Tough time sizing bracelet new VSF Seamaster

[rek001]

Hi guys, I just received the VSF 2018 Basel Seamaster, and I'm having a bit of trouble sizing the bracelet to fit my 6.5" wrist. I got it from Watchfinder Tim, of course CNY is now happening.

I realize that there are screws on either side of the bracelet, with a tube in between holding the link together. I think that's correct, yes?

Some of the screw head slots are deep and relatively easy to unscrew, while other slots are barely there, and my screwdriver tip just comes right out, along with scratching the area around it, grrr.

Has anyone had similar trouble sizing this bracelet, are your screw slots inconsistent also?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, this is a beautiful watch I can't wear. Thanks in advance.

 

[capice]

it can be tricky indeed..just trial and error m8....behind the screws are pins with a tube
something like this.

you need to get both screws out in order to get the pin out, sometimes you need to tap it out with a hammer and vice

 

[rek001]

Ugh really? This looks like a real PITA to size, and I've got a 6.5" wrist. Thanks for your reply, caprice.

I'm having trouble even getting the screws on each end unscrewed - some of the screw slots seem very shallow, my screwdriver blade (correct size) won't even go into slot.

Right now the bracelet is soaking in penetrating oil, maybe that will loosen up the screw heads a bit, but the problem is shallow screw slots.

There is a watch repair shop in a mall not too far from me, but I hate going into those places with a rep, they ask too many questions, and you feel like you have to explain the rep world to someone who doesn't understand.

Anyone else having trouble unscrewing the screws to this bracelet?

 

[rek0001]

Ok so this is pissing me off now - in addition I bought a beautiful gold vintage Daytona, manual wind from Tim. Black dial and bezel, gold subdials, stunning.

I'm having trouble unscrewing those screws also! Screws don't want to unscrew, I started to mangle one, stopped.

Now soaking in penetrating oil, then will wash off and dry, then briefly use hair dryer to heat up screw head, hoping this will loosen screws. Wish me luck, I hate this part of owning reps, happens too often to me.

 

[frediiii]

there's no tube. just unscrew both sides and push the pin out with a needle or your iphone simcard tray push tool... easy as fuck

if you can't unscrew them you have the wrong screwdriver

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[Pietros]

there's no tube. just unscrew both sides and push the pin out with a needle or your iphone simcard tray push tool... easy as fuck

if you can't unscrew them you have the wrong screwdriver

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It's not the screwdriver, it's the quality (or lack of) of the screw heads. On mine, 4 of the screws barely had what could be described as a slot and on 2 others, the slot was badly offset.
Luckily I took mine to a watch repair place and the guy showed me the issue with a loupe.
He got the suspect screws out and swapped them for the better quality screws from the links that he removed-job done with no damage to the links.

 

[rek0001]

Exactly right, Pietros.

It's the screw heads - the slots where you fit the screwdriver blade are not deep enough! I'm using the correct width driver and the tip slips right out. I can't unscrew some of these screws, and I've sized over 60 reps. This sucks - expensive rep, crappy quality screws.

I guess I'll have to go to the watch repair guy at my mall, although I'm not looking forward to it. I'll just tell him a friend brought me a gift back from China, I don't know anything else about it.

 

[rek0001]

I sized the bracelet! (kinda proud of myself).

So this is what I did:

Soaked bracelet overnight in Liquid Wrench (penetrating oil). Then washed bracelet twice with toothbrush and hand soap.

Then heated up screws briefly with hair dryer on hottest setting, THIS made all the difference in the world, and using the correct width screwdriver blade. Screws reluctantly came out but they did.

Had to remove 4 links, and then the hardest part was re-screwing the tiniest screws in the world, with a glob of Loctite blue on them. If the screw doesn't want to go back i its hole, make sure the link pin is pushed in far enough, a few times it was too close to hole opening and prevented me from screwing in the screw.

This is a beautifully rendered rep, but boy is it big and heavy. My regular Seamaster 300m is a bit smaller, much more comfortable.

At any rate, thanks much guys for your replies, I'm very happy right now.

 

[frediiii]

I guess I was just lucky then. my link screws were super smooth to remove

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[rek0001]

Yeah, you were lucky. I was mostly worried about stripping the screw head slots so that no method would get them unscrewed. Then you have to drill them out or something.