Rolex 6494 what are correct end link?

[perry911113]

I have a 1957 Rolex 6494 that came with a 7835 oyster bracelet with 357 end links.
I will be fitting a correct period 7205 bracelet this coming year. I may swap out the current end links because they fit nicely.
But for experimental purposes I tried my 7205 that resides on my 1966 Tudor 7965 with 60 end links and found a no go.
I also tried the C&I rivet stretch with no marking end links off my 1964 Tudor 7934 on my 6494 and also found a no go.
I believe the correct end link for a 6494 to be 57 which is interchangeable with 357 which is also correct for Rolex 5500 and 1500 series but when you compare the oysters between the 6494 and 5500 the lugs are so much longer and more substantial the 6494.
Don't have any 257's but I'll ask if 57, 257 and 357 are all interchangable.
It's amazing how much lower the Tudor 7964 sits then the 6494 and 5500 on the wrist.
Seems clear Tudor end link covers marked 60 and I assume 61 are not compatible on 6494 and 5500.
Does anyone out there want to chime in and discuss vintage 34mm?
Respectfully
Peter

[CTech]

The best fit for a 6494 is a riveted Oyster bracelet with 60 end links, and I believe this was the original factory fitted bracelet. I think these end links have a semi-permanent fitting to the bracelet (like a T-bar) and are different from the later ones that come off the bracelet when the spring bars are removed. If this is true, the Tudor 60 end links are not the same as the early Rolex 60 end links from the 1950s.

Even the riveted bracelet with the correct 60 end links doesn't fit very well by modern standards as the end link is short compared to the length of the lug, so the lugs extend beyond the end link, like an overhang.

The progression of 57, 257 and 357 you mention is for a different shape case and:

57 fits a riveted bracelet
257 fits a folded link bracelet
357 fits a solid link bracelet

I don't think there is a similar progression for the 60 end links, that is there is no equivalent end link for a folded link or solid link bracelet, and so people have to bend other end links to fit, but they never seem satisfactory.