What's the fascination with Gay Freres bracelets?

Davidt

I don’t think generic GF bracelets sell for 1000. I’d say between £100-250.
You can buy an 18mm GF eterna Kontiki bracelet for £200 with a bit of patience so I can’t see generics selling for anywhere near 5x that price.

Bigdaddy814

I just bought a vintage zenith sub-sea and it came on its original gay freres bracelet. That adds to the watch's value and the bracelet has an independent value of its own in the neighborhood of $1000. I guess the value is just because it is a legendary maker now owned by Rolex. I do not even like the bracelet and there is no way to resize it without destroying the removed links (you apparently have to literally bend them open with a screwdriver, which renders the metal too soft to reuse.) so I removed it and put on a tropic strap and am very happy. I am keeping the GF bracelet for if or when I ever decide to sell the watch as it will make for a more valuable package.

hejsam

Because I think the 1000-5000USD which they are listed for is a big span and even on the lowest end it seems to much. So thats why I am asking if some actually know what they change hands for

Dan S

Those asking prices are absurd. The generic BoR with an asking price of $4,900 is very much like ones I've purchased for about $100.

Davidt

Co branded GF bracelets, yes thousands. Just because a generic GF bor will fit a Patel or a Rolex it doesn’t make it worth thousands. Check back in a few months and see how many of these generics in the thousands have sold.

Dan S

If I had a spare GF BoR that I wasn't using, I'd be delighted to sell it for $200. That would be a great deal for me. The one on the left in this photo is branded and worth ~5x the value of the unbranded GF on the right.

Davidt

Of all the high priced GF oyster bracelets on eBay, there I only one in the sold listing - a less common 19mm lug width. For around £700 ( or best offer, so likely less).
There are plenty of beads of rice style GF bracelets under £250 listed as sold.

That tells me two things:
1 perhaps my value estimate applies to beads of rice bracelets but is a little shy of GF oyster bracelets. I’d say they possibly are in the £500 range. Maybe a bit more to the right buyer for a good one.
2 it still tells me that unless I’m missing something, people asking thousands (5k?????) for these will still them for sale this time in 2027.

Davidt

I’ve just said there’s a sold GF oyster on eBay. It was listed as $1500 or best offer so I assume it sold for a few hundred less.

That tells me not many people are paying the thousands many sellers are asking or there would be more sold listings.

Davidt

Davidt

Oh yeah you’re right - fair play. I didn’t actually open the listing.
Still I’ve provided a sold listing for $1500 or best offer which let’s assume was $1000-1200.

I still think that’s a very low ratio of sold listings to for sale listings as no one’s paying the high asking prices, but I do agree for an oyster bracelet, it does seem to be closer to $1000 than $100

hejsam

Sorry I saw your post referring to this after my post.
So we are now closer to the 1000USD mark than the around 100USD then 😬


This is obviously not a GF made bracelet, looks very home carved to me:

there is also other engravings on the back of the clasp so this is probably the original stamps:

Dan S

If I had a spare GF BoR that I wasn't using, I'd be delighted to sell it for $200. That would be a great deal for me. The one on the left in this photo is branded and worth ~5x the value of the unbranded GF on the right.