Bracelets which use pin-collar links are DEVIL's creation
Wanted to share an experience that I hope even my enemies don't have to go through.
Spent the entire Friday afternoon and evening trying to remove a few pair of links from Casio Lineage bracelet to make it fit better. But to no avail as they use the pin and collar bracelets.
Found the stress limits of myself and also the tools I had in my watch repair kit. Eventually settled for replacing the original bracelet for the rice bead styled ones I had bought from Amazon.
Completely ruined my experience for watches with bracelets. I will invest more time to find out how the links are held together before buying watches with metal bracelets having links.
Brands like Seiko, Casio, Citizen etc. need to stop using these pins and collars or find a better solution.
Referenced here to the article from where I used the image.
Enjoy classy looking watches under reasonable prices.
I'm a chicken shit lol I take mine to a Jeweler. Even with screw links you can strip a screw. I know your frustration and pain.
Take care my watch friend!
Cheers!
Screws and friction pins I can handle,but I have no patience for the pin/collar bracelets. They go right to my watch guy
My Aquaracer uses the same system. I was able to get it adjusted myself, but not without a lot of frustration.
I discover just now, that the extra links i removed from my fake Armani (bought it at Ebay from an English shop, but got then the money back from Ebay) had these collars...
I destroyed two Swiss made tools trying to fix my PRX. I fully agree.
Pin & collars are challenging the first time. After a few bracelets sized, working with pin & collars isn't so stressful at all. Not loosing a collar is something I have more faith in than not stripping a screw...
I feel your pain. Pin and collars can be a real pain. Once you figure them out, not so much in practice but they DO still seem quite ridiculous in this day and age. It might interest you that 'some' Seikos come with a completely different system that's so simple, even I can do it. I mentioned it a while back:
https://www.watchcrunch.com/complication/posts/seiko-s-new-link-removal-system-21769
I actually like the pin/collar systems that Seiko or Tissot use. Adjustments are incredibly fast if you know what you are doing, and the system almost guarantees that you can always remove a pin.
The worst I think are inexpensive full-friction pin systems from my point of view. Screw-in pins are fine, as long as no ogre has handled them before.
The pin and collars like yours aren't so bad once you've fitted them. Losing the collar on your carpet would be the worst. There is worse. My Seiko PADI uses a collar that must be pushed into the end of the link and onto the narrowed end of the pin. This was discovered by the seller who I'd asked to resize my watch, it took an hour, they'd never done one like it before.
I destroyed two Swiss made tools trying to fix my PRX. I fully agree.
I also broke one tool (cheap, but broken) sizing my PRX, and it doesn’t even have collars.
How did I finally size it correctly? With great difficulty.
Thank the gods for these things buddy.
Seiko is one of the major offenders of the dreaded pin and collar. I usually deal with it, but it has blown up in my face more than once.
I work in an AD that stocks a few brands, I am the guy who sizes up watches most of the time and I can say without a doubt that pin and collars are the creation of the devil. Rado (especially the ladies watches) are especially annoying to size up. I think rado may use pin and collars due to their ceramic cases, the ceramic may wear out the standard pins faster then pin and collars but that's just a guess. ether way there just frustrating.