So I recently picked up a 14060 from a fellow member. All of my Rolex’s have their bracelets, but like many I like to play with options from time to time. One strap I was exited to try was the Uncle Seiko Tropic, but like most straps that are thick and flat at the top, I discovered that the lug hole to case distance proved to be an issue - something I hadn’t even thought about when I got the sub- that’s a tight gap. (Yes, that’s a 19mm in the below pic for illustration- I had already modded my 20 when it occurred to me to post this) I couldn’t even seat the spring bars because it couldn’t clear the case. I have several vintage curved tropics but none in 20mm, so I thought that sacrificing a 20mm US to this experiment was a worthy endeavor. I used a Dremel with a sanding wheel and started to gently grind away at the center and move back and forth to create the curve. I eyeballed it and when I felt like it was close to the correct shape, I finished it with a little sand paper to smooth out my choppiness (not the steadiest of hands). Now I have the gap I need between the case and top of the strap for it to move freely. And on the wrist In hindsight I may have worked to be a little more fluid with my grinding and angled downward the top to maintain more of the pattern on top. I was trying to create an even up/down curve so the strap wouldn’t hang up on the case- but realize after the fact that the strap doesn’t need to flex that way, so couldn’t have kept more of the top pattern. Regardless, I think it’s promising as an option for these hard-to-fit lugs and my next attempt would probably be a little cleaner looking.
You can finish it off with a finer wheel to get a more attractive end result. It's easier if you have a bench mount for the Dremel.
On the wrist you can’t really see the unfinished edge as you can in the photo, but I was thinking that perhaps heat treating it (like with a soldering iron) could smooth out that visible top edge
That’s a good thought- I think I do have finer wheels- but not bench mount- but I could just put it in a vice.
Looks good and for the minor imperfections that remain, don’t worry - no one flying at 33K feet will notice them anyway
So I went back over it with a finer grit wheel and it did smooth it out buuuuut, I went too far, and you can see the spring bar peeking through when it flexes on the top end of the strap It’s not noticeable on the wrist but I know it’s there...so will be ordering another 20mm strap and doing it again a little less aggressively.
All due respect to our Uncle Seiko, the vintage/original is probably a better choice. Still uses those fat bars. I prefer the straight end; I had the curved but it looked weird on my Seamaster 300. I also prefer the 20/16 taper.
Agree on the 20/16 taper- that would be nice, but strait ends won’t work on the sub case- it rubs the case, so it has to be curved. Originals in 20mm are prohibitely expensive.
I noticed using a B&R strap on my OPD that I got that rub mark at the center but didn’t give it much thought. I wore a custom made shell cordovan on my GMT and it never rubbed but in hindsight that is only 1mm thick at the top over the spring bar. I always thought the use of curved spring bars and contoured rubber straps like the Everest were for vanity or the OCD, but now I get it- there really is no clearance.
On the older sub/gmt cases there is plenty of clearance... I don’t know what made Rolex decide to change this for the modern design. There really is no clearance.
I usually prefer an Oyster bracelet on a Sub (I´d make an exception for the "James Bond Nato") but I have to admit that looks really, really sharp! Nice job!