Watch Bracelet Repinning & Repair
Restore the safety and tightness of your watch bracelet. We eliminate “stretch” and replace worn pins to prevent catastrophic failure.
Expert Bracelet Repinning in Lancashire & UK-Wide
The bracelet is the unsung hero of your timepiece, enduring constant movement, sweat, and tension. Over years of daily wear, dirt and grit act like grinding paste between the links and pins. This friction slowly wears away the metal, causing the bracelet to loosen, droop, and develop what collectors call “stretch.” Eventually, this wear becomes critical, and a pin can snap—causing your valuable Rolex, Omega, or TAG Heuer to fall from your wrist onto the pavement.
At Prime Time Watch Repairs, we believe a worn bracelet shouldn’t mean buying a wildly expensive replacement from the manufacturer. We specialise in the intricate art of bracelet repinning and rebuilding. Whether it’s a vintage Rolex Jubilee, an Omega “Bond” bracelet, or a TAG Heuer Link, we disassemble the complex structure, replace the worn internal pins with stronger modern steel, and rebuild the bracelet to a factory-tight feel. This not only secures your watch but restores the crisp, solid feeling of a new timepiece.
Get a free estimateOur Bracelet Repinning Process
Restoring a bracelet is precision engineering. We use a combination of traditional tools and modern laser technology.
We measure the “stretch” (lateral play) of the bracelet to determine which links are salvageable and which pins need replacing. We check the clasp integrity and safety catches to ensure the entire system is secure.
Unlike a simple resize, repinning requires taking the permanent links apart. We carefully separate the links. For riveted or pressed bracelets (like the Rolex Oyster), this involves carefully pulling the friction-fit pins without distorting the outer gold or steel caps.
Before rebuilding, we must remove the “grinding paste” (a mix of dead skin, oil, and metal dust) that caused the wear in the first place. The disassembled links go through an intensive ultrasonic bath to ensure the new pins will sit in a clean environment.
We replace the worn-down, “waisted” pins with brand-new, oversized pins made from high-grade 316L stainless steel. These are often fractionally thicker than the originals to compensate for the wear in the link holes, tightening up the bracelet instantly.
If the holes in the links themselves have ovaled significantly, a new pin isn’t enough. We use precision laser welding to add metal back into the worn holes, then re-drill them to the exact original diameter. This is the gold standard for restoration.
The bracelet is rebuilt link by link. We rivet or press the new pins into place. Finally, we refinish the bracelet, restoring the correct brushed or polished texture to ensure the repair is invisible to the naked eye.
See why hundreds of customers trust us with their watch bracelet repinning
Brands we cover for bracelet repinning
We regularly perform bracelet repinning on major brands including Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer, Breitling, Cartier and more.
Frequently asked questions
Here are the answers to the most common questions our customers ask about bracelet repinning.
“Stretch” is a misnomer; the metal doesn’t actually stretch. Instead, the pins inside the links wear down and become thinner, and the holes in the links wear into ovals. The combined gap across all links creates the “floppy” or “droopy” effect you see when holding the watch sideways.
Yes, this is our most common request. Vintage Jubilee bracelets are notorious for stretching. We can completely dismantle the bracelet, replace the internal pins, and tighten the links, making it feel almost new again for a fraction of the cost of a replacement bracelet from Rolex.
Yes. If your clasp pops open or won’t click shut, it usually means the spring is broken or the locking blade is worn. We can replace the internal springs, re-shape the blades, or laser weld worn catch points to restore a secure “click.”
A new steel bracelet from a brand like Omega or Rolex can cost upwards of £1,000 to £2,500. Our repinning service is a fraction of this cost. Furthermore, keeping the original bracelet maintains the “codes” and period-correct look of your watch, which is vital for vintage value.
Yes. We take extra care with gold-capped or solid gold center links. We use specific tooling to ensure the soft gold is not marked or dented during the heavy-force process of removing the friction pins.
Because this is intricate, manual work involving hundreds of parts, it typically takes 2 to 4 weeks. Laser welding work may take slightly longer, but the result is a bracelet that is safe to wear for another 20 years.
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