A correctly sized Rolex bracelet is the difference between a watch you forget you are wearing and one you fidget with all day. Most people wear theirs a link too loose, which wears the bracelet, spoils the look and — on a dive watch — actually reduces safety.
How tight is right
The watch head should sit on the top of your wrist and stay there. You should be able to slide a fingertip under the bracelet but not a whole finger. When you turn your wrist over, the watch should follow, not swing round.
Wrists swell over the course of a day and in heat. Size for the middle of that range and use the micro-adjustment for the rest.
Removing links
Modern Rolex bracelets use screwed links: a flat-head screw on each side of the link, undone with a precision screwdriver. Older bracelets use pins driven out with a pin pusher, and folded-link vintage bracelets use friction pins that are easy to bend.
This is a genuine skill. A slipped screwdriver leaves a permanent scratch on the outside of a link, and over-tightened screws shear. If you are not confident, have it done.
Half-links
A full link is roughly 9-10mm of bracelet, which is often too coarse an adjustment. Rolex supplies half-links on many bracelets, and a half-link is frequently the difference between "slightly loose" and "right".
Half-links are model-specific and not always available. If a watch comes with one, keep it.
Easylink, Glidelock and Fliplock
Easylink — a folding 5mm extension inside the clasp on most Oyster and Jubilee bracelets since the 2000s. Flip it out on a hot day, flip it back in the evening. No tools.
Glidelock — on Submariner, Sea-Dweller and Deepsea clasps: a toothed rack that extends up to 20mm in 2mm steps. The finest adjustment Rolex makes and the reason a dive Rolex can be sized perfectly.
Fliplock — an additional folding extension on Sea-Dweller and Deepsea clasps, adding around 26mm to fit over a wetsuit.
Bracelet stretch
Over years, the pins and link holes wear and the bracelet lengthens, developing a visible sag. It is most pronounced on older hollow-link bracelets and on gold, which is softer.
Stretch cannot be reversed by tightening. It is corrected by replacing worn links or the bracelet, which on gold is expensive. Check for it before buying: hold the watch by the clasp and look at how far the links separate under their own weight.
Keep the removed links
They are model-specific, they are expensive to replace, and a bracelet with all its links is worth more when you sell. Put them in the box the day you size the watch.
Browse the collection
Every watch we sell is supplied with all its links and sized to your wrist on request. Browse the collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Screwed-link bracelets, carefully, with the right screwdriver. Pinned vintage bracelets are easy to damage.
A tool-free 5mm extension for when your wrist swells. Use it rather than removing a link.
Only by replacing worn links. It is priced into the value of the watch.
