ZF Black Bay Problem - Advice Please

[Mancster]

Evening all. I've just received my ZF Black Bay Heritage Blue but have an issue with it and hope you can give me some advice. The watch is really noisy and rattly when it's on my wrist. I've narrowed it down to the end link on the bracelet at the 12 o'clock side, there's loads of play in it when I pull it back and forth. Compared it to my Pelagos and that's absolutely rock solid.

I tried to remove the bracelet from the case by removing the spring bar but couldn't seem to get it free. I am hoping that I may be able to improve it by simply removing it and re seating it but not overly confident.

Is it likely to just be a defective bracelet or watch case?

 

[Smpfan]

I equipped my BBB with thicker springbars. The diameter of the holes in the endlinks allowed to choose one step thicker bars. Throw away those cheap chinese springbars. After that you will get a really really super tight fit! No rattling anymore. But a bit fiddly to install.

 

[Mancster]

Where can I get them from smpfan?

 

[GTgamo]

try Chrono24

 

[Smpfan]

Look for swiss made springbars in the bay. Or try cousins.UK

 

[Mancster]

Guys, my better half has just taken the watch to a local jeweller for me and asked if he can have a look at it. The watch smith said there's nothing he can do as it already has a 1.5mm spring bar and can't take a bigger one?
Smpfan Would you mind getting me a link to the ones you have?

 

[Mancster]

Smpfan Looking on eBay and I can see some 1.8mm ones, is that the same thickness that you upgraded to?

 

[dorian1985]

You can get 1.7mm or even 2.0mm on ebay!

 

[Mancster]

Spoke to a different jeweller. He is going to try and fit some 1.7mm ones for me this afternoon, he says it may be a tight fit and may not fit at all but he is going to have a go.

 

[Smpfan]

I used 1,8mm Minott swiss made springbars.

 

[domiffm]

I used 1,8mm Minott swiss made springbars.

Interested in this too. As I don’t have my BB Heritage delivered yet: Which length are these springbars supposed to be? 16, 18, 20, 22 or 24 mm?

 

[dorian1985]

domiffm 22mm for the new Shield Version.

 

[domiffm]

domiffm 22mm for the new Shield Version.

Thanks! Will order immediately some of these preventively

 

[dorian1985]

I did the same thing and bought 1.8mm spring-bars just in case. Watch has been dispatched on 13th April.

 

[Smpfan]

22mm is correct.

 

[ultrabeat22]

I had this issue on my BBR.

My solution? I just cut a piece of masking tape and stuck it to the piece of the SEL that interfaces with the watch case.

RATTLE GONE!

 

[dorian1985]

Mine arrived yesterday... and I can say it's a beautiful watch!!! maybe not exact same quality as my Rolex ARF Sea-dweller but still superb! especially for the price, it's going to be my daily beater for sure.

 

[Temple]

Mancster Hey buddy - did you get this resolved in the end?. Looking to pull the trigger on the same watch and will look to pre-order bigger spring bars if it’s needed. Cheers

 

[welfare-watch-guy]

You can get 2 pairs of 22x1.8mm on Amazon for $5 US

 

[Mancster]

Temple hey mate. I got some bigger spring bars fitted and initially it seemed great, but then after a day or so I could hear it rattling again. I couldn’t get a thicker bar in there so I think the SEL must have been machined massively narrower than it needed to be. In the end I did a bit of a bodge job and applied a thin piece of material between the watch case and the sel, silent now!