# Resizing Hamilton bracelets



## BenL (Oct 1, 2008)

Hey guys, anyone have experience in resizing a Hamilton bracelet? I'm having trouble with getting the pins out (too much friction), and I'm wondering whether I have a weird bracelet or if I need some sort of special tool? :think:

:thanks


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## Nick1016 (Aug 29, 2007)

Honestly, I've resized two Hamilton bracelets (one pin-and-collar, one friction pin) and in both cases found it pretty easy going. I'm wondering if you're dealing with a bent pin? Or maybe a poor pin removal tool? In any event, I'm certainly not aware of needing any special tool to deal with a Hamilton bracelet.


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## skoochy (Jan 6, 2009)

Nick1016 said:


> Honestly, I've resized two Hamilton bracelets (one pin-and-collar, one friction pin) and in both cases found it pretty easy going. I'm wondering if you're dealing with a bent pin? Or maybe a poor pin removal tool? In any event, I'm certainly not aware of needing any special tool to deal with a Hamilton bracelet.


I was conversing via PM with Ben about this issue a couple days ago and it seems it is a pin & collar bracelet. On Hamiltons, I've run into a 2-3 links where the pin is extremely difficult to remove from the collar with a screw-type pusher, and a punch/hammer works much better for these. I think he just had a tough one like I've seen occasionally. It's not on every link of every bracelet... Out of maybe 10 bracelets there were only a few.

Also it seems his pusher pin is really short and doesn't get the pin out all the way. I found that on really tough ones, a short pin is good to start (so the pin doesn't snap off) and then a longer pin may be necessary to finish the job, as the pin might be too tight to take out with pliers. One of those screw-type pushers with three pin sizes is good to have.

-s-


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## Nick1016 (Aug 29, 2007)

skoochy said:


> I was conversing via PM with Ben about this issue a couple days ago and it seems it is a pin & collar bracelet. On Hamiltons, I've run into a 2-3 links where the pin is extremely difficult to remove from the collar with a screw-type pusher, and a punch/hammer works much better for these. I think he just had a tough one like I've seen occasionally. It's not on every link of every bracelet... Out of maybe 10 bracelets there were only a few.
> 
> Also it seems his pusher pin is really short and doesn't get the pin out all the way. I found that on really tough ones, a short pin is good to start (so the pin doesn't snap off) and then a longer pin may be necessary to finish the job, as the pin might be too tight to take out with pliers. One of those screw-type pushers with three pin sizes is good to have.
> 
> -s-


Certainly you've worked with a lot more Hamiltons than me...I guess I've been lucky so far!

As for the short pin first/long pin second approach you suggest, I wholeheartedly agree with everything you're saying. This approach works well for other brands using pins and collars too...Omega comes to mind as one example.

Ben, I hope you've got this one sorted out by now.


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## Watch Obsessive (Dec 9, 2010)

Hi guys,

I appreciate this thread is quite old now but was after some advice please.

I too have had a bit of trouble removing some pins out of my Hamilton X-Wind bracelet. I am assuming as there are no arrows on the underside of the bracelet it doesn't matter which way you try and push the pins out?

I've got a fairly decent resizing tool, not the rubbish plastic things off eBay. Unfortunately I only have the short pin pushers in different diameters. Do you know where I could pick up some longer pin pushers? 

I've got one pin half way out of my bracelet but the thing just won't budge, I've been trying to pull it out with pliers but its stuck fast.

Thanks in advance.


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## robzig (Feb 5, 2010)

They have a collar around halfway so you will need to get a longer instrument to push the pin nearly all the way out. Just remember to be careful not to lose the collar.


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## pinchycm (Oct 28, 2010)

Is there a Q&D way to get the collar back in? they came out when I was resizing my auto chrono, but I can't get the collar back in.


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## The Observer (Jan 13, 2012)

robzig said:


> They have a collar around halfway so you will need to get a longer instrument to push the pin nearly all the way out. Just remember to be careful not to lose the collar.


Too late for me ¬¬


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## Perseus (Mar 25, 2010)

I bought one of these for a few bucks and it's well worth it. No more bracelet headaches.


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## rxchris (Jun 15, 2012)

I'm using that right now to try and resize my bracelet...the pins have to much friction. If you have the above tool, you need something longer.


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## Citizen V (Jun 29, 2011)

I used that same tool to resize my khaki navy and khaki king. 

Sent from my cm_tenderloin


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## Citizen V (Jun 29, 2011)

rxchris said:


> I'm using that right now to try and resize my bracelet...the pins have to much friction. If you have the above tool, you need something longer.


Yup... didn't realize some of them had pin & collars. That tool worked fine one regular split pins but not long enough for those ones.


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## neilziesing (Feb 14, 2016)

Hello guys. I was just searching this thread in preparation for re-sizing my new Hamilton "Interstellar" Khaki Pilot. I had attempted to re-size my Hamilton Khaki King Scuba last year, with horribly failed results....

This time around I thought I should give the process a bit more thought and voila! I succeeded. 

It seemed that, in the absence of push direction arrows on the bracelet, there must be another indicator of direction.

In these collar based systems, this really seemed to make sense. One end of the pin must be slightly round in order to ease it into the collar.

Looking at the bracelet with a loop, I could see that indeed one end of the pins was rounded and one was flat.

I pushed out against the rounded end and the pin came out with relative ease.

Then after re-sizing I put the rounded end in first and it went back in with relative ease. Ease relative to collar based set-ups that is...

I hope that this helps.

Best Regards,

Neil Z


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