Do you center your clasp or blade when sizing your bracelet?

[RolexEDC]

Center the blade will fit the best.

[watchwatcher]

When I first started, I was strictly just centering the clasp. It wasn't until a couple of years ago, in fact, that my SA made the suggestion of including the blade in that centering process. It's been a game changer for me, especially with the oyster flex and jubilee bracelets.

The oyster is a tougher solution, so by and large, I haven't messed with those bracelets in the collection, with the exception of the SD43, which I was able to achieve by taking one link off the 6 o'clock side and replacing with the 1/2 link.

I hope this all makes sense and is of some use.

[samson66]

Originally Posted by Devildog

Agreed.

My hardest to set up, believe it or not, was the bracelet on my Hamilton Pulsar.

It’s got a president style bracelet and a butterfly clasp.

With the watch head perfectly placed, I got the clasp perfect:


So off wrist it looks totally wrong. But on wrist it sits perfectly.

Perhaps what your OCD needs is an AP


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LOL to get to that I'd have to place every removable link I have on my GS over to the 12 side. The GS clasp would practically be touching the lugs

With my blade perfectly centered as it is now I have 7.5 at 12 and 4.5 at 6. I'd have to move the remaining 1.5 removable links from 6 to 12 and I still wouldn't be all that close to where you have it.

[brandrea]

I’ve always been a 6 at 12 o’clock ~ 4 at 6 o’clock Oyster bracelet guy. That is until I bought the 124060 which I have one more link at 6 o’clock. No idea why

That said, I position the blade of the clasp where I want it on my wrist and work backwards to the position of the watch head. I don’t much care where the clasp ends up.

It’s different on jubilees and other brands … especially Panerai on a strap

[samson66]

Originally Posted by watchwatcher

When I first started, I was strictly just centering the clasp. It wasn't until a couple of years ago, in fact, that my SA made the suggestion of including the blade in that centering process. It's been a game changer for me, especially with the oyster flex and jubilee bracelets.

The oyster is a tougher solution, so by and large, I haven't messed with those bracelets in the collection, with the exception of the SD43, which I was able to achieve by taking one link off the 6 o'clock side and replacing with the 1/2 link.

I hope this all makes sense and is of some use.

The glidelock throws a whole 'nother wrench into the works doesn't it! I love it and all but it changes conventional wisdom as far as how many links per side. Took me a few different visits to the AD to get mine where I want it. It's been perfect ever since. I managed to get the blade nice and centered and it wears really comfortably.

My biggest gripe on the GS is the lack of micro adjustments. The way it is right now is just a touch tighter than I would like it. But instead of just grabbing the toothpick and adjusting the clasp one notch I'm stuck with it until either I get back to the AD to swap a full link for a half link, or get up the courage and tools to attempt it myself. The GS is a great watch but just no excuse these days for any watch bracelet not having some sort of micro adjustability in the clasp. This isn't a new technology after all

But back to your point and I agree about centering the blade rather than the clasp. I didn't get this in my early watch purchases either. Now it makes a lot more sense. For my wrist the blade being centered seems to work best. All of my watches are adjusted like that, even before I understood the purpose.

[Driver8]

I always find these discussions difficult when people say their clasp is "centred". Do they mean centred on the bracelet (i.e. with an equal number of links at 6 and at 12), or centred on the underside of the wrist. We need unambiguous terminology!

(First world problems huh?!)

[Xerxes77]

No…

[ProdigalGil]

Originally Posted by samson66

Curious to get some opinions on this. I recently had a Grand Seiko bracelet sized at the AD. This discussion pertains to Rolex as well since the same issue is prevalent with some of their watches.

So the AD brought out my watch after removing two links and held up up just like below. The deployant clasp, or folding blade, or whatever it's called was nice and centered and parallel to the watch head when the clasp was closed.





However, in this model and again in several Rolexes as well, the clasp does not span the entire blade. So the clasp with the logo on it sits well off the the side. This isn't an issue with my SD43 since the clasp pretty much spans the entire length of the blade

Here is what I'm talking about with the clasp position being off center





When I fold the links around the blade the issue becomes even more apparent. My Datejust 41 with the jubilee bracelet does very something similar but not quite as pronounced.





So I'm curious to hear what most of you think? Do you center the blade to be nice and parallel to the watch head and just ignore the position of the clasp? Do you do the opposite and center the clasp, moving the blade over to one side or the other? Or do you do something in between?

The AD convinced me to go with this method. Was he right? My OCD is acting up seeing the clasp over to the side, but I do have to admit the positioning of the watch head on my wrist is nice and centered.

What say you TRF community???

I just acquired the SBGE249 today and compare to my SBGE257, similar to your pics, it has the small clasp. My dealer has sized my watch to be hanging exactly what is show from your images, the blade is center of wrist, but clasp is not.

However, unlike my DJ2 or other longer clasp with microadjust even, the blade is symmetrically shaped. This small GS clasp has a blade that looks to be not fully U shaped, so is the clasp designed to be centered and the blade designed to be off center hugging only a side of the wrist?

[amanbra]

Depends on the design. Rolexes better to centre the blade, omega and gs I’ve found centering the clasp is better as the blade has a different shape to it where it really curves towards the end.


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[joli160]

Centering the blade is the most comfortable fit for me

[thsiao]

Center the blade for comfort. When centering is not possible due to unequal number of links on each side, then the side that belongs to the 6 o’ clock side should be shorter.

[lifebreath]

Generally the whole deployant offset a bit towards the outside (little finger side) of wrist, so that it ends about where my wrist starts curving. That places the other end where a tendon is and the whole thing then fits the curve of my wrist well.

[GradyPhilpott]

I wear my watches loose enough that the position of the clasp is of little value to me as long as the watch is comfortable.

[CarlOver]

Originally Posted by Driver8

I always make sure the blades are centred when my wrist is supine (turned palm up). Watch head centre on the top, blades centred underneath. On my wrist that makes for a very skewed set of links as my wrist is much thicker on the ulna side. So for example, on my BLNR I have 4 links at the 6 o'clock, and 8 at the 12 o'clock! It's less at the 12 on my Sub and SD43 as the GlideLock is much longer than on the EasyLink, but the principle is always the same.

Good tips.

Wrist up is a supinated forearm. Supine means that you are laying on your back.

[lifebreath]

Originally Posted by CarlOver

Good tips.

Wrist up is a supinated forearm. Supine means that you are laying on your back.

Supine, supinate, supinated, supination
Prone, pronate, pronated, pronation

All are appropriate to the forearm.

[Andad]

There is a clasp position that may be most comfortable and a clasp position that helps prevent the watch head from rolling around my wrist.

This clasp position for me is one or two links less on the 6 o’clock side.

[ikincooper]

Originally Posted by Undefeatable

I always center the blade since that is going to dictate the comfort/fit more than the clasp.

Agree 100%


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[zengineer]

What it looks like off the wrist is irrelevant.
I generally want the clasp centered on the underside of my wrist but to get that it has to be much shorter on the 6 o'clock side.

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[asiparks]

My clasp is more or less centered, the blade is off centered, but my wrist is quite "rounded", so the curved blade still fits comfortably. This is how the bracelet came and I've not tried to move things around.It's the same with my Explorer 2 and IWC aqua timer. The only watch I have with the blade centered is the butterfly on my Blancpain.

I do notice that when switching back from a nato, I've managed to put the bracelet on my GS back upside down, so I'm probably ill qualified to speak on these things....

[noshame]

With my watch head centered on my wrist, the BLADE is centred on the under-side.

For watches where the clasp is the same length of the blade (ie: Subs with Glidelock) this means the clasp is also centred ... but for watches where the clasp is shorter than the blade (ie: ceramic GMT's), the clasp will be very slightly off centre.

To add, my 6 o'clock side always has fewer links than 12 o'clock.

[JimSnyder]

I am usually shorter on the 6 side.

[SAAS]

I always did until recently an AD fitted a new watch with a short 6 side of the bracelet much more comfortable for me and lays down nice when not in use.

[EEpro]

Place watch head. Adjust 6 to center blade of clasp. Adjust 12 to tighten.