US tropic on Submariner

Larry S

Ah the Dremel ...the miracle tool!

JwRosenthal

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.