# Milled vs. stamped clasp



## ronenash

Am I the only one who prefers a stamped clasp to a milled clasp? I miss the days when claps for Omega, Rolex and other brands were stamped metal. They were so much lighter and less cumbersome. The added weight of the newer milled clasps (unlike the solid end links on newer bracelets which fit better) does not seem to serve any purpose. I find the old stamped clasps just as secure and so much lighter and easier to use.

Wondered if anyone feels the same...


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## Grasshopperglock

Everyone wants, 'Billet'. Machined(milled) from a solid chunk of metal.

Then they came up with MIM. Metal Injection Molding. Using recipes of powdered metals. It's cheap and mimics forged metal but has better properties. I'd bet that, 'Milled' clasp is actually MIM.

The buckle on my current watch is MIM. Looks milled but it's not. It was molded,


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## Newnice

Better not to get into the technicalities of forming metal, I think we all know what he means by "stamped vs milled", without having to get into the relative merits of hot-stamped vs forged vs hydro-formed and so on.

Vintage clasps are lighter and more jewelry-like, but they are usually missing safety clasps and the thinner metal has a tendency to deform over time to the point where they can pop open. So there is an argument for the increased rigidity you get with additional mass, and the added weight of the safety clasps. But there is no denying the heavier clasps get tiring to wear, plus there is more rub and clanging from all the keyboard jockeys. Titanium is a welcome weight relief, but they are still chunky on the wrist.

I wish we could see more options for clasps that were light and thin like the vintage ones, but secure and rigid like the modern ones. I am sure that is an easily solvable problem, and I would welcome the option.

I also find that vintage bracelets in general are a lot more creative in their designs than modern ones, which are depressingly alike.


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## NightScar

the stamped clasps ive handled almost always feels flimsy and cheap, ive had a handful comes loose and open up too (the ones that are pressure locked) so ive gotten into a habit of always checking it is locked in

i dont mind the weight of milled clasps as most of the time it kind of balances it out with the weight of the case of the watch and just feels solid and more secure


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## FullFlavorPike

The clasp on my Devil Diver reissue appears stamped. At first I considered it a downside, but I kind of agree with OP that it's comfier and less obtrusive, which is its own kind of advantage for daily wear.


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## Mauric

I prefer milled, but I don't have anything against stamped.

Regarding technicalities, it's always welcome.

Once I saw that Rolex opted for the technology to stamped to save cost in the already expensive Rolex steel. It was something related to the huge amount of submarine steel used to produce cases compared to Rolex.

What I understood is that this is not referred to the vintage style, but to modern cases and perhaps also applies to clasps.

If this is true, it's possible that what we consider milled it's more a combination of stamped and milled, right?


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## Grasshopperglock

Mauric said:


> I prefer milled, but I don't have anything against stamped.
> 
> Regarding technicalities, it's always welcome.
> 
> Once I saw that Rolex opted for the technology to stamped to save cost in the already expensive Rolex steel. It was something related to the huge amount of submarine steel used to produce cases compared to Rolex.
> 
> What I understood is that this is not referred to the vintage style, but to modern cases and perhaps also applies to clasps.
> 
> If this is true, it's possible that what we consider milled it's more a combination of stamped and milled, right?


The deal here is 'milled' is expensive. MIM is cheap.

You can have any configuration you'd want but it'd be old-school hand made. All it takes is money. That perfect weight clasp. Cut from solid stock. Premium grade, forged stainless.

Stainless work hardens. The more you work it. The more brittle it becomes. It fights you. But if that's what you want. There's ways.

$$$$$


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## Mauric

I was not speaking at all about MIM. I didn't know that it was used in watches until you mentioned. Could you give me another example where it is used in watch companies?

And I agree, it seems to be better alternative, at least in my experience with knives. Powder steels are the best, by applying MIM you can reduce the waist, but which brand is using this technology?


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## Grasshopperglock

Mauric said:


> I was not speaking at all about MIM. I didn't know that it was used in watches until you mentioned. Could you give me another example where it is used in watch companies?
> 
> And I agree, it seems to be better alternative, at least in my experience with knives. Powder steels are the best, by applying MIM you can reduce the waist, but which brand is using this technology?


MIM is all over the place. If it's finished on all sides. You can't tell.

Cases are and should be machined. But brands like Damasko and Sinn make you wonder. Movement parts, No idea. Bracelets and clasps, you bet. The receiver on the Ruger.

Most of my knives are 30v. Powdered steel.

But then there's the hand made fitted to you.


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## Deity42

I was just thinking about this. With small wrists, the clasps lay flatter, there's less weight. I've never had the focus on clasp mechanisms that so many WIS seem to have.

I will only say I like a push-button setup. With the older friction setups, once you get it tight enough to feel secure, you then feel like your fingernail is gonna come off with the watch when you want to pop it open.


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## Nokie

Milled ONLY for me.

Stamped clasps are the work of the devil.......


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## Newnice

I doubt that any clasps use powdered steel, there are too many disadvantages. Clasps are very simple shapes and would be very easy to hot-stamp, which would be cheapest and easiest. A quick machining and polish and it's done. Milling is slow and there is a lot of material lost, so it would be the least favorable option for any watch. I doubt that any of the clasps we refer to as milled are actually made using any sort stock-removal method, they are most likely all hot-stamped. Stamping has come a long way since the 1970s. 

So my guess is that all clasps today are stamped, and the only question is how thick should your stamped clasp to be.

I also would guess that they are deliberately being made thicker and heavier than they need to, because customers equate weight with quality.


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## Mauric

Newnice said:


> I doubt that any clasps use powdered steel, there are too many disadvantages. Clasps are very simple shapes and would be very easy to hot-stamp, which would be cheapest and easiest. A quick machining and polish and it's done. Milling is slow and there is a lot of material lost, so it would be the least favorable option for any watch. I doubt that any of the clasps we refer to as milled are actually made using any sort stock-removal method, they are most likely all hot-stamped. Stamping has come a long way since the 1970s.
> 
> So my guess is that all clasps today are stamped, and the only question is how thick should your stamped clasp to be.
> 
> I also would guess that they are deliberately being made thicker and heavier than they need to, because customers equate weight with quality.


This is what I was talking about, in that thread regarding cases made by SUG (Sinn) and Rolex that was my understanding. That is a thicker stamped with perhaps in some cases accompanied of milling to finish.


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## ronenash

Newnice said:


> I also would guess that they are deliberately being made thicker and heavier than they need to, because customers equate weight with quality.


That is exactly the problem the illusion of weight =quality.


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## slcbbrown

Nokie said:


> Milled ONLY for me.
> 
> Stamped clasps are the work of the devil.......


What he said.


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