Removing the bracelet of my watch is extremely difficult. Why?

[DerDotkom]

Hi everyone

This might be a (very) stupid question, but I find removing the bracelet of my watch to be extremely difficult. The watch in question is a shitty Emporio Armani that I bought 9 or 10 years ago. What I don't seem to understand is, what is exactly the problem?
Could it be that the tools I'm using (cheap kit bought from Amazon for 17€, link here if anyone is interested to take a look) are just bad?
Or that the springs of my watch are just hard because it's old and never was maintained?
Or is it just me and I'm useless?

 

[RepsAllDay]

Hi, it could be any combination of the above - maybe some photos of the back of the watch/access to springbars and the tool you are trying to use would help, then we can advise from there?

 

[DerDotkom]

Hi, it could be any combination of the above - maybe some photos of the back of the watch/access to springbars and the tool you are trying to use would help, then we can advise from there?

Sorry for the bad quality, is the best my phone can do.
In the pictures you can even see that the tool already started to break after attempting to open the watch a few times. I've tried with a gen Tag Heuer and is the same, I couldn't open it.

 

[Reaps]

Your tool is cheap and not high quality. Invest in Bergeon Tweezers.

You can already see the tips of the metal is bent on your springbar tool. The quality is not great.

 

[RepsAllDay]

Okay that helps thank you - personally, I would say it's mostly down to the tool. I would recommend investing in a decent springbar tool, like a Bergeon 6767S - this is what I use and it does make a difference. Some prefer the tweezer style tools, which can make the job easier on some watches (I personally find these tools themselves a bit fiddly - as they require a little bit of adjustment to align the tips and get the spacing right to suit the bracelet you are working on. These versions can vary quite a bit in price for a good quality one, from around £20 for a "swiss style" tool from Cousins, up to approx £150 for a Bergeon 6825 tool.
I find that technique plays a big role here too when using a single ended tool - once you have one side of the springbar released from the lug hole, apply a bit of pressure to the end link from the front to keep the springbar from popping back into the hole, while using the tool to then release the other side is the trick. It's a bit fiddly if you've not done it successfully a few times, but easy once you know how and are confident with the tool that you're using.
The tweezer style are of course much easier to use and require a simple tweezer-action to nip both ends of the spring bar free of the lug, then simply push the end link away from the watch (ideally up towards you when looking at the case back to avoid the springbar potentially flying out and scratching the top of the lugs!)

 

[Got20Mate]

As everyone has said above, go for the springbar tool and buy branded. Absolute game changer and you won't damage the watch or yourself (as I did multiple times back in the day).

 

[Jip7645]

Bergeon 6767-F has never let me down, £20-30 and it makes life a lot easier.

 

[Got20Mate]

Bergeon 6767-F has never let me down, £20-30 and it makes life a lot easier.

I love mine so very much

 

[RepsAllDay]

Bergeon 6767-F has never let me down, £20-30 and it makes life a lot easier.

One thing to note OP - this Bergeon tool and the one I mentioned have different tip sizes; 6767-S (standard) and 6767-F (fine)
I use the standard one as I tend to leave most of my watches on standard bracelet and used mine primarily on Seiko mods, which use fat springbars. If using on Rolex/Tudor bracelets in particular, you will need the 6767-F as the slots on the back of the end link are quite tight and you will struggle with the standard tip.

 

[domiffm]

Just use a screwdriver?

 

[Jip7645]

One thing to note OP - this Bergeon tool and the one I mentioned have different tip sizes; 6767-S (standard) and 6767-F (fine)
I use the standard one as I tend to leave most of my watches on standard bracelet and used mine primarily on Seiko mods, which use fat springbars. If using on Rolex/Tudor bracelets in particular, you will need the 6767-F as the slots on the back of the end link are quite tight and you will struggle with the standard tip.

Good point

 

[Jip7645]

Or should I say ‘fine point’

 

[DerDotkom]

One thing to note OP - this Bergeon tool and the one I mentioned have different tip sizes; 6767-S (standard) and 6767-F (fine)
I use the standard one as I tend to leave most of my watches on standard bracelet and used mine primarily on Seiko mods, which use fat springbars. If using on Rolex/Tudor bracelets in particular, you will need the 6767-F as the slots on the back of the end link are quite tight and you will struggle with the standard tip.

I just bough a Bergeon 7767-SF, which has both the standard and the fine tip.
Is there a way to identify which bracelet requires the standard and which one the finer one? Or is it just a matter of looking at it plus experience of having done it a bunch of times?

 

[Jip7645]

You should be able to tell just by trial and error, try standard first and if it isn’t fitting switch to fine tip

 

[Jip7645]

Just realised that was my 666th comment, I should’ve used it in the brig to say something evil

 

[RepsAllDay]

I just bough a Bergeon 7767-SF, which has both the standard and the fine tip.
Is there a way to identify which bracelet requires the standard and which one the finer one? Or is it just a matter of looking at it plus experience of having done it a bunch of times?

See below

You should be able to tell just by trial and error, try standard first and if it isn’t fitting switch to fine tip

Exactly this, trial and error followed by experience - usually the springbar will be quite visible and you'll be able to judge whether the standard or finer tip will work best - sometimes the size of the opening will dictate the tool - for example on my Explorer 214270 the slots on the back of the endlink were so narrow the standard tip would almost have to be rotated sideways to fit (therefore fine would be the tip of choice)

Just realised that was my 666th comment, I should’ve used it in the brig to say something evil

Hahaha I never thought of this! Darn now I'm going to have to wait until 6,666 posts

 

[Kerbus]

Don’t feel bad, I just worked on a scrap watch and to resort to wire cutters to remove a spring bar. I wish I had more scrap watches to keep on practicing. Curiously, the spring bars on my Franken Datejust were simple to move. I guess you need expensive watches to maybe have an easier time

I watch videos of Diamond District dealers and I’m amazed how fast they can remove bracelets. Surely they use the best tool, but still

 

[DerDotkom]

Just to give a quick update, I got a Bergeon 7767-SF today and it was most definitely the tool.
I still need to get used to it, of course, but it was sooooo much easier.

 

[RepsAllDay]

Just to give a quick update, I got a Bergeon 7767-SF today and it was most definitely the tool.
I still need to get used to it, of course, but it was sooooo much easier.

That's great news! The right tool is definitely more than half of the battle, the remaining percentage being technique and experience, but they will come a lot quicker now you're armed with the right tool for the job!

 

[Kerbus]

Yep, I’m about to place one on my list. It’s time I just stop using substandard for this kind of work. I’m sure that and quality screwdrivers are essential even for the hobbyist