Speedmaster Pro Broken Pin In Strap

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Got a question about the strap on my Speedmaster Pro and would hugely appreciate advice from any of the experts on these boards. I'm based in the UK but currently on business in Dubai and a few days ago the strap on my Speedy broke after the watch slipped out of my hands and fell to the ground. Thankfully the watch itself is still working fine but the strap didn't fare so well!

As you can see from the pics, the problem is with the very top link in the strap which connects directly to the movable cylindrical piece of metal on the watch itself. The top link in the strap has two pins which fit into the cylinder on the watch and hold the strap to it. The problem is that one of the pins is missing. It must have rolled out when the watch fell and as it's so small I didn't notice it. At first I thought that the pin had snapped but when I took these pics I noticed that the end of the remaining pin is rounded so it didn't snap.

I'm not sure how the missing pin would fit in unless it's spring-loaded but does anyone know how I can get one? I initially thought that all I needed to do was resize the strap by removing the link with the missing pin but there are no holes in the sides (as you can also see in the pics) to take that link off. Weirdly, there are outlines of holes in the side of the strap but no actual holes! Does anyone here know if links like that can actually be removed, and, if so, how?

I took the watch to an local Omega shop and they said they couldn't solve the problem there because there are no holes in the side of the links to remove the pins. This seemed really strange because it made me wonder how they resize straps when people buy watches from them. They said I need to buy a new strap or send the watch off to a service centre, which will take a week. Both of these options sound a bit drastic just to replace a single link in the strap.

Surely there must be a way to remove the links which don't (seem to) have holes in the sides but does anyone here know how to do it? I'd hugely appreciate any advice on this or how to get hold of a replacement pin and thanks so much to you all for looking over this.
 
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The pin on one side appears to be broken. I repaired one that was pulled apart a while back:



These links are folded links, so they can be pried apart, which is what you would have to do here:





The pin is a stepped pin, so has two different diameters:



I modified a straight pin on the lathe:







The new pin can be tapped back in and the links closed up again:





Any watchmaker with basic skills can do this for you...

Cheers, Al
 
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That's super! Thanks so much for your advice. I'll try to hunt out a local watchmaker as it sounds like all they need is a new pin and the facility to open the link. Sounds like a new strap would be a bit drastic! Many kind thanks again.
 
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@Archer Al, looks like the belt on your lathe might need to be replaced 😀

Indeed...
 
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Indeed...
Every time i see a picture of that belt and how close you put your face too it.... My anxiety level rises.
 
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Every time i see a picture of that belt and how close you put your face too it.... My anxiety level rises.

It's on the list...
 
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Al, that belt reminds me of my how I'd roll with my '81 Monte Carlo when I was a kid. No worries, it's got a few hundred more kms on it!
 
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Hi @Archer, do you remember what was the diameters/dimension of the "stepped pin"? I have the exact same repair to do and lost both Pins.
Many thanks
 
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Hi @Archer, do you remember what was the diameters/dimension of the "stepped pin"? I have the exact same repair to do and lost both Pins.
Many thanks

Start off with this, and then turn the end down to fit...



And make sure you have a good belt on your lathe...



😉