23-59.NET

This article will guide you through sizing both an OEM mesh bracelet or one of our own 23-59 Signed Mesh Bracelets. The process is exactly the same with either type.

Omega type mesh bracelets are some of my absolute favourites. The only downside, in fact, is sizing them. The mesh links are not removable, unlike oyster bracelet links which are held in place via screw pins or push pins. Now if you’re like me, one thing that can really bug you is not being able to get the clasp of a bracelet centred correctly. Firstly it looks daft and secondly (and more importantly) the watch head will not stay centred on the top of your wrist if the clasp is not centred on the underside. Get the clasp right and the watch head will sit exactly where you want it which is smack in the middle of the wrist.

This is how we need the clasp to sit:

I have a 7.5 inch wrist circumference so most oyster bracelets require that I use 5 links on the south side and 6 links on the north side and then micro adjust the clasp to centre and fit correctly and I was hoping the Omega mesh would be similarly simple. Not quite, I’m afraid. The bracelet would fit just fine but the clasp was way off centre. Hmm.. what to do? Well, the only thing you can do is remove some mesh links and micro adjust the clasp. Many on the forums had shied away from doing this for fear of ruining what is a quite expensive bracelet. For me, however, wearing it with the clasp half way up the one side of the bracelet was not an option. OK, time to remove some links. There are two ways to do this. If you know exactly how many rows of mesh links you need to remove, and have access to a vice and small hacksaw, this can be the easiest way to remove them as long as you’re careful. I removed two rows in this way without any damage to the rest of the bracelet. However, the safest way is to use a pair of small wire cutters and some long nose pliers, like the ones below.

Tools of the trade..

Using a spring bar tool (I use a Bergeon 6767) remove the side of the bracelet that requires trimming. You should cut the end nearest to the clasp as should you scratch any of the remaining links it won’t matter as you’ll either cover them with the main clasp or the seatbelt end that slots into the clasp. Using the wire cutters cut the first mesh link and then use the pliers to carefully bend it out of the way, allowing you space to cut the second. When the second is cut the first will come away away and you can just repeat the process until the entire row is gone. Fit the clasp back into place and you’re done.

You’ll be left with a little pile of dead links..

Having completed that process all was fine and dandy except for two things. In order to get the clasp near centre on my wrist I had to cut away a few more link rows from the south side and then adjust the clasp to be at maximum. In other words, if it got much hotter in the summer and my wrist expanded, I would not be able to loosen the bracelet. Add to this the annoyance that the clasp was still about 2mm left of centre. Growl!  My solution was to purchase an OEM diver’s extension piece. All the OEM Omega mesh bracelets are 20mm at the clasp regardless of whether they are 24mm, 22mm or 20mm at the lug end so you can’t order the wrong one as it’s one size fits all and because they’re not signed they will work with the 23-59 range of mesh bracelets, too..

Here is the packet showing the parts number that you’ll need:

Now, with that extension in place on the north side I removed a couple more rows from the south side of the bracelet and “voila!” with the clasp micro adjusted to the central hole of 5 the clasp centered on my wrist perfectly and I now had two micro adjust holes either side for when it was very cold or very warm. The bracelet is now a perfect fit!!

Take note: If, as I have, you use the extension link on the main clasp end of the bracelet you can only feed the extension link in 3 holes max. To solve this make sure that when the extension link is at the max 3 hole the bracelet is as tight as you’ll ever need it on a cold day. That way you’ll only ever be expanding the bracelet rather than shrinking. Otherwise you’ll need to lose another row of mesh links and have the extension link sit 2 holes in. This will give you one hole adjustment either way which is normally exactly what you need unless you’re planning on some serious weight-training in the near future.

Perfectly centered..

So don’t be afraid to go to work on these bracelets. They’re not as easy as an oyster, no, but they’re tough as nails and can take whatever you throw at them (they’re supposed to be shark-proof, right?) and unlike oysters they don’t pick up visible swirlies except to the clasp and once you get them right they’re the most comfortable bracelet you’ll have ever worn.