Sea Wolf Bracelet

[jas57]

Has anyone ever tried to rebuild a Sea Wolf bracelet? My brother has a nice Zodiac which he bought at the base PX in '67,
but whatever they used as a tensioner (Rubber?) has deteriorated. Just curious. By the way, I was surprised to see that the
bracelet is Zodiac but it is marked "Made in the USA"
Thanks, Jim

[jon p]

welcome to our forum. sounds like the bracelet you have is the spring loaded one and they are almost impossible to repair when the springs break!! also very uncomfortable to wear. you can contact our watchmaker and see what he says, see the repair section of the forum. if you want to wear the watch it will need a cleaning and service, BWG( buthchs watch guy) is a zodiac expert, we all use him, he is located in CA. yes, when your watch was made an american company, jb champion, made the bracelets.if you look closely on the clasp there is probably a date code, tiny so look carefully!! hope this helps.

[jas57]

My brother still owns the watch and wears it every day. This will probably make you wince, but it's been running almost non-stop for over forty years and it has never been apart for anything. Amazingly, it keeps great time, but I don't how much
wear is taking place due to lack of lubrication.
By the way, the number stamped on the band is 8260. Could that be the date code?
Thanks again, Jim

[jon p]

      OMG---get it serviced, soon! doesnt seem to be a date code, usually these are like"1-68" located on the inside of the clasp. does it say "JB CHAMPION" on the clasp?

[browndogken]

I have had some success in restoring the old SW expansion bracelets.  The hardest part was finding donor bracelets from which to scavenge springs that fit.  A while back,  I found a few cheap NOS expansion bracelets on ebay for under 10 bucks each that worked.

You have to be very careful opening the SW links so as not to bend them too much or create a new bend, otherwise when you bend them back they look and feel terrible.  it is also very easy to mar/scratch the finish. The SW springs are usually in pieces and come out fairly easily.  Getting the new springs in is a bit more of a challenge. It helps to have a few extra links to practice on first.

But, if your careful and work slowly you can do it.

[Butch]

I found one of those on eBay a couple months ago and bought it. Unfortunately it cost me $50 and turned out to be a real POS. It will not stay closed so I cannot use it. It also has a very thin girly looking clasp set up too.

If someone needs the springs, and wants to help me recoup SOME of my money, I would sell it.

[davec]

I actually had a good one and popped it up on the bay thinking it would bring back my idea of market value ($100 or so).  Didn't even get $50.00 for it. 

I actually like wearing the expansion bracelet, perfect for a light watch like the Seawolf.

Rolex offered a similar expansion oyster which is a monster ticket price item in good condition.