1162 bracelet difficult to clasp / unclasp

Hi all,

New to the brand, and I bought a 1970's (?) Constellation second-hand that has a 1162 stainless steel bracelet. The bracelet is super hard to clasp and unclasp. As in, I need to use a lot of force to pry it apart. For comparison, I have a Seiko with a similar style of stainless steel bracelet (without the buttons on the side of the clasp) and the amount of strength used to open that one is nowhere close to the amount of strength needed to open this 1162 bracelet. I guess I won't have to worry about pick-pockets

Is this common for this bracelet type / vintage Omega? I'm concerned that the amount of force I need to use on it to unclasp it will end up with me accidentally bending any part of the stamped stainless steel. Are there any ways to ease opening and closing it, short of taking it to an AD?

If your bracelet have a tab or tabs take a plier an bend it or them carefully outwards (relative to the curve of the tab(s) in slight increments until you are satified with the function of the clasp.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.

It seems

Thanks. That fixed it.