# A safety warning to anyone with a rubber diver's strap



## nick h. (Dec 2, 2006)

Here's what my Hydromax genuine B&R rubber strap looks like after a couple of years of being worn in the shower every day. It's never been in salt water, just the shower. (Perhaps it doesn't like my shampoo?)


























As you can see it's snapped in one place and is about to snap in another. The snap actually happened while I was lying on the sofa. Thank heavens it didn't happen while I was out and about, or I'd be minus a very expensive watch for a pathetic reason. The strap has never been under any stress at all, so I'm at a loss to explain this. I emailed the B&R UK distributor who originally supplied the strap - they were very dismissive and advised me to buy another one. Then I emailed B&R head office - no reply at all. Is it just me, or is this the most appalling level of customer service for a luxury watch company?

I'm going to sell the damn thing - just looking at it makes me so angry now. It's such a shame - when the watch has the rubber strap on it seems much more beautiful to me than a Sea-Dweller or the Panerai Submersible or the Tag Heuer Professional, all of which I've owned before. But when you get treated this way, every shred of customer loyalty disasppears. o|o|o|


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## Mr Cicada (May 26, 2010)

This of course is not an ideal situation. how long did you wait for a reply from Head Office, Bell & Ross are a luxury brand and i would imagine extremely busy so their time scape may not be as prompt as yours/ours. Also, the shampoo point you did raise is not a bad one- maybe do a bit of research on what is in the products that might of came into contact with your watch. But its an awesome watch you have, hopefully gets a new band very soon.


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## PIERS (UK) (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi Nick

Sorry to hear your strap hasn't lasted! How old is the strap? (looks fairly old?)

B&R are normally very good at communicating - However from personal experience, some queries to Head Office can end up being trapped in their Spam Filter - As they often get lots of enquires via the web.

If you PM me your email details I can help to get this issue sorted for you with B&R uk.

All the best, 

Piers


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## scuttle (Dec 15, 2008)

Firstly, the scary thing here is the potential for the loss of a watch or destruction of the mech. It sounds like B&R might have a real problem here.

Secondly, under UK law goods have to be of reasonable quality, otherwise the *retailer* is liable. In practice courts have decided that this means a high priced item has to be good for 5 to 7 years of normal use. So email the shop that sold you the watch, telling them what happened, quoting the Sale Of Goods Act and the need for goods to be of "merchantable quality" and say that you want a new strap.

Finally - those straps might look great, but you don't how yours really failed - you can't be sure that it was the Shampoo Of Plastic Annihilation. Do you really want to put your watch on another one? I'd go to Timefactors site and order a Rhino - they're bullet proof. In fact for a watch like yours I order a black and an orange.


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## Crispy B (Dec 14, 2009)

If shampoo killed the strap just imagine what it's doing to your gaskets.


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## Aqua Spearo (Oct 10, 2007)

That does suck... however should be pointed out the rubber formula has changed drastically.. did BR even make that old hydromax strap? I mean they were still co designing with Sinn when that watch was made. Didnt Sinn make that strap? Rubber does break down over time.


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## nick h. (Dec 2, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry I've been slow to respond - been travelling non-stop.

Mr Cicada, I emailed head office [[email protected]] on April 21, April 24 and June 1. I found the email address on the web site. Apparently it's for After Sales Service for Europe and the Rest of the World.

Piers, the strap is a couple of years old. It looks unmarked from the outside - it's really in lovely condition. I wore it every day in the shower so there is some build up of soap and limescale on the inside - that's why it looks old in the photos. I've PM'd you my email address - I would really appreciate any help you can give. Thank you very much for your offer.

Scuttle, great points. I bought the strap direct from the UK distributor, at Suite 320/Bourjois, Eastcastle St, London. I emailed about them about the matter in November last year. Here's what was written:

"I'm sending you my Hydromax rubber strap which fell apart the other
day. It's a couple of years old and has had no abuse of any kind. I
haven't used it for diving - in fact I don't think it's ever been in
the sea. The toughest mission it's had is in the shower. It snapped
without warning. Fortunately I was on the sofa at the time so the
watch didn't fall far! Is it normal for these straps to disentegrate
after a while? I'd appreciate it if you could replace it. The clasp is
fine - it doesn't need replacing.

Reply:

"I hope you are well. I recommend that you go to your nearest AD to handle this problem. Unfortunately there is no guarantee on the rubber strap.
The price for a new rubber strap is £60. Please find enclosed the stockist list."

Aqua Spearo, I don't know the provenance of the strap. But if rubber breaks down so quickly just from exposure to water and shampoo I don't think B&R are doing themselves any favours by selling such a beautiful, sturdy watch with what is essentially a disposable strap. Perhaps it's my fault for not rinseing the strap to get all the shampoo off? There was no user guide or safety info or anything like that with the strap, so I just assumed that such a tough, expensive watch would have a strap which could stand up to going in the shower, and not fall to pieces while I was lying on the sofa watching TV!

All that fuss about going down to 11,000 metres, and the damn thing can't survive in the comfort of one's own home. o|

Here's the email I sent to [email protected]:

"I have a rubber strap for my Hydromax. It's about two years old. It's has never been in sea water, only in the shower. It snapped one day when I was sitting on the sofa! It has never been under any stress, but it just fell apart. The rubber seems to be rotten. Is this normal? It's a big risk to have such an expensive watch on a strap which can snap without warning. Maybe you should notify your customers.

I informed your UK distributors, who I bought the strap from, but they had nothing to say except to tell me how much it would cost me to buy a new strap. To be frank I think I deserve a new strap and an apology. Would you like me to send you the broken strap?"


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## Blimms (May 18, 2010)

Sorry to hear that the strap broke. I can tell you that every rubber strap I've ever owned from several different watch brands, eventually snapped just like yours did. But, over time you can see and feel the rubber losing it's pliability. Rubber does get hard and breaks.

Just glad that you were on the sofa !!! |>|>


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## AndrewSo (Mar 1, 2010)

Send them an email with this exact passage:


nick h. said:


> I'm going to sell the damn thing - just looking at it makes me so angry now. It's such a shame - when the watch has the rubber strap on it seems much more beautiful to me than a Sea-Dweller or the Panerai Submersible or the Tag Heuer Professional, all of which I've owned before. But when you get treated this way, every shred of customer loyalty disasppears.


Perhaps you could add a line stating that you will forever dissuade your friends, family, and fellow forum members from buying B&R. If that doesn't get their attention, then follow through.


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## nick h. (Dec 2, 2006)

Blimms said:


> every rubber strap I've ever owned from several different watch brands, eventually snapped just like yours did. But, over time you can see and feel the rubber losing it's pliability. Rubber does get hard and breaks.


You know, I'm not even sure whether my strap is rubber or plastic. The B&R site offers a cauotchouc strap as an accessory but lists a semi-rigid plastic shock-proof strap as one of the three the watch is supplied with. They're not pictured on the site so you can't tell whether they are two different straps or one and the same. My broken strap is quite stiff and doesn't smell of rubber - but I can't tell for certain what it is until one of the lazy b*****s at B&R deigns to look at the photos I sent them. If it is the shock-proof one mentioned here http://www.bellross.com/media/documents/Hydromax-en.pdf I'd love to hear them explain why it can't survive in a bathroom.

The puzzling thing is that the case and bezel are so incredibly tough. I've never owned a watch before which you can wear daily for 3 years without even the tiniest mark appearing on it. It still looks new. But the straps are not in the same league. The steel bracelet picks up microscratches quite easily, the nylon/velcro strap is a bit second rate, and the rubber/plastic one, while it looks superb, is really just a quick way to lose your watch in the street. B&R should dump their strap suppliers and give the job to the people who make the case.


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## nick h. (Dec 2, 2006)

Thanks to Piers' intervention the distributor has changed his mind and is posting me a new rubber strap today, with advice not to wear it while sleeping or showering and to wash it in plain water after it goes in the swimming pool or the sea. Thanks Piers! Thanks B&R UK!

I failed to persuade B&R UK to identify my strap from the photos in this thread. I think it's a discontinued plastic model. Could it have been made by Sinn? And why would plastic be ruined by going in the shower? I suppose I shall never know.

I'm not quite sure what I will be getting in the post as there are no worthwhile pictures of Hydromax rubber or plastic straps on the Bell & Ross site. But I found this on a US dealer's site - it looks fantastic.


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## Blimms (May 18, 2010)

Nick,

Glad everything is sorted for you !! I've never corresponded with Piers - but I guess he's "The Man" !! :-!:-!

Regards


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## L4rry_B1rd (Jun 3, 2009)

+1 for Piers!


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## Tony A.H (Aug 2, 2009)

hi nick
samething happened to my 03 Instrument.the Rubber Strap broke after about 2 years of ownership :-(. and i don't wear this Watch that often cause it's in Rotation with other Pieces. i don't shower with it ,no Soap, no Salty Water on any of that nature.!!

( i've had a much better Luck with Panerai's "Softer" Rubber which is about 6 years old and still look so good).:-!

i think the Problem with B&R Rubber is being a little stiff that makes it snap easily.:think:

wow. just hit me that i missed my Instrument cause i haven't worn it since that happened .! and can't use the Nylon cause it's useless (too Long and too Thin).
Cheers
Tony


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## simoncudd (Dec 22, 2007)

well done that man!!!!


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## simoncudd (Dec 22, 2007)

2 years!!!!!!!!!
surely you expect wear and tear?!

damn- I'll take those tyres back to the place I bought them, as they haven't lasted!!!!

jolly nice of BR to have replaced the strap for you free or charge!!

I'll stop wearing mine in the shower now!!


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