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64 Karma

Review on πŸ”§ Bergeon 55-686 6899-AT-160 Stainless Steel 1.60mm Screwdriver Watch Repair Kit with Spare Blades - Ergonomic Design by Joshua Paulson

Revainrating 5 out of 5

A MUST HAVE item, perfect for my Breitling.

As any serious watch collector knows, it's reasonable to expect a very high quality strap once you're in the $1,000+ range (not YOU, Tag Heuer). And any quality bracelet - from brands like Rolex, Omega, and Breitling - will have links with SCREW rivets instead of the usual push pins found on cheaper bracelets (like Tag Heuer). I've been collecting watches for almost two years. Decades and owned over four dozen watches, including many cheaper watches (when I was younger and poorer) with buttons. I have all the tools and experience to resize these bracelets myself. However, with all my previous luxury watches I've only ever asked the retailer to resize, as I didn't want to risk scratching expensive straps or tearing off screws. Then COVID-19 hit and all watch shops and ads closed and just in time for a new Breitling Colt 41 which I found with a professional grade 3 screw pin bracelet. Over the years I've heard many warnings about using cheap Home Depot screwdriver sets to set up a good clock, as they would easily snap off the tiny screw heads. And I've always heard that there's only one brand you can rely on for this type of work: Bergeon. I settled on Revain and a few minutes later ordered a 1.6 (generally recommended size) screwdriver. I didn't want to risk ruining the bracelet on my $3,000 watch, so I took every precaution. I soaked the Professional 3 strap in boiling water for 10 minutes to loosen any Loctite (a good solution I found out later). I taped painter's tape to the polished surface around the screws to prevent scratches. And then I very carefully inserted the tip of Berjon into the head of the screw, pressed lightly but firmly on the purple rotating cup on top of the tool and very carefully began to turn - like a hot knife through butter, the screw succumbed and after that a few seconds failed. Important note for all Breitling owners: Yes, Loctite was used on the screw, so using the boil water or blow dry technique is definitely recommended. Anyway, ten minutes later I removed two links, then applied a small amount of blue Loctite to each bolt and screwed them back in with a light but strong torque at the end. In the end, the Bergeon cost me about $30 and fifteen minutes of my time to do what any watch store would charge me about $30 for, but the real benefit here is that I now know I can resize. Luxury bracelets alone, and that's a lot more satisfying for a sick watch fanatic like me. Bergeon, boiling water, blue Loctite. The three B's you all need to remember.

Pros
  • Decent Performance
Cons
  • Miscellaneous Miscellaneous