How original do want your spring bars?

 

Actually...some original spring bars were gold! Not high content, of course, but very cool, and obviously more valuable than most.

 

These are from a nice but lowly Tissot Antimagnetique.

 

Somewhere, there is a collector who cares greatly about the originality of their spring bars.

But it sure isn't me.

 

Well it could be worse. You could be like me, rejecting a perfectly good vintage watch because it hasn't got its original factory crown

 

Lots of cheese on those bars.

 

Not at all. They are a consumable as far as I am concerned. Too risky to have old ones on there that could potentially break and do some serious damage to the watch.

 

The accumulation of cheese basically nourishes and protects them from degrading. They are fine.

 

I've had watches with original (or at least period) spring bars coming into the collection where I've felt that they were sturdier than the modern ones I replaced them with

 

I clean the old ones and check the spring-tension.
Doxa / Sinn and other have very good old Springbars

 

Normally, after checking the function, I keep the spring bars. Never change a winning team.
But on these the grime and oxidation is too much to bother and clean.
So I totally devalued the watch and replaced the spring bars. Barn find no more.

 

Some people do in fact want period correct spring bars. To me these are a consumable item, and I replace the spring bars on the watches I service - send the old ones back obviously.

I've taken far too many bracelets off only to have the spring bar fall apart when I try to remove it to believe that keeping old bars in the watch is a good idea. If the new spring bars you are putting in are not as good as the vintage bars, then you are buying the wrong bars.

The current Omega bars are some of the best I've seen...Omega at the top, generic on the bottom...

 

The original Omega Springbars are made from Bergeon.
Sometimes you find a pair for under 4€

 

@Archer is there an estimate on whats the lifespan of a new/modern spring bar?
a rule on when is time to replace them? what do companies like omega recommend?

 

I’d want to keep using the original spring bars if they’re safe.

Pictured below is one of my dad’s watches [a Waltham Ruby] that I inherited when he passed on in 1996. I believe the spring bars pictured are original, but I’m not sure. They were very cheesed up [especially the springs] and were not “springy”...so I removed them, disassembled them and cleaned them...and now they’re “springy”. I’d like to continue using the current spring bars but I’m not sure if they’re safe...and I haven’t seen any new spring bars that are of that configuration.

 

http://www.ofrei.com/page1466.html

 

Well hot dang...so that’s what those are called...“female” or “hollow end” spring bars...makes sense but I had no idea. Thanks for the heads up, sir!

 

They are changed at least at every service. If you are following manufacturers recommendations, that would be every 4-5 years.

 

Have ordered 20 genuine Omega Springbars for all my watches. Very Good quality !!

 

I've found the Omega springbars I have to be better than any of my generic 20mm ones.