Patek Aftermarket Beads of Rice Bracelet?

[CasinoRoyale_007]

Hi friends,

Seeing an ALS (one which wasn't meant for a Wallendorf bracelet) on an aftermarket / third-party mesh (looked great) got me thinking - has anybody got any recommendations for an aftermarket beads of rice / third-party bracelet for precious metal Pateks?

For example, a friend and I were chatting about the strap version annual calendar (5146G) and how (just like with most Pateks) you cannot convert it to a bracelet version (5146/1G) even if you are 100% willing to pay (the cases are finished completely differently and in some Pateks there are protrusions to make the bracelet sit flush, etc.).

This is not an issue as we both prefer straps usually, especially on dressy Pateks, but for the once in a blue moon where we might want to change out the strap for a bracelet (for fun), does anybody know any great aftermarket bracelets that can be had? Price is less of an issue than quality...would easily pay 4 figures for a good bracelet...

I am concerned about:
1) Quality (but it's 100% ok if it has no "flush" endlinks and sits wth an empty space until the springbar just like how the old beads of rice sat on the old PP Chronos)
2) Scratching - I guess if I get a steel bracelet on a white gold watch it might scratch the lugs and the case? Has anybody tried?

Maybe I'm just nuts and should stick to AP/VC for the bracelets, but would love to hear any thoughts. I guess I'm a little jealous that the VC Overseas, etc. can handle both straps and bracelets...

[IBDOC]

The issue with third party bracelets in precious metal is one of whether it’s possible to get one in whatever alloy PP uses. They don’t have any weird patented alloy like Lange’s Honey gold, Hublot’s King Gold etc afaik but it might still be difficult to get an exact match. For instance the R tone on the 5711R is not the same as those on R Calatravas. And for G watches you’d have to get a non-rhodiated white gold bracelet with a high % Palladium in the alloy. Where, again, exact composition will vary.

If you want to proceed then take the watch to a reputable specialty goldsmith and have them check exactly what’s up. And I’d go with a vintage-style milanese which fit PP OEM gold spring bars, in order to minimize case contact and also negate most scratch issues since it doesn’t look obvious on mesh.

[CasinoRoyale_007]

Originally Posted by IBDOC

The issue with third party bracelets in precious metal is one of whether it’s possible to get one in whatever alloy PP uses. They don’t have any weird patented alloy like Lange’s Honey gold, Hublot’s King Gold etc afaik but it might still be difficult to get an exact match. For instance the R tone on the 5711R is not the same as those on R Calatravas. And for G watches you’d have to get a non-rhodiated white gold bracelet with a high % Palladium in the alloy. Where, again, exact composition will vary.

If you want to proceed then take the watch to a reputable specialty goldsmith and have them check exactly what’s up. And I’d go with a vintage-style milanese which fit PP OEM gold spring bars, in order to minimize case contact and also negate most scratch issues since it doesn’t look obvious on mesh.

That is great advice, thank you. You are clearly more an expert than I am in this field - might you have any recommendations of places / people for me to go to?

I guess the other issue is that you're in Scandinavia and I'm in New York, haha.

Thank you again.

[IBDOC]

Originally Posted by CasinoRoyale_007

That is great advice, thank you. You are clearly more an expert than I am in this field - might you have any recommendations of places / people for me to go to?

I guess the other issue is that you're in Scandinavia and I'm in New York, haha.

Thank you again.

I went through a long inquiry process for a bracelet for 5172G but in the end I couldn’t find a 100% match for the PP alloy locally based on what the goldsmith arrived at with his spectrometer analysis.

[CasinoRoyale_007]

Originally Posted by IBDOC

I went through a long inquiry process for a bracelet for 5172G but in the end I couldn’t find a 100% match for the PP alloy locally based on what the goldsmith arrived at with his spectrometer analysis.

It is indeed a quest.