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Rolex Bracelet Reference

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Main Page › Bracelets, End Links, Clasps, Link Types

This guide identifies Oyster, Jubilee and President bracelets, their end links and clasp markings. Use it to compare a bracelet with the documented fittings for a watch reference.

A clasp code dates the bracelet, not the watch head; the case carries its own serial-number dating. A documented pairing does not establish that a particular bracelet was delivered with a particular watch.

Quick jump

Bracelet refs
7206 78360 78390 93150 97200 9315
End links
503 580 471 557 integral modern
Clasps
Oysterlock vintage Oysterlock modern Glidelock Easylink
Link types
rivet folded solid Oyster Jubilee President

Bracelets by reference

Dates below describe a period or a dated source, not a guaranteed production range. Rolex parts sheets identify components; auction catalogues record the bracelet present when a watch was offered. Neither alone proves what was fitted at the original sale.

Ref Name Period / evidence Link type End links Documented applications Notes
6635 Oyster stretch rivet, 19mm Vintage Stretch rivet 57; check individual fitting Chronographs, Air-King The links expand; the 7205 uses fixed links.
7205 Oyster rivet, 19mm Vintage Rivet 271; 57 / 357 on documented Air-Kings Daytona, Air-King The 7206 is the 20mm counterpart. A US-made C&I bracelet requires its own identification; lack of a Swiss bracelet number does not by itself make it an aftermarket part.
7206 Oyster rivet, 20mm Vintage Rivet 58, 60, 80; application varies Submariner, GMT-Master, Explorer Compare end-link shape and case reference. The number alone does not establish original delivery.
9315 Oyster folded link, 20mm Listed in Rolex parts sheet, 1985 Folded 280 / 285 fixed; 380 / 385 removable Submariner, Sea-Dweller Rolex sheet 321-6 shows the folded-link construction and alternative end fittings.
7835 Oyster folded link, 19mm Vintage Folded 271; 357 on documented Air-Kings Daytona, Air-King For the 20mm Explorer 1016, see the wider bracelet references. Read the actual end-link stamp: a reported 771 needs photographic examination.
7836 Oyster folded link, 20mm Vintage; parts shared in 1985 sheet Folded 380 GMT-Master, Explorer Rolex sheet 321-6 identifies parts shared with the 9315. Sharing parts does not make the two bracelet references interchangeable.
78350 Oyster solid link, 19mm Listed in Rolex parts sheet, 1985 Solid 557, 571 Daytona, Air-King Sheet 322-8 specifies the 78350-19 and its steel end links. A separate 17mm version exists.
78360 Oyster solid link, 20mm 1970s onward; reference-dependent Solid 503 on 16520; 580 on other documented fittings Daytona, GMT-Master, Explorer The Daytona later changed to polished-centre bracelets. That change does not date the end of all 78360 production.
78390 Oyster solid link, 20mm Middle part of the 16520 run Solid 503B Daytona Polished centre links distinguish it from the brushed 78360. The Blackbird Watch Manual describes the 16520 progression.
78390A Oyster solid link with solid end links, 20mm Late 16520 production Solid Solid end links Daytona Distinguish the solid end links from the separate hollow 503B fittings of the 78390.
78490 Oyster with solid end links, 20mm 116520 generation Solid Solid end links Daytona 116520 Phillips lot 202605 records a 116520 with a clasp stamped 78490 and an April 2006 guarantee. The 78690 belongs to a different documented application.
78690 Oyster with solid end links, 20mm 114270 generation Solid Solid end links Explorer 114270 Phillips Hong Kong 2022 lot 8012 records 78690 on a 114270 with a November 2010 guarantee.
78790 Oyster, 20mm 1990s–2000s; reference-dependent Solid Hollow end links; check watch reference GMT-Master, Explorer Distinguish 78790 from 78790A, the version with solid end links.
93150 Oyster solid link, 20mm Listed in 1985; continued into later references Solid 501, 580, 585, 593 in the 1985 sheet Submariner, Sea-Dweller Rolex sheet 323-3 separates steel 93150 fittings from Rolesor 93153 fittings. It does not establish a universal case pairing or a 1990 end date.
78240 Identification caution — — No 20mm Jubilee fitment established here — Do not use this entry as evidence for a GMT Jubilee pairing. See the documented 62510H below.
62510H Jubilee, 20mm, steel Listed in Rolex parts sheet, 1985 Jubilee 502, 550, 555; 502B on the cited GMT lot Datejust, GMT-Master Sheet 322-4 distinguishes steel 62510H from Rolesor 62523H. Phillips records a 62510H with 502B end links on a 1675. That auction pairing does not prove original delivery.
93250 Oyster with solid end links, 20mm, steel 16610 generation Solid 801 on the cited example Submariner 16610 Phillips lot 146024 records a steel 16610 with 93250, 801 end links and a DT3 clasp. It is not a two-tone predecessor of 78363.
78363 Oyster, 20mm, steel and yellow gold Five-digit generation Solid Hollow end links; check exact fitting Daytona 16523, GMT-Master Distinct from the steel Submariner 93250. The later polished-centre Daytona bracelet is 78393; the steel Daytona transition does not establish the Rolesor changeover date.
8385 President, 20mm, gold Vintage Day-Date generation President Check the individual bracelet Day-Date President end fittings need their own identification; 455 appears in the Rolex sheet for Rolesor Jubilee 62523H.
78668 Oyster solid link, 20mm (18k yellow gold) 1988–~1994 Solid 103 Daytona The gold Daytona 16528 bracelet through the first half of the run, with a deployant clasp and no flip-lock. Not a gold casting of the steel 78360 and it does not share that part number: Christie’s catalogues ref. 16528 case R985336 with "deployant clasp stamped 78668, endlinks stamped 103", and Antiquorum records 78668 with an M12 clasp on case R985236. Clasp codes observed are M-series, 1988. An inferred "78368" circulated in older scaffolds and is attested nowhere.
78398 Oyster solid link, 20mm (18k yellow gold, later run) ~1995–2000 Solid 193 Daytona Successor to 78668 on the gold 16528 case. Phillips catalogues ref. 16528 case X435057 with the bracelet "stamped '193' to the endlinks" and the clasp "stamped '78398' and 'T12'". T12 (1995) is the earliest documented 78398 code while 78668 still appears on 1993-era clasps, so the changeover sits in a loose 1993–1995 band rather than on the steel 78360 → 78390 line. That Phillips bracelet post-dates its 1991 X-serial case, a reminder that the clasp code dates the bracelet only.
97200 Oyster, 20mm, steel 40mm ceramic Submariner generation Solid Solid end links Submariner 116610LN / 116610LV Glidelock clasp. Phillips lot 232849 documents 97200 on a 116610LN. Other watch families and the later 41mm Submariner use different bracelet references.
97203 Oyster, 20mm, steel and yellow gold 40mm ceramic Submariner generation Solid Solid end links Submariner 116613 Glidelock clasp. Check the exact bracelet number when comparing later 41mm references.
97208 Oyster, 20mm, yellow gold 40mm ceramic Submariner generation Solid Solid end links Submariner 116618 Lepage records bracelet 97208 on its photographed 116618LB.
97209 Oyster, 20mm, white gold 40mm ceramic Submariner generation Solid Solid end links Submariner 116619 Gaston & Sheehan lot 75 records bracelet 97209 on a white-gold 116619.

End links

End links connect the bracelet to the case lugs. Match their shape and markings to the bracelet and case reference. A letter suffix is not a universal code for a polished finish or solid construction. The table lists documented pairings; it is not an exhaustive compatibility chart.

Ref Bracelet Case application Construction Evidence Notes
58 7206 Vintage 20mm Oyster cases Hollow RolexHaven collector guide Check the particular case; not a 9315 end link.
60 7206 Vintage 20mm Oyster cases Hollow Collector reference tables Case-specific fitting needs comparison; not a 9315 end link.
80 7206 Submariner and other documented 20mm cases Hollow RolexHaven collector guide Rivet-bracelet fitting; the stamp is not a production-year code.
271 7205, 7835 19mm chronograph cases Hollow Collector reference tables Inspect the actual stamp. A reported 771 should not be dismissed as an OCR error without a photograph.
380 9315, 7836 20mm cases; fitting varies Hollow Rolex sheet 321-6, 1985 Listed with the folded-link 9315; the sheet also identifies shared 7836 parts.
455 62523H Rolesor Jubilee applications Hollow Rolex sheet 322-4, 1985 The sheet lists 455 with Rolesor 62523H, not steel 62510H or President 8385.
501 93150 Case application requires a separate source Hollow Rolex sheet 323-3, 1985 Listed among steel 93150 end links. The number is not a universal two-tone designation.
502B 62510H GMT-Master 1675 in the cited lot Hollow Phillips Geneva 2018, lot 19 Recorded on a Jubilee bracelet. The lot also has a 2005 service guarantee; original bracelet delivery is not established.
503 78360 Daytona 16520 Hollow Blackbird Watch Manual; Field Manual Brushed-bracelet fitting.
503B 78390 Daytona 16520 Hollow Blackbird Watch Manual; Field Manual Polished-centre bracelet fitting. Do not treat it as the solid end link of the 78390A.
571 78350-19 19mm Daytona applications Hollow Rolex sheet 322-8, 1985 The parts sheet establishes the bracelet/end-link pairing; an individual case needs its own fitment evidence.
580 93150; also 78360 in collector tables Submariner; other 20mm applications vary Hollow Rolex sheet 323-3; RolexHaven A solid-link bracelet can still have hollow end links.
585 93150 Sea-Dweller Hollow Rolex sheet 323-3; RolexHaven The sheet lists the part; RolexHaven identifies the Sea-Dweller application.
integral-modern Bracelet-specific Match the exact watch and bracelet references Solid Modern reference specifications Solid end links are a construction type, not a universal part number. Do not transfer a 40mm Submariner fitting to a 41mm watch from its family name alone.
57 Vintage 19mm Oyster Air-King 5500 in the cited lot Hollow Phillips Geneva 2016, lot 22 The catalogue records both 57 and 357 markings on one bracelet. This does not establish a universal transition date.
357 Vintage 19mm Oyster Air-King 5500 in the cited lot Hollow Phillips Geneva 2016, lot 22 The cited Air-King has 19mm lugs; the Explorer 1016 has 20mm lugs.
557 78350-19 19mm Air-King applications Hollow Rolex sheet 322-8, 1985 The sheet establishes the bracelet pairing. It does not establish a change to solid end links at the 14000 launch.

Clasps

Clasp markings use a separate dating system from case serial numbers. Identify the clasp generation before reading its stamp against a date table.

Generation overview

Generation Years Refs that used it Distinguishing features
Vintage folding clasp Reference-dependent Rivet and folded Oyster bracelets Stamped folding blades. Logo and date-stamp variations need comparison with the same bracelet type.
Vintage safety clasp Reference-dependent 93150; later Daytona bracelet variants The extra safety latch distinguishes it from a plain folding clasp. Not every 78350 or 78360 has one.
Modern Oysterlock / Oysterclasp Reference-dependent Modern reference-specific bracelets Oysterlock names a safety clasp; Oysterclasp does not necessarily have that extra latch. Identify the extension mechanism separately.
Easylink Reference-dependent Selected Oyster bracelets A folding comfort link adds approximately 5mm. It is not fitted to every modern sports bracelet.
Glidelock Reference-dependent Submariner; selected Oysterflex references A sliding adjustment system. The Submariner version offers about 20mm in 2mm steps; the current Daytona 126515LN also uses Glidelock with Oysterflex.

Daytona clasp changes depend on the bracelet generation. Inspect the bracelet number, folding blade and safety latch together; a logo alone does not establish the year.

Date-code key

The dates below follow Millenary Watches' collector chart, also reproduced in The Vintage Rolex Field Manual. They are estimates, not Rolex production records. Some mid-1990s letters appear against more than one year. A standalone S can be a 1994 date code; do not call a clasp a service replacement from that letter alone.

Code Year Code Year Code Year
A 1976 M 1988 DT 2002
B 1977 N 1989 AD 2003
C 1978 O 1990 CL 2004
D 1979 P 1991 MA 2005
E 1980 Q 1992 OP 2006
F 1981 R 1993 EO 2007
G 1982 S 1994 PJ 2008
H 1983 T or W 1995 LT 2009
I 1984 U or V 1996 RS 2010
J 1985 U or Z 1997 CP 2011
K 1986 W or Z 1998 (random) 2011 onward
L 1987 X 1999
AB 2000
DE 2001

Do not read a clasp letter against the case-serial chart. The two systems use some of the same letters for different periods. Later randomized clasp codes have no public year mapping; the bracelet reference and clasp construction remain useful for identification.

Earlier clasps commonly use quarter-and-year stamps. For example, I.65 reads as the first quarter of 1965. Stamp formats vary; compare the complete marking with documented examples of the same clasp.

Link construction types

Rivet, folded and solid describe link construction. Oyster, Jubilee and President describe bracelet designs. Keep the two distinctions separate when identifying a bracelet; an Oyster bracelet can use different construction depending on its period.

Style Years Identifying features Bracelet refs using
Rivet Vintage Rivet heads are visible along the sides. Stretch and fixed-link versions need separate identification. 6635, 7205, 7206
Folded Vintage Folded sheet-metal links without exposed side rivets. 7835, 7836, 9315
Solid link Reference-dependent Solid link bodies; end links can still be hollow. Check centre-link construction separately on precious-metal and Rolesor variants. 78350, 78360, 78390, 93150, 93250 and later Oyster references
Jubilee From 1945 Five-piece link design. Construction varies by generation. 62510H; Rolesor 62523H
Oyster Reference-dependent Three-piece link design, made in riveted, folded and solid-link versions. 7206, 7836, 78360, 97200 and others
President From 1956 Three-piece links with a rounded profile, in gold or platinum. Precious-metal content does not mean every vintage link is solid throughout. 8385 and later President references
Pearlmaster From 1992 Five-piece rounded-link design; gem setting depends on the version. Reference-specific
Oysterflex From 2015 Elastomer over flexible metal blades. The extension system depends on the watch: Rolex specifies Glidelock for the current Daytona 126515LN. Reference-specific

Sources



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