I am the fortunate recent recipient of a Speedmaster, 145.012-68SP with 1039 flat link bracelet. After taking a few shots of the watch straight out of the packet, I set about shortening the bracelet (it's plenty long for my 17cm wrist, so I figured I'd knock out two of the stretchy links from each side...) Horror of horrors! Despite just having been to service and presumably getting a nice ultrasonic bath, this was the kind of thing that lurked within... So I started rodding the innards with a cocktail stick then decided to do it all properly. Cue a strangely satisfying couple of hours dismantling all the stretch links and poking out as much gunk as I could from those and the gaps in the rest of the bracelet. Then half an hour in the ultrasonic bath, more poking and prodding (needle, pin, cocktail stick...) and brushing, and finally... Still not operating theatre clean but my eyes are going squint from looking at them through a loupe for all that time...
Three things next time: Facemask Gloves Directly to the Ultrasonic cleaner. Great watch btw! . This will look great.
Yeah, it was only all the crud that was holding it together I think it would have had to spend a month in the ultrasonic to dissolve all of that shit. I've seen Seiko bracelets where the pin holes for adjustment are blocked up rock hard with dirt, but never seen anything like this. When it went to Simon Freese for servicing, the case back was basically welded on - and he said it had never been opened. I guess the original owner wore it for every occasion and never, ever had it cleaned professionally...
Been there, done that...many times... Ultrasonic tanks are the best way to clean a bracelet, but sometimes the only way to get out the packed in stuff is to disassemble (what you can) of the bracelet.
Let it boil for a while in an old saucepan with soda crystals, never done one that bad but looking at it about an hour should do it.
Yes, I don't think we're looking to dissolve the surface of the steel, just the gunk that's preserving it
