ALPHA BRACELETS : A COMPARATIVE STUDY !

[Reno]

Here is the copy of a mail I sent to a WUS member last month… he asked about the quality of a specific ALPHA bracelet.

It's not the first time I've been asked this question, so I thought this thread could be a modest reference material


I rank Alpha's bracelets from good enough to excellent.



Good enough would be for for the basic 'Oyster' found on the Daytona chronos




or Explo I,





or the Jubilee (on GMT) :





the links are perfectly good, solid, but the buckle is a simple one on those two types, with no safety clasp (nothing serious, but I know some people have concerns about that ; I certainly don't) ; the endlinks are hollow (but it's not problematic either, in my opinion)


Good is for the enhanced Oyster found on the SUB or GMT… same links than on the 'basic' Oyster, but with a safety clasp, and enforced/fixed hollow endlinks (and a diving extension !)






I must say I was rather puzzled to realize that my colleague's Rolex SUB from the 90s' had a similar bracelet so if it was good enough for Rolex…

Another good bracelet would be the President, found on the Day-Date/Datejust…




This one is a simple friction/no buckle type, but it's rather good too, with solid endlinks



Very good is for the bracelet found on the PO : hefty, with a push-button buckle and solid endlinks






Excellent is for the SMP's bracelet… just impressive at this price point o_O

Double push button + diving extension + solid endlinks + half links for precise adjustment + overall great feel/heft






In conclusion, I find Alpha's bracelets pretty good (especially at this price point)… those found on the Omega homages are just great in my opinion


Hope you find this thread useful

[Vemrik]

Looks familiar! A very nice and informative compilation. And you are an excellent photographer for sure!

[Reno]

Looks familiar! A very nice and informative compilation. And you are an excellent photographer for sure!

Thank YOU Vemrik, for having me this review done in a more "formal" way

And thanks for the kind words.

[Seele]

Reno,

The "Enhanced Oyster" bracelet you rated as "good" does look a lot like that supplied on Bagelsport watches, have you done a side-by-side comparison?

[Reno]

Reno,

The "Enhanced Oyster" bracelet you rated as "good" does look a lot like that supplied on Bagelsport watches, have you done a side-by-side comparison?

Nope, but it feels better. I never had any problems with the ALPHA's Oyster. Everything fits perfectly fine.

The Bagelsport's bracelet is really, really not good



They look the same, but they're not.

(As a matter of fact, the ALPHA Oyster also looks like the Heinrichssohn's bracelet, but it's simply better )

[Seele]

Thanks Reno, I see a resemblance in the deployant clasp design, perhaps they were made by the same firm but the better ones sent to Alpha; goodness knows!

I have got the Alpha USA Milsub for quite some time and been wearing it on a charcoal leather strap, slightly padded, it works well enough. Even though it is meant to be on a grey NATO - preferably made by Phoenix of Wales - I still entertain the idea of putting it on bracelet, even though my shirt cuffs don't agree with it much. There again I have original Tropic rubber straps which I could use, but to my eyes they do look a little odd...

[Reno]

Thanks Reno, I see a resemblance in the deployant clasp design, perhaps they were made by the same firm but the better ones sent to Alpha; goodness knows!

I have got the Alpha USA Milsub for quite some time and been wearing it on a charcoal leather strap, slightly padded, it works well enough. Even though it is meant to be on a grey NATO - preferably made by Phoenix of Wales - I still entertain the idea of putting it on bracelet, even though my shirt cuffs don't agree with it much. There again I have original Tropic rubber straps which I could use, but to my eyes they do look a little odd...

I have the "regular" SUB for 4 years now, and it's been on nearly every possible straps/bracelets… it's one of those watches that can be fit on nearly everything.

Alpha sub


I have a 18mm TROPIC that came with a 1973 TIMEX… yeah, they're pretty weird indeed

[IanC]

Pretty informative. I know nothing about bracelets...so the features of a good bracelet are :

-Solid endlinks
-Push button clasp
-Solid feel and weight
-half links

?

[drockadam]

Great review of the different Alpha bracelets Reno! Trust me people Reno knows his Alphas! I find the clasp on my Alpha Pepsi GMT Oysterlocking bracelet a little sharp. The Alpha President looks nice!!!

[Reno]

Pretty informative. I know nothing about bracelets...so the features of a good bracelet are :

-Solid endlinks
-Push button clasp
-Solid feel and weight
-half links

?

Well, those elements alone don't necessarily qualify a bracelet for quality.

A push button clasp and half links are convenient (and are a plus in my book), but are not essential to quality.

The "feel", the weight, of a bracelet, is something rather subjective… it's important for me, but maybe not for everybody.

On the other end, solid endlinks are generally considered a sign of quality by most people, compared to hollow end links (the same goes for solid links compared to folded links)

I made this rating only about ALPHA bracelets I own.

A bracelet from another brand, with similar specs, could very well be of lesser (or higher) quality.

Great review of the different Alpha bracelets Reno! Trust me people Reno knows his Alphas! I find the clasp on my Alpha Pepsi GMT Oysterlocking bracelet a little sharp. The Alpha President looks nice!!!

Thanks Adam glad you like the review.

Yes, the President is nice… not so frequently seen