Watchband

Jewelry Discussion
1

I would appreciate some advice on repairing my watchband. I have a
Raymond Weil “Fidelio” watch, with a lovely band. The watch was a
gift from a wealthy friend several years ago. I have worn and
enjoyed it 24 hours a day – the plating has worn down somewhat, but
it doesn’t matter to me, since it is brass underneath, so there is no
significant color change. What does matter is that the rivets are
breaking. Another type of band will not fit on this watch (even if I
could find one I like as well), and a new band would cost nearly
$400, which is out of my range. Through a jewelry store, I have
already paid $80 to have a jeweller fix some of the rivets, but more
are breaking (I got an original estimate of $60 to fix the rivets,
and when I picked it up, the salesperson said, Oh yes, it will be $80
because more broke while the jeweller was fixing it). Can anyone
suggest affordable options so I can keep on wearing this watch?

Thanks in advance!
Judy Bjorkman

2

Judy,

A new watch band of same or similar style CAN be fitted. Perhaps you
meant that it could not be ‘custom’ fitted. I have done this very
often. The compromise is maintaining the flow of the band and case’s
style and color.

First try this site: http://www.watchbands.com/index.html They carry
both genuine and generic bands

I have checked the following site
(horology.com) to track down a dedicated
service center. Seems most of the sites are dead-ends. There are
some in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The website is at:
http://www. crystaltime.com.sg/service_center.htm

I hope this helps.
Warm regards,
Daniel Biery Jr.
Master Goldsmith