Identifying a genuine 9315 Submariner bracelet

Reference material, technical and historic data
Post Reply
User avatar
springer
Posts: 275
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:32 pm
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Favorite Watch: GMT-Master

Identifying a genuine 9315 Submariner bracelet

Post by springer »

With the proliferation of counterfeit and fake Rolex parts finding their way into the market due to the escalating prices of genuine parts, I thought it would be nice to have a thread here to identify genuine 9315 Submariner bracelets which seems to be one of the common bracelets that counterfeits are attempting to replicate these days.

These Swiss bracelets were found most often on Submariners after the Swiss 7206 rivet bracelet was discontinued. I believe Rolex introduced these bracelets around 1969 and they continued in use until the late 1970s on the Rolex watches and are found much later on the Tudor watches.

Some of the attributes of this bracelet are:
1) There are 12 links total on the bracelet, referred to as "folded links." Some of the later parts books
show these bracelets with 13 links.

2) The clasp does not have a thumbnail recess like found on the later 93150 bracelet.

3) The flip-lock clasp is smooth on the top missing the two etched lines found on later 93150 clasps.

4) Early models had 380 end links with a T-bar shaped piece that went through the end link and was crimped to the last link of the bracelet. Later, around 1970, the end links changed to 280 which did away with the T-Bar inside of the end links and instead, the 280 end link had a slot cut on the back side of the end link where the large center loop on the last link on the bracelet passed through and into the end link.

Once this end link was properly inserted into the last link of the bracelet, the spring bar would be inserted into the end link where it passed through this loop from the last bracelet link thereby securing the end link to the bracelet.

5) It is possible to have clasp blades without a date stamp normally around 1973 -1974.

6) 9315 is stamped on the outer side of the last link which is found on the seven-link side of the bracelet.

7) 10 holes on each side of the clasp for adjustments.

The photos depicted here are from a bracelet found on a Submariner 1680 with a 1971 case back. The bracelet clasp is not dated which is not uncommon for these early bracelets. Additionally, the word PATENTED found on the diver's extension is misspelled and reads PATETED. (Rolex later corrected this error.) Not all of the 9315 diver's extensions contain this spelling error.
Attachments
Img_2098sm.jpg
Img_2098sm.jpg (36.32 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2100sm.jpg
Img_2100sm.jpg (41.75 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2093sm.jpg
Img_2093sm.jpg (54.89 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2101sm.jpg
Img_2101sm.jpg (75.22 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2102sm.jpg
Img_2102sm.jpg (64.67 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2088sm.jpg
Img_2088sm.jpg (74.61 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2082.sm.jpg
Img_2082.sm.jpg (74.13 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2081sm.jpg
Img_2081sm.jpg (52.16 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2092sm.jpg
Img_2092sm.jpg (56.85 KiB) Viewed 6714 times
Img_2090sm.jpg
Img_2090sm.jpg (59.8 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2078sm.jpg
Img_2078sm.jpg (41.15 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2079sm.jpg
Img_2079sm.jpg (46.29 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2073sm.jpg
Img_2073sm.jpg (91.55 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2074sm.jpg
Img_2074sm.jpg (87.67 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2076sm.jpg
Img_2076sm.jpg (90.63 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2066sm.jpg
Img_2066sm.jpg (76.58 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2067sm.jpg
Img_2067sm.jpg (88.9 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2068sm.jpg
Img_2068sm.jpg (35.61 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2069sm.jpg
Img_2069sm.jpg (57.84 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2070sm.jpg
Img_2070sm.jpg (67.2 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2071sm.jpg
Img_2071sm.jpg (56.41 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2072sm.jpg
Img_2072sm.jpg (43.83 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2065small.jpg
Img_2065small.jpg (54.77 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2087sm.jpg
Img_2087sm.jpg (56.16 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2053m.jpg
Img_2053m.jpg (73.06 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2054sm.jpg
Img_2054sm.jpg (38.66 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2055sm.jpg
Img_2055sm.jpg (86.57 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2056sm.jpg
Img_2056sm.jpg (48.56 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2057sm.jpg
Img_2057sm.jpg (62.41 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2058sm.jpg
Img_2058sm.jpg (48.7 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2059sm.jpg
Img_2059sm.jpg (55.93 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2060sm.jpg
Img_2060sm.jpg (38.11 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2062sm.jpg
Img_2062sm.jpg (52.3 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Img_2063sm.jpg
Img_2063sm.jpg (37.58 KiB) Viewed 6716 times
Post Reply