, and quickly became popular, as they were comfortable, and very quick and easy to adjust to any wrist size. Bonklips were stainless steel and relatively cheap to mass produce, so many brands started to sell watches with them.   The move to stainless steel bracelets was accelerated by the Wall Street crash of 1929. Watch companies started to sell cheaper steel bracelets to accompany cheaper steel watches. Prior to this, bracelets were typically a costly addition to a watch, being made of precious metals matching the precious metal cases of the watch. In many instances, the bracelet could make up half of the cost of the watch.

Gay Freres is the most famous bracelet maker. Here is an excellent article on their history.

Types of Bracelet

There are many different types of bracelets. Almost every luxury swiss brand has their own design of bracelet. However, there are a few styles that are more common, and versions of each are used by a wide variety of brands.

Oyster

The oyster bracelet is one of the most popular bracelet styles on the market. It was patented by Rolex in 1947, and was available for sale a year later. It is simple, with just 3 pieces of steel to a link (a large centre piece with a smaller piece on each side). Its simple construction makes it one of the most robust straps on the market.

Rolex Oyster Bracelet. Photo Courtesy of Bob's Watches

Jubilee

The jubilee is one of the most recognisable bracelet types. It has five parts to a link. Three small sections in the centre, and two larger ones on the outside. It was released by Rolex in 1945 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the brand, and was originally only offered in solid gold. It can now be bought in gold, steel, or a mix of the two. It is very comfortable, as the 5-part construction offers lots of flexibility around the wrist. Many brands have copied parts of the design, so you can find jubilee-style straps at most price points.

Steel and gold Jubilee bracelet. Photo courtesy of Bob's Watches

Beads of Rice

The beads of rice bracelet was invented by Gay Freres in the 1940’s. It is a complicated bracelet to make, so is typically seen on expensive watches. Its links come in sections of two rows of “beads of rice”. It is very supple, and suits dress watches well. You can find them in gold or steel, and many other bracelet manufactures produce them now.

"Beads of Rice" bracelet

Shark Mesh

The shark mesh bracelet was first popularised by Omega, as part of the offering for their extreme diving watch, the Ploprof. It is comprised of lots of very intertwined links, so that it resembles chain-mail. The original adverts described it as shark-proof; to our knowledge that has never been tested! However, the shark mesh bracelets are incredibly strong, because there are no pins between links.

Shark Mesh bracelet

Milanese

The Milanese is a lighter, thinner version of the shark mesh bracelet. It was created in Milan (surprise) in the 19thCentury, then perfected in Germany in the 20th Century. It has very small intertwined links and was very popular in the 1970’s. It has been adopted by Apple with their Apple Watch range, leading to a boost in popularity.

Milanese Bracelet

Adjusting A Bracelet

Occasionally, you might need to adjust the bracelet on your watch. You can take it to your local watch maker or jeweller, or do it yourself. If you want to have a go yourself, then there are typically two ways that you will be able to do this: either adding or subtracting links, or adjusting the clasp.

Adding/subtracting the links

Firstly, identify whether your bracelet has removable links. These will typically be the closest links to the clasp. You will notice that the side of the link has a little screw, which is not present on links closer to the case. These screws attach the link to the clasp.

You’ll need some tools if you are going to do this yourself. A watch-makers screwdriver (or point) and something to hold the watch steady whilst you remove the links. It is really easy to scratch your watch when removing the links, so it is very important that you hold everything steady whilst removing the link.

Now, to remove the link, you need to identify the type of screw holding it in place. It will be either a screw, or a spring. The screw will have a grove to allow you to hold a screwdriver in place, the pin will be a flat surface. You simply unscrew a screw (usually anti-clockwise) until it detaches from the link, and you can do this to as many links as you need to make the bracelet fit. Once you have removed the links you want to, you just screw the link back into the end of the clasp.

Screws holding links in placeThe links in your bracelet might be held together by a spring. In which case, you will need a special tool to remove or insert any links. (shown below). If you do not have one of these, it is best to take the watch to your local watchmaker to avoid any nasty scratches. If you do have one, make sure you secure the link within the tool, and align the pointer with the pin. Turn the handle and use the point to push out the pin that holds the links together. (see picture)

Link tool