Behind the Bench: Patek Philippe Bracelet Restoration by One of Our Master Jewelers

For those that have shopped with us before, you were probably pleasantly surprised at the immaculate condition your watch arrived in. No blemishes, no scratches, no signs of wear that a used watch would normally demonstrate- and at an unbeatable price to match? Most of our patrons are left speechless once they open up that box and see a seemingly brand new timepiece staring right back at them. “How can a pre-owned luxury goods retailer deliver such high quality merchandise?” is the question we are typically faced with, and we believe that attests more to our impressiveness than our skepticism.

To answer that question though, we have to take you behind the scenes to meet one of the people that make it all possible. We recently received a Patek Philippe watch with an 18k gold mesh bracelet that needed to be lengthened because it was customized to fit a smaller wrist. Mesh bracelets are among the hardest bracelets to resize due to the fact that they have no removable links or individual sections, so naturally we jumped on the opportunity to showcase our expertise in watch bracelet restoration.

We ask one of our Master Jewelers, Diego Bolon, to not only take you through the arduous process of lengthening, rebuilding, and repairing an 18k gold Patek Philippe watch bracelet, but to also share some insight as to what makes him so passionate about his jewelry restoration work.

“We received a bracelet that was too short and we decided to bring it back to factory specifications. In order to do that, we had to customize parts with 18k gold wire to create a band that looks exactly like the original and moves exactly like the original. We don’t want to lose the original flexibility of the watch which is the most important part we want to restore.”

“I went to a specialized jewelers school in Uruguay which is considered the Paris of South America in regards to jewelry education. I started looking at watch bracelets and realized there is a need for people’s heirlooms and watch bracelets to be rebuilt. Although the watch head will last many generations to come if properly taken care of by a watchmaker, the bracelet just by wear and tear alone needs to be rebuilt, refabricated, reconditioned, and put back in a condition where it will last. Generally bracelets may last 8-15 years if worn regularly, but after that, they end up looking terribly worn, terribly stretched, and does not represent the quality of a fine Swiss timepiece any longer.”

“This is where I began to work on high quality brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, etc.- lengthening them and fabricating links from scratch because they were no longer available by the factory. I would hand make them and I would bring them back to Swiss factory standards making the screws, lapping the links so that they have the proper cuts, proper staining, proper high polish, proper length, width, and thickness.

When I look at the watch and I can’t tell the difference between the pieces I added and the factory Swiss piece, then I know I have succeeded. This is my goal, this is my passion, this is what I live for. It transcends money and any salary I could ever make. When I breathe a second life into a timepiece, I know it will last for generations to come, long after im gone, and that gives me a feeling of pride.”

For those that haven’t experienced our quality first hand, we have 6 in-house master watchmakers and jewelers with over 150 years of combined experience in the art of fine Swiss-made timepieces and high-end jewelry. We have been a dominant force in the South Florida area, and serve as one of Miami’s leading authorities on all things luxury. We are proud of our commitment to excellence and we jump at any opportunity to back it up. If you need similar services for Patek Philippe watch repair, including bracelet rebuilds as in the video, contact us today for a free quote.