Hey

I’ve recently bought a BOR for my constellation but it bothering me from time to time with sharp edges of the end links pointing up to me. It’s a pain in the ass because I always get stuck in my sleeves etc.

Did I do something wrong while installing this bor?

 

The pins on the underside of the endlinks are designed to be bent down to keep them in place. I haven't found the knack to doing it consistently myself. A watchmaker might adjust them for you for nothing if you've been bringing business to them otherwise. In any event, you usually won't be charged much and having a properly fitted bracelet will look and feel about a million times better.

 

Firstly - that is a nice Constellation and its worth taking the time to make it wearable. The end links look shallow and that is probably an adjustment - both the pins and the end links themselves. If you know of a good watchmaker - take the watch in and ask for a careful adjustment. That should be done bracelet off and if done right the end links will be close to flush with the case; not flip up and not rattle when worn.

 

Its usually down to the end-links being "pried open", making the gap between the top and bottom smaller usually will correct the issue you are having, although it could also be an issue of having incorrect links for the case reference. The tabs should generally be flat if you have the correct links for the case and the gap is correct.

 

I stand corrected—this is the way the endlinks should be. The adjustment shapes the entire endlink to rest over the springbar, not just the tabs. There is a dizzying array of specific links that go with specific cases. What are the numbers on yours? As stated, if they're not the right links, they're not going to work and they'll just drive you crazy.

 

It looks like you have a 7-row BOR on a watch that normally takes a 5-row with the curved toped endlinks (not sure which ones for the Connie but the fat lugged Seamaster’s of the time took the 11 or 12 . I am thinking this bracelet is for a Later watch like the Deville’s that have shorter lugs. No amount of tweaking will make it fit properly.

It would be helpful if you can take a pic of the clasp number on the bracelet and the numbers under the endlinks.

 

They may not be precisely the correct end-links, but they can certainly be adjusted to fit MUCH better than shown in the OP photos.

 

Hey guys,

First of all thank you for your great explanation and help. You are a great community here!

My end links have the number „70“ on it. Are they the right ones?

 

Paging @Lucasssssss

 

I believe the 70 is for the dog-legged case which had a different lug profile.

 

You'll go a long way to making it fit better by:

1 flattening the tabs.

2 closing up the gap on the links.

3 narrowing the gap between the top and bottom of the end-links as I noted above.

 

Ok, thanks a lot. I will try it for myself!

That’s the status quo:

 

Done ....with the nerves as well as with the clock
The result is great. No protruding edges anymore.

Many thanks for the help! (I will definitely not do that myself next time anymore)

 

Lookin good. BOR bracelets are pretty low-tech items, but when they fit right they look and feel like a million bucks. I made the rookie mistake of getting the wrong 5-row bracelet for my first Constellation, buying a Seamaster that would work with that bracelet, then finding a watch with the correct 7-row BOR with proper endlinks. The fishing was fun and selling that third watch paid for the Seamaster and its bracelet. The 5-row and 7-row BOR bracelets really have distinct looks and feels on the wrist. I am a fan.

 

Well done. I still believe this isn’t the “correct “ bracelet for this watch but good job on making it work.

 

I noticed a black cat crossed your path...... good luck... :0)

 

Thanks for the tag. I don't think the 7 row is correct for this model (although it is right at the point of change over from 5 to 7). But many people wear them anyway. Also for the record I don't think the 70 endlinks are correct either.

But no one will really care, as the watch and bracelet look great!

If you do want the correct bracelet let me know the reference number and I will do my best to find it in my endlink table.

 

Hey,

thank you for the kind words!

@warrydog yeah, I this cat is an attention wh...
„Oh a camera! Please take a picture of me!“

@Lucasssssss Oh that would be great! Even though it looks nice atm, I would like to keep it original as possible.

My ref nr. is 14381 61C

Many thanks for your effort!

 

61 is about the inflection point between 11 and 12 endlinks. I would say either would be appropriate. The bracelet would be either #1502, #8220 or #1036. I think the easiest to find will be the 11 endlinks, they appear much more common from anecdotal evidence. I would also hazard a guess to say that the 8220 is the correct bracelet, but my research is inconclusive as to the dates of the individual bracelets, so keep an eye out for any 5 row BOR.

Happy to help further if you need.