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Need Advice on Omega Speedmaster Bracelet Issue

H
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Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a second-hand Omega Speedmaster and encountered some issues with the 1499-842 bracelet. I wanted to reach out to this community for advice.

After receiving the watch, I took it to an authorized Omega dealership in Luxembourg to have the bracelet resized. However, the certified watchmaker found several problems:
1. Pin Removal: He was unable to remove the pins to take out any links, making it impossible to resize the bracelet.
2. Spring Bars: He noted that the spring bars are the wrong size for the bracelet.
3. Suspicious Marks: The watchmaker pointed out circular marks on some of the links, which he found suspicious.

I have attached pictures of these marks for reference.

I have contacted the seller and requested either a full refund for the bracelet or a replacement of equivalent value and condition.
 
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SOG53
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Sometimes the pins get gunked up on vintage bracelet - if you run through ultrasonic clean it often makes it easier to work with.
Seems to me you are over reacting a bit.
 
NotJackson
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SOG53 SOG53
Sometimes the pins get gunked up on vintage bracelet - if you run through ultrasonic clean it often makes it easier to work with.
Seems to me you are over reacting a bit.

This would certainly be worth a shot, as would soaking the bracelet in a solvent. I like to use a product called Evapo-Rust … you could try soaking the bracelet overnight to see if that would help.

All that said, though, the circular marks on those links do look odd, almost like they were drilled and welded somehow. I don’t know if the watchmaker used a punch and hammer — but if he did, I would have expected him to be able to dislodge at least one pin.
 
DrSpock
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questions 1&2 can be solved, but those marks should have been mentioned during the sale, I guess they can be polished away…btw in my opinion this is the best bracelet for a Moonwatch
Edited:
 
H
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NotJackson NotJackson
This would certainly be worth a shot, as would soaking the bracelet in a solvent. I like to use a product called Evapo-Rust … you could try soaking the bracelet overnight to see if that would help.

All that said, though, the circular marks on those links do look odd, almost like they were drilled and welded somehow. I don’t know if the watchmaker used a punch and hammer — but if he did, I would have expected him to be able to dislodge at least one pin.
Thanks for the response. Yes, he did use a hammer, but he was unable to remove any pins.
The rest of the bracelet looks fine, it was polished, so I find it weird that those marks didn’t disappear after the polishing. Which might mean that whatever happened happened after the polishing?
 
H
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SOG53 SOG53
Sometimes the pins get gunked up on vintage bracelet - if you run through ultrasonic clean it often makes it easier to work with.
Seems to me you are over reacting a bit.
The watchmaker said that he can try drilling. He offered that if it works, he will charge for it, but if it doesn't, then he will not, because the bracelet would be ruined.
I don’t really have anyone else to turn to with this. I don’t want to ruin a bracelet that has such a high value and that I paid for.
 
SOG53
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How much resizing is needed? You have one hole left to make a bit shorter on the clasp. If you need further shortening, I recommend removing the bracelet from watch and put on a nice leather strap for now, and try the various methods suggested to loosen things up without drilling. Try to find independent watchmaker to look at it sometimes the AD people are not so great with solving issues on vintage. I wouldn’t rush to the drilling suggestion.
 
X350 XJR
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H horillap
3. Suspicious Marks: The watchmaker pointed out circular marks on some of the links, which he found suspicious.

These are visible on other examples I've seen so yours is not unique in this regard.
 
H
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SOG53 SOG53
How much resizing is needed? You have one hole left to make a bit shorter on the clasp. If you need further shortening, I recommend removing the bracelet from watch and put on a nice leather strap for now, and try the various methods suggested to loosen things up without drilling. Try to find independent watchmaker to look at it sometimes the AD people are not so great with solving issues on vintage. I wouldn’t rush to the drilling suggestion.
Probably two full links would need to be removed.

Currently I’m wearing it on a tropic step, it’s perfect for the summer.
 
H
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X350 XJR X350 XJR
These are visible on other examples I've seen so yours is not unique in this regard.
Good to know, thanks for this. I couldn’t any pictures online that had these holes, so I was worried.
 
H
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I will probably ask for the replacement and hope that the pins in those will be easier to remove.
 
bazelot
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i have 2 examples with those round marks. They seem to be common on 90s bracelet. They are just part of the construction of the link. nothing odd there.
Did he try WD40 on the pins?
 
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