Is it bound to happen over time even if the correct spring bars and spring bar sizes are used? I recently purchased an original owner 2531.80 from 2002 in excellent condition. Case back was never opened and bracelet was never even removed from the watch. Shortly after I received it (more like the next day), I sent it out to Omega for a full service as it was much overdue. They got back to me saying they were really impressed and that the watch really is in excellent condition for being 18 years old and never being serviced. I did ask them to inspect the lug holes though and they noted there was slight enlarging, but nothing major and that the condition of the watch overall was in excellent condition and that I won't have any issues with the slightly enlarged lug holes. My question to you guys is this: How would lug holes be slightly enlarged if the bracelet was never removed from the watch, and was being used with the original spring bars that came with the watch? I thought using aftermarket spring bars and wrong size spring bars, etc would usually be the culprit. Is it correct to assume that something like this is inevitable as the watch ages, even when original parts are used and never removed?
Simple - dirt gets in the holes, and even with the small amount of movement there, it wears over time.
It's the same reason older Rolex bracelets got the "stretch"... parts rubbing against each other and essentially in perpetual polish
Appreciate the feedback. So then this is inevitable, even when the correct size spring bars are used.