good evening all. As some of you may have read my previous post, I’ve acquired a pretty nice 145.022-71 head only recently. I’m not a big fan of straps so I bought a used 1998/840 which I read from the web would fit my case. I just found out today that is not the case. The end links won’t sit flush with the case leaving gaps between them. I took it to my watch maker and he said they won’t fit without sanding it to match the space between the lugs. Also I noticed there are webbing, for the lack of better words, on the inside corners of the lugs. So my question to those who have done it, how did you do it?

 

More photos might help, but it looks to me that the inside of those lugs have been polished enough to distort their shape.

Edit: Just looked back at your previous post, and it looks like the previous owner had a bracelet with spring-loaded end links mounted on this watch. I suspect that the insides of the lugs were damaged, and perhaps polished afterwards.

 

Hi Dan. Let me know which part of the watch or bracelets you want me to take pictures? The fitting between the lugs are fine, the end links glide smooth and precise into the lugs. Just that the pointy ends of the end links won’t get passed the rounding of the corners inside the lugs. The watch itself looks unpolished to my eyes. Thanks.

 

Maybe you just need a fresh set of eyes on this. Is it possible that the gap close to the watch is equal to how far back the end link sets? Maybe some adjustments are necessary to get the end link to push up against the case. Maybe even thicker spring bars?

 

CRAP! Can I say "maybe" enough?

 

As I mentioned in the edit to my previous post, if you compare the inside of the lugs to the photos that you had from the seller, I think you will see that they tried to fix some damage caused by the previous bracelet. The inner corners inside the lugs should not be rounded or "stepped" like that. And the case itself between the lugs has also been severely and unevenly polished (especially in the corners near the lugs), which might be why the end-links are not fitting against the case. I think they went at it with a Dremel.

Lugs are definitely polished, no doubt about it.

 

ah. I see now.

 

Maybe.

 

Hm. A possibility. But if the inside of the lugs were polished, wouldn’t the end links fit loose with some play between the lugs? They fit fine with no play at all except that they won’t go all the way in. The wings on the sides also fit nicely.

 

I suspect that they polished the inner corners aggressively, and the case itself between the lugs. Look how smooth and shiny it is. The lug on the left in your photo has a "step" shape (on the dial side) that probably shows where the case used to end. The back side of the corner has a radius, instead of a square inner corner. Those inner corners are really messed up. Or at least it looks that way in the photo.

 

Perhaps you should consider the JB Champion reissue mesh bands. They are a classic choice for the Speedmaster. See:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/forstner-bands-relaunched.102101/

 

This is a good idea, especially since the re-issued bands fit larger lug spacings than the originals, which maxed out at 19mm.

 

I could be wrong about the polishing of the lugs BTW. Sometimes things look distorted and exaggerated in super high-res photos. You can probably see better in person.

 

My experience has been that not all bracelets fit all cases across the years. Id say if you get an 1171 with 633 endlinks it will fit your case.

 

I decided I was not to be deterred. I searched high n low n found me 2 thinnest spring bars. After half an hour wriggling them in, I managed to get them to click into the holes. Whew. The end links are secure with no play, but there are gaps between the case and the end links. Oh well, nothing is perfect n it still better looking the older bracelet. Thanks much for everything. I think I’m going to be happy with it for a while.

 

That gap is supposed to be there, at least it was on my '97 Speedmaster that came with a 1498/840. I updated to a 1998/840 and then 849 end links (I think) and they all left a gap.

Now that distance from the lug-holes to the case body likely varied over the years a small bit, so it's possible that the gap is intentional.

Not sure why you picked the smallest bars, I would pick Omega bars of the correct size.

Tom