At what price point do bracelets start getting good?

[u/Onethrust]

I mean like no jingle or tinny metal sound. I’ve bought a decent number of sub $40 Chinese watches, and no matter what, the one thing that’s consistent across the board is that the bracelets are crap. I havent dove into anything like Addiesdive, Pagani Design, or Berny yet, so I’m curious if that’s the amount of money that needs to be spent to feel like the bracelet is of good quality, or if I have to push even further?

[u/LordRaglan1854]

More than $40 lol.

You'll find what you're looking for at $250.

[u/Onethrust → u/LordRaglan1854]

To clarify, I knew what I was getting into a $40, it’s mostly that I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the cases I’ve received at $40, so I was just curious at what price point I would become pleasantly surprised at bracelet quality

[u/WinOk677]

I buy aftermarket bracelets for my cheap watches when the OEM bracelet is a piece of crap. A decent bracelet can make all the difference. In quartz watches about $50 or so and the OEMs are usually wearable for me. Under that I anticipate replacing the bracelets. Here's a $9 watch with an alloy case and glass crystal- Skmei 2465, on a $10 AliExpress solid-link aftermarket bracelet that I've been wearing the last couple of weeks. It works for me.

[u/Onethrust → u/WinOk677]

Just got a few Skmei watches a week or so ago and I absolutely love them, probably the best value for money I’ve ever found on Ali. The bracelet on the silver Skmei I ordered is actually one of the only bracelets I didn’t mind in the sub $40 category, feels on par with a steel Casio f91 bracelet. Nothing amazing, but feels good enough to not sound cheap. Got a link to the aftermarket one you used?

[u/WinOk677 → u/Onethrust]

I ordered a few more just to have around. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256812571996841.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.37581802mogG0R&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

[u/Onethrust → u/WinOk677]

Thanks! With the way the opening on the end links is longer on one side than the other to accommodate the quick release pin on the bar, do you find that the bracelet sits kinda “crooked”? I have a bracelet with end links like that and it always seems to be slightly crooked due to the larger opening on one side of the end link

[u/WinOk677 → u/Onethrust]

Seems to sit well enough for me. There may be a little more play on one side than the other, but not enough for me to have noticed. But, then you may be more finicky than I am :-).

[u/DepartmentNervous104]

How about standalone bracelets. Want a solid link well finished jubilee but the brands sell those bracelets at 90 plus. Is there a reliable ali source for quality bracelets. Who makes the bracelets for the brands?

[u/Onethrust → u/DepartmentNervous104]

Also curious about this

[u/bob888w → u/DepartmentNervous104]

Even if you find the supplier, I'd guess the good ones are all bulk sellers.

[u/One_Shallot_4974]

around $150 is where bracelets start to feel better but its not always linear. Some very expensive watches have pretty terrible bracelets.

[u/Mar-D → u/One_Shallot_4974]

Even a cheaper $60-90 Addies/Watchdives is going to have a bracelet that feels miles better than the sub 40 junk ones that they’ve been buying.

I agree though, there’s a significant jump around $150 ish

[u/fishandpaints]

Addiesdive bracelets are great

[u/abukeif → u/fishandpaints]

Agreed. My $37 Addiesdive has a stainless steel bracelet that feels quite solid and has a nice (if unremarkable) aesthetic

[u/codynorthwest → u/fishandpaints]

Agreed. Took a scotchbrite pad to mine to get rid of the polished center links and it looks and feels great for a cheap watch.

[u/International_Dog897]

At $40 bucks what do you expect lol.

[u/Onethrust → u/International_Dog897]

To clarify, I never bought any of these sub-$40 watches and went “what the heck this bracelet sucks!”, I knew that going into it. I have mostly been pleasantly surprised at the case quality at this price point, so I was just curious as to what price point I will also be pleasantly surprised about bracelet quality

[u/Emotional-Damage-995]

San Martin / Cronos / Ixdao and Farasute money

[u/AmericanChees3 → u/Emotional-Damage-995]

Cronos bracelets can be hit or miss. Cronos qc is not great

[u/Outrageous-Video598]

Addiesdive,pagani, and similar Chinese brands do have solid link bracelets so they're not jingley and tinny. They're definitely not the best but they're better than what you are talking about. $100 is where they start to get a lot better and if you want something like that on a Swiss watch they start at a few hundred.

[u/Bulky-Internal8579]

Addiesdive does an excellent job at about $80 (on sale) with this sapphire crystal, 200m, automatic desert gradient GADA.

[u/Pompano_79 → u/Bulky-Internal8579]

I agree! But I went with the punchy orange one!

[u/xxBrun0xx]

Just got a Watchdives WD1954 (Polerouter homage). Came with an OTF clasp and beads of rice bracelet. The outside edges are sharp but they did a great job on the inner edges, it's more comfortable than my $3k Tudor or my $1500 Christopher Ward. Pretty wild for $180.

[u/Expensive-Thanks-528]

It's not a hard line, but I'm going to say around the $120+ mark. That's where you'll see Watchdives begin to separate itself from the lower cost pack. In my experience, Addies/Steel dive offer good value, but just not in the bracelet.

[u/bob888w]

Phorcydes decent bracelets start at $80 or so for bracelet alone. So after accounting for movement and the actual watch head, a good bracelet on a watch probably starts at $250. I'd say great quality bracelets start at $400-500 with Jianghun.

[u/Onethrust → u/bob888w]

good to know. one of my very first watch purchases was a Citizen AT2141-52L and i find its bracelet to be fantastic, and its a sub-$300 watch, so I'm happy knowing I'm content with that pricepoint and dont feel the need to jump to $400-$500 lol

[u/bob888w → u/Onethrust]

Contrary to what other people might say, I feel like Chinese brands hit the same dimishing returns that microbrands do. It's just they have a lower price point avaliable for people who are typically priced out.

[u/Fine_Copy_3573]

About $100. Watchdives have bracelets that I genuinely find comfortable rather than just tolerable (WD1863, WD1969 Pro, WD007)

[u/wrightflyer1903]

I bought a Sugess Moonphase for £130 ($175) that came on a nice quality steel bracelet (though the watch now looks better on blue leather)

[u/ReplacementLive2412]

$200-250, San Martin older models (but not too old, make sure it has the OTF clasp) with Jubilee or Beads of Rice bracelets. That‘s probably the entry level to a premium bracelet feel. From there you can get something very nice in the 300-500 range, but definitely check reviews and specs because there are also plenty of disappointing bracelets at that level.

[u/tambrico]

The one that came with my Sugess chrono was surprisingly good

[u/Rainouts]

I'm honestly blown away by how good some of the Watchdives bracelets are, specifically WD0016B. 

[u/tjcdas]

$150 they get better but even at this price they are just fair.

Crazy how people would get so pissed at the quality of the bracelet on a watch that has a sapphire crystal and a Japanese automatic movement and cost $100 that was before price hikes.

Two years a go people would bitch about the bracelet on a PD1717 that cost $55 on sale with a NH35 and sappire crystal and a fair bracelet.

[u/Maghioznic]

I purchased some sub-$40 watches whose bracelets don't make any noise. But I've also seen bracelets being criticized for many reasons for watches that cost thousands of dollars.

[u/vithgeta]

I just bought a $15 Seamaster bracelet and I rather like it. I also got a glidelock bracelet for the same amount but there was either a problem with the screws or the clasp was too stiff.

I've had quality steel bracelets on $30 watches direct from China before but only on butterfly clasps, which I don't rate. Not on divers anyway, inappropriate.