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Old 16 July 2021, 05:17 AM   #1
maximumk
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Bracelet Refurbish & Aftermarket

Hey everyone, first post!
I just purchased my first Rolex ever, a 1966 Datejust 1601 with a gold pie pan dial and white lettering. I want to refurbish the stretched out jubilee and have a couple questions for all you experts out there:

-Reputable and high quality bracelet refurbishment
-Good quality supplier of aftermarket bracelets so that it can tide me over while I wait for the multiple week turnaround for the bracelet service

I assume that your answers might be helpful for many and my apologies if I've missed a previous thread elsewhere on the forum.

Thanks!
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Old 16 July 2021, 06:16 AM   #2
wsfarrell
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Refurb: Rolliworks
Aftermarket: eBay
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Old 16 July 2021, 06:20 AM   #3
kidneymd
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Why not get a nice leather strap for your DJ while you wait for the bracelet to be refurbished?


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Old 16 July 2021, 06:55 AM   #4
Nick9
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Plus one for Rolliworks, just had one restored. Super job.
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Old 16 July 2021, 07:48 AM   #5
zapokee
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wsfarrell View Post
Refurb: Rolliworks
Aftermarket: eBay
I wouldn't go eBay. There's a lot of low-quality shiz on there.

Aftermarket steel bracelets are big no-no for me. Your 1601 deserves better.

Get a nice leather strap from somebody who's universally known to produce high-quality stuff. Bulang and Sons springs to mind. 100 bucks or so.
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Old 16 July 2021, 10:53 AM   #6
maximumk
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zapokee View Post
I wouldn't go eBay. There's a lot of low-quality shiz on there.

Aftermarket steel bracelets are big no-no for me. Your 1601 deserves better.

Get a nice leather strap from somebody who's universally known to produce high-quality stuff. Bulang and Sons springs to mind. 100 bucks or so.
Great Idea, didn't think about that
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Old 16 July 2021, 10:55 AM   #7
maximumk
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Awesome, I'll definitely look into Rolliworks. My neighborhood dealer was trying to quote me $800. I thought that was ridiculous.
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Old 16 July 2021, 10:57 AM   #8
maximumk
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Noting the Buland and Sons. Any other suggestions for leather straps that present well with a 1601?
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Old 16 July 2021, 12:06 PM   #9
swaini3
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Have a look at Veblenist, I got a few straps from them and have been happy.
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Old 16 July 2021, 01:19 PM   #10
Dan S
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maximumk View Post
Awesome, I'll definitely look into Rolliworks. My neighborhood dealer was trying to quote me $800. I thought that was ridiculous.
$800 for what? Restoring a TT jubilee? You may pay a little less to have it restored at Rolliworks, depending on the condition. But it won't be cheap. There is a lot of tedious work involved, and not many people will do it.
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Old 16 July 2021, 02:15 PM   #11
zapokee
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maximumk View Post
My neighborhood dealer was trying to quote me $800. I thought that was ridiculous.
That seems a reasonable price to me, considering the amount of expertise and time involved. It's extremely labor-intensive. Have a look at this restoration video that somebody else posted recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl_qs1RSF4E
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