Christopher Ward changed the Aquitaine bracelet from pin and collar to pin and screw. I always thought the pin and collar using friction to stay in place was easy to adjust and always stayed securely fastened. And I wasn’t really looking forward to adjusting the Aquitaine bracelet because you need just the right size screw driver and it is easy to strip or mark the screw heads.
While still more challenging, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. It appears CW didn’t use any thread locking material on the screws and they loosened pretty easily. This bracelet has one pin with slotted end on one side and a screw on the other. The entire pin comes out and is different form other bracelets (like Omega) where the screw screws into the bracelet link itself.
These screwed pins on the Aquitaine bracelet can be tricky because you need to use 2 screwdrivers and hold the bracelet at the same time. It would be best to use some kind of vice that can secure the bracelet while you have both hands free to hold both screwdrivers.
You have to keep an eye on the screws to make sure they won’t loosen over time. Or perhaps use some type of thread locker to make sure they stay seated. It wasn’t too difficult to adjust the Aquitaine bracelet but it will be easier for most to have it done by CW or a local jeweler if you don’t have the correct size screwdrivers.
I usually have to remove one full link for my 7.5″ / 19cm wrist. These bracelets also have one half link and I had to remove that as well for a good fit. It is good to see CW listened to owner feedback and now includes half links on most of their dive/sports watches.
These new links with screwed pins are a downgrade in my opinion. The pin and collar are a better solution and easier to adjust.
The Craftsman screwdriver in 1/16″ – 1.6mm size was a perfect fit for these screw heads.
I really like these inexpensive Craftsman screw drivers for working on small items like bracelet screws. Great grip because of the large handles.
Using one of these inexpensive magnifiers make it much easier to see the screw heads and do a cleaner job.
I achieved the same thing by placing the watch upside down in a small bowl overnight and submersing it in lemon juice. No baking soda.
Not sure if that will work for bracelet resizing. 🙂 You probably wanted to post this comment for this article:
https://watchaficionados.net/bronze-watch-cleaning-and-removing-patina/