Screw, split pin or tube: how to tell what holds the links before removing them

Watches Newbie Corner
1

Why start here
Two bracelets that look alike from above can be held together by very different systems: a screw, a push pin, or a pin held by a small tube. Pushing a screw or unscrewing a pin is the best way to damage a part or lose it.

What this thread covers
Identification only. The full routine (tools, clasp side, how many links) is already in Adjusting a bracelet without scratching it. My degree of certainty: high on what can be seen on the side of the bracelet, more cautious about what is hidden inside.

[[PHOTO: vue latérale de trois maillons côte à côte, à gauche une tête de vis fendue, au centre un trou de goupille avec une flèche gravée sur la face intérieure, à droite une goupille avec son petit tube visible en coupe]]

Editorial summary, not independently verified.

2

Beginner question: on the side of the bracelet I just see a small round hole. Is it a screw or a pin? And when you read “adjust without a pin” (“sans goupille”), what exactly does that mean?

3

Let’s start with the screw, the easiest to recognise. On the side of the link you see a head with a slot for the screwdriver, sometimes on one side only, sometimes on both. A smooth round hole with no slot is not a screw.

A screw is unscrewed, never pushed. You need a blade that fills the slot exactly; a blade that is too small marks the head on the first try. The thread on adjusting the bracelet details the tools and the protection with adhesive tape.

So “without a pin” most often means a screw bracelet.

4

So what about the small round hole? Most often it’s a push pin. How do you know which way? Turn the link over: on the inner face, an engraved arrow shows the direction the pin comes out.

The Citizen “Simple Adjust” instructions say it clearly:

  • push the pin in the direction of the arrow engraved on the inside of the link;
  • on links drilled on both sides, only work on the pin closest to the arrow, without removing the one opposite;
  • lay down a cloth before you start, because pins and small springs roll away easily;
  • when reassembling, push the pin in from the outer hole and check that it is properly centred, otherwise it can work its way out while worn.

The split pin is a common variant: a rod split along its length, held by friction. It is also pushed in the direction of the arrow when there is one. Sure about your hole? Look at the inside first.

5

That leaves the third system, the one that makes people lose parts: pin and tube (sometimes called a collar). A tiny tube sits in the centre link and grips the pin. When you push the pin, the tube can fall out, and without it the link no longer holds.

Small comparison table:

System What you see on the side Action Main risk
Screw slotted head unscrew marking the head
Arrow / split pin round hole, arrow on the inside push in the direction of the arrow pushing the wrong way
Pin and tube round hole, sometimes a slight shoulder push over a cloth losing the tube

As in architecture: the façades look alike, it’s the structure that changes everything.

6

Summary of what I’ve understood: slot = screw, arrow = pin, tube = careful. And the small holes on the side of the clasp, is that yet another system?

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The clasp
Yes, it’s different: the holes in the clasp are for micro-adjustment with a spring bar; nothing is removed. For Oyster and Jubilee type clasps (Glidelock, Easylink), see Oyster and Jubilee bracelets on reps. And for the spring bars between the lugs, Changing the strap without scratching the lugs.

The photos to ask for before touching anything

  • a sharp side view of a link;
  • a close-up of the inner face, where the arrow is;
  • a photo of the open clasp.
    For angles and light: How to ask for useful QC photos.

[[PHOTO: gros plan de la face intérieure d’un maillon de bracelet métallique avec la flèche gravée indiquant le sens de sortie de la goupille]]

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Recap:

  1. Identify before dismantling: seen from above, the three systems look alike.
  2. Screw: slotted head on the side; it is unscrewed with a blade of the right width, never pushed.
  3. Arrow or split pin: round hole, arrow engraved on the inside; push in the direction of the arrow (Citizen instructions), don’t touch the opposite pin, recentre when reassembling.
  4. Pin and tube: the small tube in the centre link can fall out; work over a cloth.
  5. “Without a pin” most often means a screw bracelet.
  6. The clasp is a different system (micro-adjustment), see the thread on Oyster and Jubilee bracelets.
  7. For the full routine, the thread on adjusting the bracelet.

Editorial summary, not independently verified.

9

Thanks, crystal clear. One last point for beginners: if in doubt, ask for the photo of the inner face before picking up the pin pusher.