Watch Bracelets - The Good, The Bad, and the Rubbish?
Hi everyone, I'm still learning loads about discerning quality vs rubbish manufacturing. When it comes to watch bracelets, I've seen quite a few websites, articles, and forums that either admire or abhor particular bracelets. What they all seem to miss though, is describing how they've come to these conclusions!
As an example, I'm interested in buying a Seiko SNXS75K1 as a daily wearer (and I've never had a Seiko before)! I keep getting told that Seiko is notorious for 'bad bracelets'. But what does that mean? How is that determined? Can a lot of that be subjective, or are there things that make a bracelet objectively bad?
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and watch wisdom! I've loved reading and learning from you fellow Crunchers! 😁
Bitten by the watch bug last year, but it's been one hell of a journey so far! Built spreadsheets, visited watch stores, taken so many notes, and collected a few along the way which tickled my fancy!
You gotta wear it and experience it yourself. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
In my opinion seiko uses lower quality bracelets than the price entails compared to similar brands, for example the president bracelet on my bulova lunar pilot is far better than what seiko uses on most 1000$ watches
For me it’s how the bracelet wears. It should be comfortable with nice free movement and no sharp edges. A good clasp, especially with on the fly micro adjustment is a great thing.
The bracelet on my Seiko 5KX had hollow end-links where the bracelet attaches to the watch & a cheaper pressed metal clasp which is not as nice as a milled clasp.
I suspect the SNXS75K1 has a similar designed bracelet for the price.
It makes the bracelet lighter & it can "jangle" in a cheaper feeling way.
I'd suggest trying it out first, see if you like it or not. You can always replace it with another bracelet or different straps.
Uncle Seiko & Strapcode both make a nice bracelet as a start.
Good question here are some things I have observed over the years without being vague like comfort and erognomics:
Quality of steel - Could spend a ton talking about this topic alone. Titanium is a different story.
Sort of a 1A - hardening of steel
Solid vs. hallow end links
Weight relative to watch
Width/taper
Finishing
Tolerances
Articulation
Type of pins (screws, push, collar, quick adjust)
Mix of full vs. half links
Speaking of...quick release
Clasp - Type of clasp, milled vs. stamped, size, quick adjust, etc. Similar to quality of steel, we could spend a ton of time simply talking about the clasp.
It is very easy for a lot brands to cut corners on many of these.
The bracelet on my Seiko 5KX had hollow end-links where the bracelet attaches to the watch & a cheaper pressed metal clasp which is not as nice as a milled clasp.
I suspect the SNXS75K1 has a similar designed bracelet for the price.
It makes the bracelet lighter & it can "jangle" in a cheaper feeling way.
I'd suggest trying it out first, see if you like it or not. You can always replace it with another bracelet or different straps.
Uncle Seiko & Strapcode both make a nice bracelet as a start.
x2 for uncle Seiko
Good question here are some things I have observed over the years without being vague like comfort and erognomics:
Quality of steel - Could spend a ton talking about this topic alone. Titanium is a different story.
Sort of a 1A - hardening of steel
Solid vs. hallow end links
Weight relative to watch
Width/taper
Finishing
Tolerances
Articulation
Type of pins (screws, push, collar, quick adjust)
Mix of full vs. half links
Speaking of...quick release
Clasp - Type of clasp, milled vs. stamped, size, quick adjust, etc. Similar to quality of steel, we could spend a ton of time simply talking about the clasp.
It is very easy for a lot brands to cut corners on many of these.
Well done, you hit all the parameters!
A 150 dollar watch will have a bracelet appropriate to a 150 dollar watch.
Just take it from there.
I'm going to play the opposite end of this & say: I like some of those old cheapo bracelets. The old clasps that are made out of mostly stamped bits are flat, simple, light & have never given me any issues.
You gotta wear it and experience it yourself. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
So it's entirely objective to you then? There's no objectively better aspects to some bracelets than others?
In my opinion seiko uses lower quality bracelets than the price entails compared to similar brands, for example the president bracelet on my bulova lunar pilot is far better than what seiko uses on most 1000$ watches
OK, so how are you defining lower quality then?
For me it’s how the bracelet wears. It should be comfortable with nice free movement and no sharp edges. A good clasp, especially with on the fly micro adjustment is a great thing.
I've seen micro adjustments mentioned a lot, it seems to be a massive bonus? Or should it be standard, and it's somewhere company cut costs?
I've seen micro adjustments mentioned a lot, it seems to be a massive bonus? Or should it be standard, and it's somewhere company cut costs?
I think they should be standard! Several microbrands have them.
After you handle enough watches, the bracelet quality is super obvious within 30 seconds after you start handling the watch. It’s not something you can discern from the website
The bracelet on my Seiko 5KX had hollow end-links where the bracelet attaches to the watch & a cheaper pressed metal clasp which is not as nice as a milled clasp.
I suspect the SNXS75K1 has a similar designed bracelet for the price.
It makes the bracelet lighter & it can "jangle" in a cheaper feeling way.
I'd suggest trying it out first, see if you like it or not. You can always replace it with another bracelet or different straps.
Uncle Seiko & Strapcode both make a nice bracelet as a start.
Hey thank you! Especially for referencing the Seiko specifically! I imagine if I didn't like the stock bracelet for whatever reason, I think I'd move it onto a nice leather strap. That's specifically for the SNXS75K1 though, for other watches I'd want to find out how and why their bracelet was 'bad' or 'good' and go from there.
Old seiko bracelets like the one you mentioned have hollow endlinks, hollow links and a fully pressed clasp so if you have hairy arms they won't stay that way for long.
Funny enough the best bracelet I have is on my Casio A164w. It's light, flexible, easy to adjust to the perfect size for my wrist.
Close runner up is the PRX bracelet which has really small links to take out so it adjusted perfectly for my wrist. But it does grab my hairs a bit more than the Casio...
My Sinn bracelet looks great but I can't get it to adjust to comfortable size for my wrist, so it's always either too tight or too loose.
Does this affect how often you wear the Sinn? If the bracelet keeps feeling too tight or too loose, do you find yourself opting for other watches more often than not?
Leather and rubber straps ftw😅
I can currently agree with you, as I only have my Citizen on an aftermarket bracelet. Everything else is on leather, NATO, or 'Casio resin'. Haven't tried rubber yet though 🙄
I have a Seiko Samurai on a uncle seiko bracelet. Fitted the bracelet with an on-the-fly-adjustment clasp. I went from bracelet hater to bracelet "preferer".
That will fix your problem!
When I get the Seiko, I'm definitely going to have a look and see what kind of options there are. I've now got a list of suggestions from fellow Crunchers: Uncle Seiko, Strap Code, Bartons, Holben's, Island Watch Straps, etc. Keen to see what the fuss is about the stock bracelet though, just so I can see if my experience/expectations measure up with what people seem to dislike about it!
Seiko bad bracelets? What fantasy.
Rate results and no regulation of movements before they leave the factory, now there is a legit bitch against Seiko.
But bad bracelets?
Ah, the Internet! 🤣
I have read plenty about the other Seiko gripes, especially in their watches from let's say the last 10 years or so. It sounds like their QC has started going downhill, when compared to their watches from previous years. Bit of a shame, as people like me (completely new to watches, and keen to try 'starter' brands like Seiko), are left in a slightly confused state. Prices for Seiko keep going up, but the more reviews you read, the more you doubt actually trying one in fear of some of the issues you mentioned....and then the 'bad' bracelet on top of that 😉
Like most things you get what you pay for, cheap watch, cheap bracelet. An oyster look alike on a Seiko 5 with a jangly bracelet, hollow end links, stamped clasp is worlds away from an Rolex Oyster bracelet from a 5 digit reference, with a jangly bracelet, hollow end links and a stamped clasp. I wore my GMT on an oyster bracelet for 15 years. I found it to be very comfortable and the best bracelet I’ve worn. I’ve tried on a jubilee and they seem even more comfortable. I think the newer Rolex bracelets are more “substantial” and feel more solid, don’t know if it’s better on the wrist.
Yeah everyone complains about the Seiko bracelets, and yeah the bracelets on their cheaper models look like rubbish but I don’t see what they are complaining about with the $1000 plus Seiko’s. I think their bracelets feel great on the wrist, I just don’t like the look with the brush and polished links, like Omegas. I wish they (all the brands except for high horologie brands) just concede that Rolex makes the best bracelets and copy them.
I have however moved away from bracelets recently and gone to straps, leather, nylon, rubber so there that… I just got some sail cloth straps with a deployant clasp from Finstraps and a NATO from ZuluDiver and they are great.
Thanks for sharing! I haven't even gotten to the point where I notice (or care) about brushed or polished links... definitely still at the very beginning and learning what works for me and what doesn't. I do agree that the bandwagon thing can be quite real. The more reviews I read, for watches at different price points, it seems there are people who remain convinced of 'bad' bracelets, even if they haven't had the experience themselves!
So this is extremely nuanced and maybe about a long read. Is a lot to talk about on a subject like this.
Allow me to first go over the big talking points and then address everything in between. The usual consideration is going to be designed, fit, finish, material used, hand feel, wrist feel, cultural weight.
And with many things for consideration, I have to distinguish whether or not it is the cart before the horse - that is to say whether culturally, we find it important, or whether it is important enough to be recognized culturally.
With things such as fit and finish we look at the way that the bracelet mores to the case as well as the first link after the end link. This type of tight tolerance is something that Rolex does very well. A good fit and finish talks about the way the watch is refined from a piece of metal into its ability to forward the design given.
If you look at AP and their bracelet, usually talked about as one of the best bracelets in the world, the design is iconic. Culturally aside, the design is also really well made with very tight tolerances given the multitude of moving parts in parts of the bracelet that are not duplicative. Because of this, it is a rather complicated bracelet.
But often, complication for complications sake means very little if it cannot be worn with comfort. If the eye and wrist does not enjoy the bracelet, then someone could say that a bracelet is bad.
Finally, it comes down to taste. Someone could say the vintage jubilee bracelet from Rolex is a bad bracelet, but I have to say that is one of the most comfortable things to grace my wrist even though it is terrible in the hand.
With many things, it comes down to experience. Please use the talking point that I have mentioned today to be a divining fork towards what you deem to be good and bad.
Thank you! That's quite well put!
Does this affect how often you wear the Sinn? If the bracelet keeps feeling too tight or too loose, do you find yourself opting for other watches more often than not?
Well it's mainly on a sailcloth strap now, let's put it what way 😅 its not a bad bracelet I think it's just uncomfortable enough on my wrist to make me avoid it.
I’m generally not a bracelet guy, really. But if I’m going to go with a bracelet, I like ones with a lot of articulation - jubilee bracelets like the one I have on my early 90’s Tag F1, for example - or very lightweight ones, like the titanium one that came with my Pelagos 39 (which I currently have on a strap, though). The Pelagos’ bracelet also has the quick micro adjust, which is awesome.
Thanks, I'll take a look. I'm seeing the word 'articulation' being bounced around a lot in this thread. This means a bracelet's 'flexibility' and movement, allowing it to hub nicely around the wrist, correct?
The problem with making on the fly microadjustment in the clasp as a standard entity on all watches is that, well, you need a fold over clasp. That works with a lot of watches, but for dressier pieces, often a butterfly clasp is a better look for the watch and it's tough to do on the fly microadjustment in a butterfly clasp. The only manufacturer I've seen do it is JLC and those watches are pushing 10K. Of course, my knowledge is not comprehensive and there might be a company doing it in a much more affordable space, but not every watch is designed to have a diver-style clasp.
Very true!
Well it's mainly on a sailcloth strap now, let's put it what way 😅 its not a bad bracelet I think it's just uncomfortable enough on my wrist to make me avoid it.
Ah, good solution! Great looking Sinn btw!
Old seiko bracelets like the one you mentioned have hollow endlinks, hollow links and a fully pressed clasp so if you have hairy arms they won't stay that way for long.
Yea same with my Casio A168W. There's a nice 'watch tan' on my left wrist, and it looks suspiciously bare as well...😂
Good question here are some things I have observed over the years without being vague like comfort and erognomics:
Quality of steel - Could spend a ton talking about this topic alone. Titanium is a different story.
Sort of a 1A - hardening of steel
Solid vs. hallow end links
Weight relative to watch
Width/taper
Finishing
Tolerances
Articulation
Type of pins (screws, push, collar, quick adjust)
Mix of full vs. half links
Speaking of...quick release
Clasp - Type of clasp, milled vs. stamped, size, quick adjust, etc. Similar to quality of steel, we could spend a ton of time simply talking about the clasp.
It is very easy for a lot brands to cut corners on many of these.
I’d love someone to use this to rate loads of braclets!
I am too am still kind of new to watch collecting, I never had that much experience with watch bracelets but I do have a take on it. Honestly the bracelet on the most left looks very ugly but the rest looks good, it's not about the bracelet it's about the watch itself the bracelet is just like garnish it just makes it look better or mid. Also I heard hairy arms are likely to get caught in the bracelet. In summary I don't think bracelets are a deal-breaker for me just an extra touch
I’d love someone to use this to rate loads of braclets!
Idea! Does this perhaps exist somewhere already? A bracelet database with rating system?? 🤔