Bracelet

A bracelet is a metal strap used to attach a watch to the wrist.

Although there are many manufacturers and styles of watch bracelets, Rolex has set the standard for many styles. Although trademarked Rolex designs are specific to that company, many watch enthusiasts refer to them in the generic sense.

The Beads of Rice style has five rounded links between larger flat outer links. The inner links are often polished and look somewhat like metallic grains of rice, while the outer links are usually satin finished.

The Beads of Rice bracelet is associated with the Patek Philippe Calatrava and similar dress watches from Vacheron Constantin and others.

A Bonklip bracelet was produced by well-known supplier Gay Frères for brands like Rolex. It features very wide and slim center links attached by much smaller outer links.

Many Bonklip bracelets were expandable, allowing their use without a clasp.

The Engineer bracelet is an alternative 5-link design where each link is the same width. The links are offset by 50% from each other as on a Jubilee bracelet but are often flattened somewhat and larger, giving it more of a sporty appearance. Some engineer-style bracelets have a sharper hexagonal shape to the links, giving them a chain-like look.

Seiko is credited for the original concept, though many brands now use engineer-style bracelets on their tool watches.

The Jubilee is a five-link bracelet with rounded links. The three center links are about 50% the size of the outer links and are offset by 50%. Many jubilee-style bracelets are produced in two-tone styling, with gold inside and steel outside.

5-link bracelets like the jubilee are prone to stretching and loosening over time.

Rolex introduced the Jubilee bracelet in 1945 on the flagship Datejust models.

A Ladder bracelet features large openings created by thin inner links between longer outer links.

Zenith made the ladder bracelet famous on their El Primero chronographs of the 1970s.

The Milanese Mesh bracelet is a fine mesh of many tiny links. These dense links are woven tightly together to give a uniform appearance.

The Oyster is a simple three-link bracelet with flattened links. The center link is about twice the size of the outer links and is offset by about 25% from them. Many oyster-style bracelets feature a mix of polished and satin links, and some are available in two-tone styles.

The Oyster bracelet is stronger than many other designs due to the large size and limited number of links.

Rolex designed the Oyster bracelet in the 1930s and the basic style is today strongly associated with the Submariner line.

The President is a simpler bracelet made with three-piece semi-circular links. The center link is about twice the size of the outer links and offset by 50% from them. This style is strongly associated with Rolex and is less copied by other brands.

Rolex introduced the President bracelet in 1956 and it remains associated with the Rolex Day-Date watch as the “Rolex President”. Today's President bracelets include the hidden Crownclasp deployant.

A Shark Mesh bracelet features larger, looser links than the Milanese variety. This gives it a sportier appearance.

• Strap
• Deployant