definitely a factor

Yes you're right!
Most of the rolex bracelets I've seen that follow that design of open links (I.e. made by a sheet of metal... sorry I don't know too much about rolexes, alas..) but
yes, that the hollow links get 'eaten' in by the solid ones.
But then again, there are the Royal Oak links from the A series that are solid, and behave in the same way as the rolex bracelets...
There's obviously the issue of design. They were designed to be as flexible as possible (both flexing inwards towards the back of te watch, and outwards towards the 'face' of the watch so that they would contour nicely on the wrist.
This is different than the newer bracelets that tend to want to keep the outer arch 'shape' and bend inwards only (excuse my lack fo 'official' terminology!).
But anyways... in spite of these design differences, might we see the same thing happenign to these new styled bracelets...
and it appears that yes ! because of all the different factors in play (It is steel/gold after all and not kryptonite that will never destroy!

Thanks for your thoughts,
S

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How do we go from this... to this ? How to not kill a bracelet....

By: Ancienne Le Brassus : July 23rd, 2013-13:16

So the simple question is how do we keep a stainless steel, or stainless/gold bracelet from falling apart from use? Although most of us who visit this forum will not wear our watches like our parents did (which is, wearing a watch 24x7 for 40 years straig...

Does not matters ...

By: nilomis : July 23rd, 2013-14:53

Loose or snug, that's what I learned with old collectors, do not imposes more or less damage to a good bracelet. What extends the life of a bracelet is to clean it from time to time, avoiding the body grease to mix with dust. This mixture is abrasive and ...

Thanks

By: Ancienne Le Brassus : July 24th, 2013-03:07

So indeed it appears that the 'crud' that gets in between the links is the worst. Just like particles inside the movement kiling the pivots over time.... Thanks for this! S

So no truth that gold links will loosen because of alloy?

By: mrsnak : July 24th, 2013-17:40

I've seen a couple very sloppy older 18kt Rolex bracelets from watches that had been worn loose. One watchmaker definitively attributed the link wear (not pins) to the constant stretching.

same principle as rubies and steel ....

By: Ancienne Le Brassus : July 25th, 2013-02:24

You're totally right. In my dad's rolex, the gold links are the ones that are totally wasted, vs. the stell ones that look comparatively good. This I think is the same principle at play in the movement's use of rubies for the holes and the use of steel fo...

I wear mine as any Rolex Oyster bracelet. Not too tight.

By: amanico : July 24th, 2013-01:58

Wearing it is one thing, stocking your RO is another thing you should pay attention. I put it delicately on a cushion, in a pouch. Just to avoid any torsion... Best, Nicolas

Another interesting point...

By: Ancienne Le Brassus : July 24th, 2013-03:09

I hadn't thought about how we store the watch affecting the life of the bracelet. I usually place it on its side,... and that also puts side pressure on the links... if theoretically we do this 365 days over 10 years, I can see how this affects the bracel...

Never do origami with watch bracelets !

By: MTF : July 24th, 2013-02:34

:-) But seriously, the advice from Nilo and Nico are correct. Clean occasionally but be careful that normal bar of bath soap contains fine abrasive powder that becomes abrasive paste much like the (body grease and dust) that Nilo mentioned. I t should NOT...

:) !

By: Ancienne Le Brassus : July 24th, 2013-03:12

So you liked how I staked my dad's thunderbird :) I had a good laugh at the title of your post! his bracelet is like spaghetti... I have invited him to a new one, but he refuses! Each part of his watch is related to important moments in his life (the brac...

Avoid tension

By: AndrewD : July 24th, 2013-13:53

(It's a good way to live your life in general!) A loose bracelet watch on the wrist allows it to slide down so that when you flex your wrist it puts strain across the bracelet an pins. So I wear watches tight enough to keep them above the ulnar styloid pr...

that was my intuition

By: Ancienne Le Brassus : July 25th, 2013-02:15

Thanks for chiming in That was my general intuition, that minimizing the amount of play on the wrist would keep the links from moving around all the time (both in moving around the wrist and getting strain when the watch pushes up againts the top of the h...

Another point

By: pmb600 : July 24th, 2013-15:46

One other thing that no one has mentioned is that the older Rolex designs had hollow center links which would stretch over time. The gold especially being softer than steel were more prone to this. In recent years the switch to solid center links should h...

definitely a factor

By: Ancienne Le Brassus : July 25th, 2013-02:20

Bracelet design

By: pmb600 : July 25th, 2013-11:33

It's ok since I don't know much about Audemars watches so I'm not sure when you say the "A Series." One thing to mention though is the last 3 pics of yours that show the Rolex where you have the bracelet "folded" on top of itself is not from age, they do ...

It also depends on your wrist

By: iosiP : July 27th, 2013-14:59

I wear all my watches tight. I have to: I'm shaped like a walking skeleton so any loose watch (especially one of the heavy, slippery kind, which means almost all watches fitted with bracelets) would end up with the crown and pushbuttons pressed against th...