Polerouter HC Bracelet Endlinks

Hi, I have just bought a Polerouter Ref. 869119 from ebay with the original HC bracelet.

Unfortunately one Endlink is completely missing and the other one seems to be a generic one:



Does anyone on the Forum happen to have the missing Endlinks for the 18mm HC Bracelet and is willing to part with them in exchange for some money, or does anyone know where to source these from?

The watch itself is extremely dirty and kinda gross but the case seems to be in good shape and unpolished, the original crystal and crown are still there so it only needs a good cleanup and movement service to be up and runnig again - although it is not the most sought after Polerouter I thought it was still worth saving.

I will report back after consulting my watchmaker, fortunately he still has a lot of movement spare parts for the Cal. 69.

The watch is running, but I can only wind it if I first wind the crown a turn counterclockwise, then I can wind it for one turn before I have to turn counterclockwise again, snd so on - seems a bit odd. Did these have screw - down crowns? Setting the hands on crown in position 2 works, the date also changes immediately.

Thanks so far in advance, I will keep you guys updated with this "project" but it can take months until the watch is finished, my watchmaker is currently drowning in work...

Yes, it's a screw-down crown. Once unscrewed, can you pull lightly to prevent it screwing back down when winding?

The crown seems to be stuck in an "in between" position I think. When I unscrew the crown I can hear and feel the Click Spring and when I try to wind it it engages the threads of the crown tube. When I pull it out with the slightest of possible force just before it engages into the setting Position I can turn it over the thread and make a full turn to engage the Mainspring but it feels somehow "wrong" as if the crown tube tries to engage at the beginning of the thread and "jumps over", so I think I will stop playing around with it, I am too afraid to strip the thread even more.

I have the same bracelet as yours and, coincidentally, also have only one endlink. The single endlink on mine is also different to the one that you have and is unmarked. I also have the same bracelet as these Ebay examples and can confirm that the endlinks are interchangeable with your bracelet (you might need to refinish them).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394652138416
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145616596010

What I can't confirm is whether the endlinks on either will fit your Polerouter.

Thanks a lot for your response! Have you found a solution for your bracelet concerning the missing endlink? Purchasing one of the bracelets in your ebay links just for the endlinks seems like an overkill, but comparing their price to an original UG pin buckle they seem quite reasonably priced.

Maybe my watchmaker can find generic endlinks that fit, wearing it just on a leather strap with a generic buckle is of course another option if everything else fails. 😉

Where's your commitment!? 😜

Haven't really found the need to find a solution - I suppose that might change if I pick up a watch that needs it. I actually have two of the bracelets that I linked to, one of which is original (complete with the rather odd mix of polished and sand-blasted steel) and the other which I've brushed with a garryflex block.

LOL, I mean compared to the Gay Freres bracelets they are a steal, but 200 bucks just for fitting endlinks that are not even the correct ones is a bit too steep for me! 😉

Let's see if my watchmaker can source generic endlinks that fit the case and bracelet or even original ones. But I keep looking, even if I'm not the biggest fan of the look of this bracelet it is always nice to have the "complete package" if you know what I mean...😎