Broken endlink connection on a 93250 bracelet Rolex

[heska]

Hi there,

The connection between the endlink and the bracelet broke on my (jf) 93250 bracelet.
I thought it was pressure fitted but I found a spring so is it connected with a spring bar?
I struggle to find info on that, and reference number/dimension to order a new part.
Does anybody know how to fix this ?

 

[WatchSmith.US]

I've not seen that before. I though all bracelets had pressure pins. Surprise surprise.

 

[heska]

It seems to be the same construction as gen: https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=385016

And it’s bad news for me, as the fix seems to be very DIY

 

[heska]

I took some measurement today:
- The "middle link" part on the sel is 9mm wide. The hole on the bracelet are 1.4mm
- The spring bar diameter is 1.5 with 1.4 pin and seems custom

So right now i hesitate between two option:
- Buying a regular 9mm/1.5 diameter spring bar. Pro: easy fiw. Cons: it may wobble a bit as the fitment will not be perfect
- Opening the last bracelet link to put a 1.4 dia steel pin in the sel and press fit back the whole assembly. Pro: will most likely fix the weird springbar weakness design. Cons: i don't have a bracelet "opener" tool" so my DIY approach may damage the bracelet

@KJ2020 May i ask your opinion on this issue ? Thanks!

 

[KJ2020]

I took some measurement today:
- The "middle link" part on the sel is 9mm wide. The hole on the bracelet are 1.4mm
- The spring bar diameter is 1.5 with 1.4 pin and seems custom

So right now i hesitate between two option:
- Buying a regular 9mm/1.5 diameter spring bar. Pro: easy fiw. Cons: it may wobble a bit as the fitment will not be perfect
- Opening the last bracelet link to put a 1.4 dia steel pin in the sel and press fit back the whole assembly. Pro: will most likely fix the weird springbar weakness design. Cons: i don't have a bracelet "opener" tool" so my DIY approach may damage the bracelet

@KJ2020 May i ask your opinion on this issue ? Thanks!

I would not try to open the bracelet without the tool bro, it's too easy to have a slip up.

Some possible options:

1. If there is is only one end of the custom springbar that is damaged, can the loose tip be epoxied back into place and a reinstall be done using only one good spring tip?

2. Buy the 9mm long 15mm diameter springbar. Fill the bracelet holes with epoxy then micro drill out a hole in the epoxy to fit the smaller diameter tips. I've done this with click holes in cases. Just a couple nights ago I had to drill out a click that got stuck in its hole, ugh. Luckily I was able to do it cleanly enough to reuse the click. I sanded it down a little for a looser fit. I broke a few bits, need to order some more.

3. If there is sufficient freedom of movement between the SEL and the new springbar, just epoxy the tips into the bracelet holes. Use 30 min epoxy (BSI is great), let it cure about 5 mins. Fill the holes about 2/3 full. Work the links back and forth a little at first and wipe any excess spillover glue off with an alcohol damp cloth. Don't let any alcohol get into the hole. Kind of like what I did with these fake springbar tips.

Even if the tips break free, they would still be surrounded by an epoxy bed.

A modernized vintage AIR KING

4. Another option is dip the tips in epoxy, let it cure, then sand them down to a larger diameter than original. It's easy in a pin vice, a little strip of sandpaper like a shoe shine cloth. I've sanded many a link pin or springbar to reduce its diameter.

Here sanding a setting lever spring

I've seen your issue before, it's not uncommon. IIRC most people just find a close fitting springbar and live with the results. I would also want something better, it shouldn't be hard to achieve.

Cheers, KJ

 

[KJ2020]

Regarding the possible solution where you set an epoxy bed and drill out the middle, due to space constraints you can use a piece of a drill bit in needle nose vice grips.

Alternately use the same technique with the blunt end of a bit or a link pin to create or at least start a center hole in the wet epoxy bed after it has hardened enough to do so without the hole filling back in.

 

[heska]

Many thanks! Amazing advices as usual!

Solution number 1 will be tricky a i didn't recover the loose tip, i will try solution 4.

Just for the record - because the temptation is big - what could go wrong with opening the bracelet ? I was planning to use a plier "backward", like in this picture (with protective and another plier), this is just for illustration):

 

[heska]

BTW i love your fake springbar tip mod!

 

[johloo]

I recall reading somewhere in trf that the springbar in the sel was a limited production thing in gens for this exact reason of them randomly breaking loose off peoples' wrists. Replacing with another springbar might lead it to be vulnerable to fail again and next time it might be during an even less opportune moment and the entire watch could take a pretty bad hit. I think the more secure fix, though potentially risky, would be to go with the second option you listed and open the last links and replace with a solid pin, maybe one you can pull off from a beat donor bracelet or extra links.

To remove the last links, use two pliers or vise grips and sufficiently pad with either rubber or leather (old leather strap would work) to avoid scratches and pull the last links apart so that you can fit a replacement pin in place of broken spring bar and then line them back up and carefully hammer tap or use vise to press the bracelet back whole. It can be a bit tricky to pull apart the two links so work carefully and methodically to avoid a slip, you can gently flex them ever so slightly back and forth while pulling to help loosen them apart but again, gotta be careful or you run the risk of either slipping or breaking another link pin inside if you flex too much. I've done this a handful of times to convert 93250 sel bracelet to 93150 folded end link bracelet. I'd suggest practicing this on a cheap beater bracelet beforehand if you have one and try at your own risk.

 

[KJ2020]

I used snap ring pliers a few times before buying a bracelet puller. On first use the tips got bent but they are kind of skinny and can just be grinded off and the remaining forks easily reshaped to better serve this specific need.

https://www.amazon.com/WORKPRO-4-Piece-Snap-Ring-Pliers/dp/B07GZCQP4N/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=BTR765ZJ4YH6&keywords=snap+ring+pliers&qid=1665885036&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjczIiwicXNhIjoiNS4xMiIsInFzcCI6IjQuNzkifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=snap+ring+pliers%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

 

[heska]

Well I actually try the pliers solution, made a dent and get back searching appropriate spring bars

 

[heska]

Still haven’t find though

 

[heska]

So finding a good springbar is virtualy impossible, or i need to accept a lot of wobble as the spring bar tip diameter is way smaller than the original one (around 1 mm when i need 1.4). I could try KJ2020 epoxy trick but i'm concerned that epoxy will eventually wear out.

So i finally open the last link. Friction pin seems to fit instead of the spring bar so now my plan is to put a friction pin instead of a spring bar. Does anyone now the exact model/spec for friction pin for the last link?

 

[heska]

Voilà!

I bought a few different knurled pin and i don’t really get the logic behind. So it seems that gen one are DIA1.4mm 13.3MM long. JF aren’t gen spec because they are something like DIA1.2/14mm long. Thankfully i also ordered 1.2/13mm that fits. Surprisingly 1.4/13.3 don’t because the tip is smaller than the DIA 1.2.
But the 1.4/13.3 was perfect for fixing the SEL