Identifying any issues with a 5500 and its bracelet

[mjkingz]

Hey all,

Still on the hunt for something that's right. I've got completely lost in trying to figure out if anything is not correct with this air king. I also got really lost in all the detail out there about replica bracelets and now I'm just confused. I felt confident, now I'm not, etc. Would very much appreciate anyone thoughts on this piece.

Thanks in advance., Regards.

[TudorTom]

Most counterfeit/replica oyster bracelets are made to look like the newer "solid link" version (78350) -- not the old riveted style like this one. The one pictured looks fine to me.

The riveted bracelets are one of my favorite styles from an aesthetic perspective, but there's a few good reasons some people don't like them:

1) They have a different wrist feel, as the links are mostly hollow inside
2) They are horribly difficult to adjust for all but the most experienced watchmaker (in order to take out a link, the rivets must be removed, the link itself disassembled, then the bracelet must be put back together using new rivets)
3) They're fragile by comparison to the 7835 & 78350

If you haven't handled one of these bracelets in person before, I'd encourage you to try and do so before making a purchase.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by TudorTom

Most counterfeit/replica oyster bracelets are made to look like the newer "solid link" version (78350) -- not the old riveted style like this one. The one pictured looks fine to me.

The riveted bracelets are one of my favorite styles from an aesthetic perspective, but there's a few good reasons some people don't like them:

1) They have a different wrist feel, as the links are mostly hollow inside
2) They are horribly difficult to adjust for all but the most experienced watchmaker (in order to take out a link, the rivets must be removed, the link itself disassembled, then the bracelet must be put back together using new rivets)
3) They're fragile by comparison to the 7835 & 78350

If you haven't handled one of these bracelets in person before, I'd encourage you to try and do so before making a purchase.

Looks to me to be an OK, correct 5500 Explorer. A nice crisp dial and the pencil / stick hands (whatever they are called) that I'd expect. Bracelet looks correct and yip, that era of rivet bracelets are kinda flimsy and expensive to service.


Ironically, although I guided you away from a 6564 OP in recent days ... and suggested an AirKing or a DateJust, Im not loving this particular AirKing. While the dial and hands are nice and the 5500 case and 1002 case-back and dated 7205/ 57 bracelet are all a happy match, the over-polished 5:00 o'clock lug would bug me. So would the fact that all four lugs are kinda uneven.

The pics suggest that the bracelet might be healthy enough but I see the end-links are a horrible fit where they match up to the case. Easy enough to improve with some adjusting but I might guess that the spring bars are not the correct guage. The 1520 movement looks clean and the case / case-back mounting faces look to be healthy and free from corrosion (as required for effective water-proofing).

The striped box has some value if that's included in the AirKing sale, it's not correct for a 5500 though

[offrdmania]

Originally Posted by Paul

Looks to me to be an OK, correct 5500 Explorer. A nice crisp dial and the pencil / stick hands (whatever they are called) that I'd expect. Bracelet looks correct and yip, that era of rivet bracelets are kinda flimsy and expensive to service.


Ironically, although I guided you away from a 6564 OP in recent days ... and suggested an AirKing or a DateJust, Im not loving this particular AirKing. While the dial and hands are nice and the 5500 case and 1002 case-back and dated 7205/ 57 bracelet are all a happy match, the over-polished 5:00 o'clock lug would bug me. So would the fact that all four lugs are kinda uneven.

The pics suggest that the bracelet might be healthy enough but I see the end-links are a horrible fit where they match up to the case. Easy enough to improve with some adjusting but I might guess that the spring bars are not the correct guage. The 1520 movement looks clean and the case / case-back mounting faces look to be healthy and free from corrosion (as required for effective water-proofing).

The striped box has some value if that's included in the AirKing sale, it's not correct for a 5500 though

If it can be had for a good price, that lug can be rebuilt

[Tools]

This watch is an example of what we refer to as "over polished" and Rolex would likely call for a re-case.

Hard to say about the bracelet, but the end links are so ill fitting, it either has a worn out tubes or the wrong spring bars, or both.