I, a stupid person, have now successfully resized a handful of bracelets without the help of a jeweler. I have procured some special equipment, yes, but I have now broken even on my investment by not having an old guy with a loupe and a chip on his shoulder do the work for me. Come along with me as I show you, a person who is surely smarter than me, how to resize the two types of bracelets in use today in Christopher Ward’s lineup.
Caveats: I am not responsible for damage that occurs to your bracelet or your hand or your watch or equipment, etc. This is advice from some dude on the Internet. Heed it at your own peril, or take your bracelet to a jeweler if you’re not feeling confident.
Part one: pin and collar.
First, let’s familiarize ourselves with how a pin and collar bracelet is constructed.
As you can see, you have (from right to left, counterintuitively) the narrow inner bracelet link, that link’s collar, then the pin that holds those pieces plus the outer link together. The goal is going to be applying force to the pin sufficient enough to displace it from the collar but not so great as to drive the pin into a neighbor’s engine block or propel it fast enough to achieve escape velocity and overcome the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of god.
To do this, we will need some tools. I acquired the tools in that photo from a crappy Amazon bracelet kit. It cost me $11. Other sellers will have nicer kits that cost more. For this type of bracelet you need what is shown above: a small hammer, a pin removal contraption, a bracelet block, and a pin pusher tool. Those are not industry terms. You’ll also want a soft, clean surface to work on. Esslinger threw that pad I’m working on in for free with an order; it is literally a mouse pad.
Ok, let’s get to work. First, apply a little tape to the areas surrounding the holes. This will keep your bracelet from getting scratched. I have skipped this step here for picture clarity. Now, take your bracelet off your watch and place it in the loving arms of the pin removal contraption.
Line the pin of the tool up with the hole in your watch band. In my experience it does not matter what side you’re coming from UNLESS YOUR BRACELET CLEARLY IDENTIFIES THAT SIDE WITH AN ARROW. Christopher Ward bracelets do not, at least from the ones I’ve seen.
Turn the screw in that pin tool until it has begun to push out the bracelet’s pin. At some point you will encounter more resistance. Stop and back the tool out of the hole.
Here comes the hammery bit. Place the bracelet into the block so the pin that is being pushed out sits in one of the holes in the block’s base. Take your narrowest pin pusher tool, place it in the center of the pinhole on the bracelet, and then delicately tap with the hammer until the pin comes free. Note that I am not holding on to the pin tool in this photo. That’s because I’m taking the picture. Use both hands. At this point the pin should be loose. Likely the collar will still be inside the inner bracelet link. Be careful not to lose it.
Add a link if you need it or repeat the above steps to get a link completely off the watch (following just the steps above will split your bracelet into two pieces, accomplishing nothing).
When it comes time to reassemble, recall the anatomy of the bracelet. You will need to insert the collar back into the inner bracelet link. You will need to insert the pin into one side of the outer bracelet link. You will need to line up as best you can all the holes. Apply slight pressure to get the pin back into all holes, then lightly tap it with your hammer to seat it back in the collar.
You may at this point choose to use the pin contraption to reposition the pin so it sits recessed in the holes. Repeat all the above until your bracelet is reassembled, remove the protective tape, reattach the bracelet to the watch, and drink a beer or two.
Quick addition I thought was critical:
Read below for part two: double ended screws.iain wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 7:43 am One point about the pin and collar bracelets. If you zoom in on your first photo you will see a small indent in the centre of the pin and the collar. These are designed to meet and they hold them I’m place to prevent them coming out. Once you have reseated the pin, if you use the screw tool again on the side which sticks our most, then you can gently turn the screw until they lock into place. If you have a loupe it is worth watching as you do this as you can actually see it jump into place. That’s when you know you’ve fitted it back correctly.