Let's see why the bracelet is more interesting than the strap

Wrist Watch

While both options are good, the history of the bracelet and the complexity of manufacturing call for giving this item a piece of our attention.

In many ways, bracelets are a perfect example of how functionality and aesthetics can complement each other, creating pleasing (literally) and sometimes surprising results. A well-made bracelet emphasizes the value of the watch itself; it is not for nothing that collectors pay much more attention to them than mere mortals, for whom metal links fastened together seem to be rather simple and utilitarian inventions. In the standard descriptions of watch models, you will find an indication of the material and something about the clasp, and no explanation of how exceptional this important component is.

We are curious people here, so let's dig deeper, broaden our horizons, so to speak: we will study the origin, recall well-known manufacturers and iconic bracelet designs, and try to make sure that this is not just a functional element, but a whole area of ​​useful information.

Look at the people around you - a light, durable, fairly easy to replace leather strap seems to most to be an absolutely logical choice. Through the efforts of Cartier, we were convinced that the first wristwatch appeared in 1904, when Santos-Dumont, an aviation pioneer, asked his friend Louis Cartier to make a watch that was comfortable for him to use in flight.

That's right, until that time, men's watches were mostly pocket watches, and the start of mass production of the Santos model - on a leather strap - in 1911 actually formed a certain "standard" image of a wrist watch for men: a metal case, a leather strap. But some historians consider the ancestor of the wristwatch, given in 1571 by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, to Queen Elizabeth I, "a watch full of diamonds hung from a bracelet that could be worn like a bracelet."

Jacquet-Droz and Leschot's 1790 accounting records mention "a watch that can be attached to a bracelet". The practice of fastening watches on the wrist was not widespread at that time, because such watches were not distinguished by reliability - the technologies of the time did not provide for the manufacture of dust- and waterproof cases, moreover, they also reliably protect the mechanism from shock. As a tool for determining the time, such watches were not suitable, especially in comparison with the usual pocket watches, where the watch was much more comfortable than on the hand.

Metal bracelets would become popular and much more common in the 1930s and 40s, but in men's watches it was not until the 1960s that they really gained public acceptance. The reason is quite simple - the size of the case of men's watches was quite small, no one dreamed of a diameter of 40 mm, watch cases made mainly of precious metals had small and narrow lugs, attaching a metal bracelet to such a bracelet would mean giving the watch a more feminine look.

In the women's field, by the way, watches with a bracelet were produced at full speed, but they treated the products as bracelets with mechanisms integrated into them, that is, the bracelet, as an ornament, had a primary function. Gold, of course, ruled the ball throughout the first half of the 20th century. Why so? It was easier to work with him.

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Cartier Santos

Steel bracelets for men's watches appeared around the years of World War II, they were essentially folding brackets that were attached to the so-called military watch-tools, before the advent of these durable bracelets, military watches held traditional leather or fabric straps on the wrist. As in many other areas, the influence of wartime continued in the watch industry, and metal bracelets gradually became a common sight on the male hand.

Meticulous people consider one of the rather early inventions for attaching watches to the wrist, called Bonklip, as an important milestone in the “bracelet business”. The first copies of the Bonklip appeared in the 1920s and were made by the American jeweler Walter Kremenz, but his invention did not receive commercial success, and therefore did not take root to any significant extent - in my opinion, Kremenets was simply ahead of his time, hurried. Bonklip only gained momentum after lighter manufacturer Dudley Russell Howitt filed a patent in the UK on March 6, 1930, on behalf of BH Britton and Sons.

The Bonklip was an innovative product as it was one of the first relatively cheap watch bands to use stainless steel. BH Britton and Sons has been making Bonklip bracelets for over forty years and has managed to make them popular. Rolex sold watches with Bonklip bracelets in the 1930s and 1940s, the British Ministry of Defense ordered Bonklip bracelets for aircrews in the 1950s and 1960s, IWC MK XI watches, including Bonklip bracelets…

Bracelet Bonklip/ BH Britton and Sons

But after 1950, the patent for this design expired, and a real boom began in the production of Bonklip bracelets by a number of other manufacturers. One such manufacturer, Gay Frères, well-known to specialists, supplied them to Rolex to fit the Oyster Perpetual “Bubbleback”, often with folding clasps instead of the “hook” system that Howitt patented in 1930. In those years, bracelets were a really expensive addition, sometimes costing half the purchase, as in the case of the Rolex Imperial, which helps to give an idea of ​​​​the then complexities of the process.

For Rolex, the Bonklip was the forerunner of the more durable Oyster bracelet model, the new design provided a solid foundation for the brand's growing range of professional watches, also made by Gay Frères. The first appearance of an Oyster bracelet in the Rolex catalog was in 1948, after a patent application was filed in 1947.

Rolex Oyster bracelet

Of course, today one cannot help but recall the integrated designs of the Royal Oak and Nautilus bracelets - both of these bracelets were also made by Gay Frères. With Gerald Genta as the author of the design, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe worked closely with Gay Frères during the development of their iconic designs in the 70s to ensure that Genta's ideas could become reality. These were not the first bracelets to be integrated into a watch case, but they may have become the most significant and replicated versions.

They also represent one of the more notable examples of how the bracelet is considered an integral part of watch design, rather than just a later addition. The wisdom of this approach has been proven by their popularity, which has only grown over time.

Patek Philippe Nautilus Bracelet

There is another type of bracelets that is definitely worth mentioning - “rice beads”.
Interest in this style has revived in recent years, but first emerged as early as the 1940s, being adopted early on by Patek Philippe and used by a range of other brands from Omega to Longines. It is one of the most comfortable bracelet designs and has inspired many derivatives since its inception.

Beads of rice bracelet

Collectors and just attentive buyers are always interested in studying the "identification marks". The stamps and hallmarks that are on the bracelets tell interesting stories. For example, on original Rolex and Tudor watches from the 1950s, inside the clasp of the bracelet, you can find the inscriptions, “Made in England” or “Made in Mexico” - which does not mean at all that you have some kind of counterfeit. Apparently, in order to avoid any export duties, companies sent watches without bracelets to their foreign partners, and those who worked with local suppliers completed watches with them - these clasps are stamped "Rolex", so this was done obviously with the knowledge and brand controlled.

In addition to such "curiosities" here, the study of the bracelet can confirm how good a vintage model is, which they are trying to sell you under the guise of 100% original. For example, the Omega Speedmaster was released with several models of bracelets, with different inscriptions on the clasp and end links, which must match, as well as correspond to certain years of production. The Royal Oak 5402 model has the same bracelet in all of its iterations, but there are nuances.

For example, early toggle clasps were signed by Audemars Piguet, while later examples had a shorter AP. These small details, which may seem insignificant at first glance, turn out to be very important. They can mean the difference between an original part and a later replacement.

Since we are talking about stamps, let's note the head of a ram - a sign of the well-known bracelet manufacturer, Gay Frères, as you probably guessed from the frequency of mention. Gay Frères, before it was bought by Rolex in 1998 by an independent company, had a huge impact on this part of watchmaking.
The history of Gay Frères goes back to a time before watch bracelets were invented. Founded in 1835, the company was based in Geneva, where it was famous for its women's jewelry and pocket watch chains.

Their first experience in the production of watch bracelets was the production of Bonklip for Rolex. After Bonklip and Oyster, Gay Frères began to build relationships with other major Swiss watch houses such as Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe, who were located near them in Geneva. For Patek Philippe, they are known to have made a “rice bead” bracelet for model 1518, which was sold at Phillips auction in 2016 for 11 million Swiss francs, which at that time was an absolute world record. They later continued to produce iconic bracelets for Heuer and Zenith chronographs, such as the "ladder bracelet" that comes with the El Primero.

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Another name to watch out for, since not all bracelets in the world are made by Gay Frères, is Ponti Gennari. This is another workshop in Geneva, and for a long time it was located in the building where the Patek Philippe Museum is now located. Their reputation was so high among buyers and watch companies that if you wanted to have their bracelet with your watch, you had to specify it additionally in the watch salon, as an expensive option when buying a car these days.

Ponti Gennari were great craftsmen and worked closely with Patek Philippe on many of their projects, which ended up being cast only in precious metals. Their style was always more flamboyant and ostentatious, and they were experts in setting diamonds and working gold into repeated patterns that could be worn on the wrist. They were a marker of individuality for those who could afford it. Ponti Gennari was bought by Piaget in 1969 and continued to make jewelery and jewel-like bracelets for them for decades afterward.

Vintage Patek Philippe with Ponti Gennari bracelet

From conditionally elite specimens of the bracelet business, let's move on to the steel invention, beloved by all peoples - Spidel Twist-O-Flex. Even if you don't know it by its name, you will definitely meet a similar miracle at parental or grandparents' hours. Remember the bending and stretching metal bracelet in all directions? It's about him!

The Spidel Twist-O-Flex bracelet always evokes pleasant memories, has not lost its charm, and therefore the army of its fans does not diminish its number (besides, it can be attached to the Apple Watch). The Twist-O-Flex is comfortable, doesn't break, and is the perfect combination of depth of engineering and simplicity: metal braces connect the links so that they remain movable and can stretch.

In the classic model, among other things, the end links were stretched so that they fit the fastening lugs of different widths, and the bracelet could be worn with any watch. Unfortunately, there are no such links in the new version of the bracelet. The bracelet as a whole stretches more than 10 centimeters, so putting on and taking off the device is convenient. Fits a lot of vintage models, like the SpeedMaster if that's your thing.

Classic Spidel Twist-O-Flex for Apple Watch

With all due respect to the history of the bracelet and these bright names, what should you prefer, a bracelet or a strap? Firstly, a huge number of modern watch models can be equipped with both a bracelet and a strap. Secondly, besides your own preferences, aesthetic perception, lifestyle or image that you want to create, the quality of workmanship is the most important factor, and it does not matter whether it is a bracelet or a strap.

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