I Sold My 2021 3861 Speedy Hesalite And Bought Another One!! (UPDATE THREAD)

Hey guys, so as many of you know, I was one of the first to pick up the new 3861 Speedmaster Hesalite back in early January and then sold it 4 days because I found the new bracelet to be too uncomfortable and unable to fit my wrist properly based on the available configurations.

I had attempted to put my 50th Anniversary Speedmaster bracelet on the watch case, but couldn't get it to work with the stock 1.8mm spring bars and OEM/Uncle Seiko end links. The big problem with the new case is that the lug holes are positioned slightly lower than the 1861 case. Because of this, the 3861 bracelet can fit the 1861 case, but not vice versa. Disappointed, I was left with no choice but to flip the watch.

The issue was that I couldn't stop thinking about that stepped dial with the deeper black color and hacking movement. I really loved the watch minus the bracelet. Over the next month, I realized I could bend the Uncle Seiko flatlink end links to make them fit on different cases - specifically my Seamaster 300M.



With this confidence that I could make minor adjustments to the end link to marry the Anniversary bracelet to the new 3861, I went on a journey to pick one up again - but this time not from the OB, to save myself on the crazy 10% Chicago sales tax I paid for my first one. I was able to locate a brand new unworn 3861 and picked it up. The seller actually informed me that he did in fact get the Anniversary bracelet with OEM end links to fit his 3861 sapphire by simply using 1.6mm Omega spring bars versus the stock 1.8mm spring bars. With this information I ordered a brand new Anniversary bracelet from my OB so that my other one could stay on my Seamaster and began working on the new modification:







So first and foremost, yes, with 1.6mm spring bars, the OEM end links will fit on the 3861 case. The bad news is that the end links sit low on the case and doesn't look the best:



That being said, I still believe the best route to go will be to utilize the hollow Uncle Seiko end links with the 1.6mm spring bars to create the perfect aesthetic for the watch. Check out the differences:



See how much more flush the Uncle Seiko end link is to the case. Sits perfectly with zero modification needed:










In the end, I am paying the same price as I would have for a brand new 3861, but at least this time it now has the bracelet I want, the comfort I want, and the appearance I want.

Congratulations, glad you finally did it the way you wanted. Looks stunning.

On the other hand, I must say that I'm not fond of the US endlinks. In my opinion, they make the case look a little squared and unnatural, as they are not "female shaped" in the union with the rest of the bracelet, but straight. That's the reason I changed US to Forstner in my FOIS.
Most people wouldn't notice, but I cared.

Nice. Now I'm going to try to get the flat link on my SMP. I couldn't get the standard speedy bracelet to fit, as the links didn't line up.

I checked out the new Speedmaster watches at the Naples, Florida Omega Botique. I'm quite impressed with them.

You're doing God's work my friend! I'm loving your bracelet experimentation threads and detailed perspective. Looks great and keep it up!

Excellent. Very glad that you're happy with the watch now.

By the way, I believe that with a little bit of tweaking, one could use Uncle's end-links with 1.8mm spring bars which for me, is the only way to go.

Looks great

What was the cost of the anniversary bracelet?

It’s $710 pre tax

exactly the way you stated it. Both

Yes

a lot of the guys saying it’s amazing didn’t buy it they just briefly tried an unsized bracelet at the boutique. Have to size it and wear it for a while to notice any issues.

Another great post with great pics.

Love those Chicago views!

Enjoy the 3861! It looks great on you!

thanks! Absolutely love it and still less than +1 seconds fast after 24 hours. Accuracy!!!

Cool collection! You have a Rolex display counter at home? That's the most awesome home-storage/display solution that I've ever seen! 🥰

I can just imagine what that conversation with the AD was like... "as a token of our gratitude for being a VIP, please take this display case as a complementary gift with your latest Rolex purchase. Besides, since 2018, we've had more display cases in our store, than actual # of watches for sale... so you'll get more use out this at home than we will" 😁

Glad to see a 3861 made its way back into your collection. Thanks for sharing your Apollo 11 50th experiment, and the eventual endlink solution. I'm sure readers across the world will take inspiration from your findings!