No one said it was the end of the world. Where do you come up with this sh**!? lol. Your projecting your own issues with the hobby these days, and while sometimes they are valid, your imagination is running wild blowing other things out of proportion. its pretty ridiculous and honestly I'm shocked you haven't taken a break from the forum.
You're right though, its not "rocket science" which makes it all the more surprising and upsetting when an AD screws it up (no pun intended). Furthermore, Im guessing your newest reference is a 5 digit. The 6 digits arrive slammed with loctite. RSC has told me directly they use a special method of heating the screw to remove them from the factory, so while it's not "rocket science" it's not as simple as it was when you bought your watches.
In my experience, this special method is not required if you have the right screwdriver. I personally only use the curvature style, hollow ground blades which are non slip while still providing enough torque to break the loctite.
While I can easily size a brand new bracelet in a few minutes
today, I've had my share of trial, error and nervous sweats damaging screws on my first few watches. So don't insist it's super easy for someone that's never done it. It takes practice and the right tool.
OP, I'd bring the watch back to the AD and ask them to replace the screws. The entire set of SS screws cost me about $36, however that was about 8 years ago.
Let us know how it goes. Good luck!
