Weak link in Seamaster 300M bracelets?

dstfno

I can't see anything wrong with your bracelet. It's still steel, a lot of force is necessary to make it bend or break. Nothing to worry about. I would guess that a spring bar would be the first to break.

Diver extensions of the past were even thinner and looked more fragile but always got the job done.

Donn Chambers

M


Have you seen the clasps on older watches? Even thinner than this and just folded metal. Yet some of them have lasted for 50 years. You are overthinking this. If you are truly worried about it snapping, just close the diver’s extension and never open it again. Problem solved, because when it’s closed you won’t be able to get the leverage to break it.

Kent C.

Just wondering if anyone has heard of, or experienced any problems with bending or weakness in the cutout in the inner link of the diver's extension on the OEM bracelet on the Seamaster 300M?

I purchased my Seamaster in July, and I love it, but I noticed some slight bending where the link in the diver's extension is machined to go around the pin in the two-part link in the extension (please see attached photo).

What troubles me is that there is only perhaps about a millimeter of steel at the bottom of that cutout, and it seems to me that it wouldn't take too much bending or flexing for that to weaken and eventually break, which would result in the watch coming off my wrist (and hitting the ground) at best, and being lost forever at worst. Who knows when or where this might happen? I do not dive, but this watch is my 'daily driver', and I do wear this watch kayaking, and use the diver's extension over my wetsuit. If the bracelet were to break while kayaking there would be almost no chance of ever finding it. To have this weak link on the bracelet of a relatively expensive watch worries me. I suppose I could always purchase the $300.00 OEM Omega rubber strap for my watch, but I like the bracelet and assumed that it would be stronger than the strap. Perhaps not? Anyone else noticed this, or heard of problems?
Thanks!

O OmegaClasp

I just created an account to reply to your thread. I own the exact same watch (1 year old now), and I feel the same way. I only open the extension once or twice per month during cleaning. Today I noticed that this thin part you explain on your thread got bent (about 30 degrees). In order to close the extension I had to straighten the part of the extension back in place. After that it took 5 times trying to open it and close it to make it as straight as possible (as it was). Now it works fine but this thin part looks like a piece of metal that has been bent and straighten.
I feel that this is the weak link of the bracelet and will avoid opening again in the future. Maybe if this happened again this thin part could break. Not enough of a problem to send it the service center yet...

O OmegaClasp

I just created an account to reply to your thread. I own the exact same watch (1 year old now), and I feel the same way. I only open the extension once or twice per month during cleaning. Today I noticed that this thin part you explain on your thread got bent (about 30 degrees). In order to close the extension I had to straighten the part of the extension back in place. After that it took 5 times trying to open it and close it to make it as straight as possible (as it was). Now it works fine but this thin part looks like a piece of metal that has been bent and straighten.
I feel that this is the weak link of the bracelet and will avoid opening again in the future. Maybe if this happened again this thin part could break. Not enough of a problem to send it the service center yet...