Trouble in Paradise

The other day we received a Rolex GMT in the mail.
One of those 'never seen before' jobs.
The bracelet was twisted with such force that I had no choice but
to email the owner to find what happened to both him and his poor Rolex.

In reply, he sends us photos of idyllic Seychelles.
And right on the beach there is that to-die-for house
he owns - where he spends most of the year in leisure.

So - one day while doing some repairs on the roof, he slipped.
On his way down, his Rolex got snagged on the gutter and broke some of the
momentum of his descent.

Luckily, he survived with no damage, partially thanks to the watch
snag significantly slowing him on the way down.
Unfortunately, the Rolex's fate is still unknown.
While the bracelet did get badly twisted, the watch stayed on the wrist - this
is a credit to its durability and robustness.
On the other hand, if the pins had given in, there would be hardly any other damage to
the bracelet and this would be an easy and inexpensive repair. However if he had been
somewhere else, like a boat, the watch might've fallen and been lost forever.

The bottom line: don't wear your Rolex when fixing the roof.
And ESPECIALLY not so when operating power tools or other machinery.
In case of an accident, something will have to give in.
You don't want to find out if it's your wrist or your watch.

Today I have finished my restoration of the bracelet. This included replacement of steel pins, re-pinning, and replacement of sleeves, among other tasks. Everything was done by hand and was worked on-and-off over two days. It has come a long way from when I received it, and you can see the last steps of the restoration below: