Bracelets have now become an essential part of any luxury watch. While they were once a niche accessory only found on select models, the boom in sporty watches has pushed bracelets into the mainstream. Bracelets will likely become even more important in the future. The most important aspect of quality is balance.
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
The rise of sporty watches has encouraged the right balance of metal bracelets
Ten years ago, there were very few watches with elaborate bracelets, with the exception of a few models. However, advances in machine tools and the boom in sporty watches led manufacturers to turn their attention to bracelets. While improved bracelets improved comfort, they also created new problems.
Swiss and German watch manufacturers used to be strangely conservative when it came to bracelets. With the exception of a few dress watches, bracelets were only available on sports and business watches. In fact, when he was CEO of IWC, Georges Kern emphatically told me, "We never put a bracelet on a Portugieser." Until very recently, watches with bracelets were limited to the American market, where people wanted one watch for everything, or the hot and humid Asian market, or to professional watches.
Additionally, the difficulty of manufacturing discouraged many watch manufacturers from using bracelets. From the 1990s to the end of the 2000s, manufacturers increased the size and weight of their watches almost every year. Naturally, the accompanying bracelets should have been heavier as well, but manufacturers and suppliers lacked the know-how to make heavy bracelets, and given the manufacturing costs, few manufacturers were willing to produce them from scratch. The only exceptions were Breitling and IWC, which actively pursued bracelets, and Rolex from the 2000s onwards.
A heavy bracelet restores the balance of the watch
However, advances in machine tools and the recent rise of sporty watches have forced manufacturers to finally take action. Omega is a good example of this, having been known since the 2010s. Bracelet links have been replaced with machined solid wood, and the buckles that support them have also been replaced with machined pieces, replacing the thin, pressed pieces. Naturally, the parts connecting the links have also been improved, from simple pin fastenings to screws. By providing heavier bracelets, manufacturers have restored the weight balance between the watch body (the "head") and the bracelet (the "tail"), which had been deteriorating since the 1990s.
There are three main factors that determine how comfortable a bracelet is to wear. The bare minimum is that the edges must be rounded enough that it doesn't feel uncomfortable against the skin. Most manufacturers, both now and in the past, have suppliers manufacture bracelets, but if the manufacturer lacks the know-how, the bracelets often end up with sharp edges. If you touch the back of the bracelet and it feels rough, it's likely that the manufacturer has little experience with bracelets.
It is extremely important to have a proper balance of weight between the head and the tail. If the weight is evenly distributed, the watch will be less likely to wobble on the wrist and will be less tiring to wear for long periods of time. Also, for heavy watches, it is preferable to have a thick bracelet to distribute the weight evenly. Even if the tail is lighter than the head, a thick bracelet can improve the wearing comfort.
Next, the bracelet links must have the appropriate amount of play and flexibility. The shape of the arm is conical, not cylindrical. This doesn't matter much to those who wear it loosely, but if you wear it tightly, the bracelet must have some play and flexibility. Without these two elements, it will feel like you're wearing a wristband, and the bracelet will inevitably break after long-term wear. For these reasons, Porsche Design's Ocean series was forced to redesign its bracelet, which was too idealistic.
Three models that eliminate the drawbacks of heavy bracelets
Although the balance between the head and tail has now been improved, manufacturers are now faced with a new problem. Making the bracelet heavier and more rigid can support a heavy head, but it also makes the watch less comfortable to wear. As Stefan Ihnen, head of IWC's R&D department, has said, "A heavier bracelet is not necessarily a better option." As a result of the watch as a whole, including the bracelet, becoming heavier, the buckle has inevitably become larger and heavier. This may not be a problem for a sports watch with 1000m water resistance, but it would be excessive for an ordinary watch.
Of course, there are models that overcome these problems.
A. Lange & Söhne's first sporty watch. Features a fully disassembled bracelet and a precision buckle with extension. Caliber L155.1 DATOMATIC. 31 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 50 hours. Stainless steel (diameter 40.5 mm, thickness 11.1 mm). Water resistant to 12 bar. 3.1 million yen. For inquiries, please call A. Lange & Söhne at 03-4461-8080
First up is A. Lange & Söhne's Odysseus. CEO Wilhelm Schmidt said, "The buckle is the same as the IWC's, but I wasn't involved in the design." However, the bracelet's construction is clearly the same as the prestigious IWC bracelet. This model has a thin head and tail, and each link of the bracelet is connected with a thick pin, making it less likely to rattle even with extended use. The bracelet also has a moderate amount of play and flexibility, and the buckle features an extension of up to 7mm for a precise fit. While adding the extension makes the buckle thicker, the thickness has been kept to a level that doesn't interfere with deskwork, a consideration that is surprising for a first-time model. While the bracelet isn't as flexible as the Patek Philippe Nautilus, A. Lange & Söhne likely intended this sporty watch to be used in rough conditions.
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The approach of making the buckle thin so as not to interfere with desk work is also common to the three models featured at the beginning of this article. The Chanel J12, Bvlgari Octo Finissimo, and IWC Aquatimer are all characterized by relatively thin buckles. Also, like modern bracelets, the plate that secures the buckle is short. Consideration for making watches fit people with slimmer wrists has become more prominent in recent years as the Asian market has expanded.
The old-fashioned method of reducing the number of frames
The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic attempted to balance robustness with appropriate play by reducing the number of links in the bracelet, an approach also seen in the 1972 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the 76 Patek Philippe Nautilus, and the 77 Vacheron Constantin 222.
An ambitious work from H. Moser & Cie. Featuring the Agengraph with coaxial flyback developed by Agenau, it also features a fully built-in bracelet. The bracelet is so well made that it's hard to believe it's a first-time model. Automatic (Cal. HMC902). 55 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve approximately 54 hours. Stainless steel (diameter 42.3 x thickness 14.2 mm). Water resistant to 120 meters. Limited to 100 pieces. 4.8 million yen. For inquiries, please contact East Japan at 03-6274-6120
Reducing the number of links makes it more difficult to create play. However, for high-end manufacturers who can precisely control the dimensions by hand, fewer links actually make it easier to create play. The Nautilus and Royal Oak are good examples. However, unless the dimensions can be precisely controlled, a bracelet with fewer links will simply be a rigid bracelet lacking play. This is why I generally do not like a watch with fewer links.
What impressed me was that the bracelet on this watch had just the right amount of play and flexibility, despite the small number of links, or perhaps because of that small number. The tail felt thin compared to the head, but the weight balance was also just right. As is typical of sporty models, the buckle does not have an extension, but the adjustment links are short, so it should fit even those who prefer a tighter fit. The subtle refinement of this watch shows the maturity of H. Moser & Cie. as a watchmaker.
Chopard's new collection incorporates new solutions
What surprised me was Chopard's Alpine Eagle. The company has always made bracelets for women with deliberately large amounts of play, but with this model they have completely changed the touch, giving it a more modern, rigid feel. From the photos, it looks very stiff, but the bracelet of the final version combines the rigidity of a sports watch with just the right amount of play and flexibility. The balance between the head and tail was also appropriate.
A robustly built sporty watch. The exterior is made of Chopard Lucent Steel A223, which has excellent corrosion resistance. The bracelet is a single-link watch, but is connected with a unique figure-eight link, allowing for just the right amount of play. Automatic winding (Cal. Chopard 01.01-C). 31 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 60 hours. Stainless steel (diameter 41mm). Water resistant to 100m. 147 million yen. For inquiries, please contact Chopard Japan Press at 03-5524-8922
What's interesting about this bracelet is that each link is connected using figure-eight links rather than screws or pins. It's easy to disassemble and is unlikely to rattle even with long-term use. However, perhaps due to the pursuit of thinness, the buckle is not a push-button or spring-lock type, but rather the old-fashioned claw-type buckle. While this may not be a problem for men, it may be a bit difficult to use for women who will likely choose the 36mm size.
Finally, a watch with a bracelet that restores the balance between the head and tail. The three models mentioned here are good examples of how the problems that arose were successfully overcome. What's more, it's very interesting that these three companies, all of whom had no experience with bracelets, were able to create such excellent bracelets.
In the next section, we will look a little more at what makes a good bracelet, along with other examples.
