'JB' Rolex bracelets.

[Tylden Reed]

Can anyone please give a potted history of the American firm JB (in a triangle) who made bracelets for Rolex? When did they start? Is the company still going? where were they made? Did they make all bracelets for American imports? etc etc. I've seen lots of gents Jubilee (I own one on an old 1002) and have a customers bi-metal 13mm Jubilee in at the moment. Help please. Thanks, Tylden.

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by Tylden Reed

Can anyone please give a potted history of the American firm JB (in a triangle) who made bracelets for Rolex? When did they start? Is the company still going? where were they made? Did they make all bracelets for American imports? etc etc. I've seen lots of gents Jubilee (I own one on an old 1002) and have a customers bi-metal 13mm Jubilee in at the moment. Help please. Thanks, Tylden.

Surely someone out there can help me please. I'm not desperate but curious about JB bracelets. Help!! Regards, Tylden.

[Flash Gordon]

Long ago, I visited a Jacoby factory in Toronto with a local salesman of our firm. The production manager at JB was extremely helpful and he noticed that my Seamaster was without an Omega bracelet. He asked me to take off my watch and had a good look at it, then he proceeded to storage area and took out an Omega bracelet and told me to keep it! I was somewhat overwhelmed by it because I did not even know him! They did not make bracelet for Rolex at that time, however, I am not sure now. Your thread just brought out a fond memory of that manager at JB in Toronto.

[mastermixer]

I have this JB Champion from Rolex USA that came on my 6238.

[Tylden Reed]

Thanks folks. Perhaps this thread will grow now. It would be nice to think that here is someone out there with more pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is JB. Presumably JB stood for Jacoby Bracelets? I wonder.

[Balboa]

Originally Posted by Tylden Reed

Thanks folks. Perhaps this thread will grow now. It would be nice to think that here is someone out there with more pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is JB. Presumably JB stood for Jacoby Bracelets? I wonder.

It stands for Jacoby-Bender, a New York company. They were well known for their charm bracelets, a company specialty.

Jacoby-Bender went through a very long protracted and ugly bankruptcy. I do not think the company survives today.

Mark

[Safetrends]

Originally Posted by Balboa

It stands for Jacoby-Bender, a New York company. They were well known for their charm bracelets, a company specialty.

Jacoby-Bender went through a very long protracted and ugly bankruptcy. I do not think the company survives today.

Mark

That is really to bad, it seems more business are closing down in the past decade.

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by Balboa

It stands for Jacoby-Bender, a New York company. They were well known for their charm bracelets, a company specialty.

Jacoby-Bender went through a very long protracted and ugly bankruptcy. I do not think the company survives today.

Mark

Hi Mark.
Thanks for the info. Every day I learn more about a subject I knew everything about fifty years ago! Tylden.

[Rolex2]

I have this band in 14k gold trim.

Anybody know when these JB bands were made? I'd love to date my band. I have a thread in the vintage section on USA Jubilee bands right now. thanks.

[Rolex2]

Note the three dots missing on the crown inside the clasp. At the 1,3 and 4 positions.

There is a discussion of this in a more recent thread here about JB jubilee bands.

Three dots missing indicates ss, one dot missing indicates 14kt gold trim.

[Mike Wood]

Tylden, could you shed any light on WAB, a manufacturer of bracelet and strap fittings for Rolex in the UK during the 1950s?

I have also seen Clewco on some British-made Rolex bracelets (Stelux Clewley & Co.?).

Going back to JB... was "Champion" one of their watch bracelet ranges?

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Rolex2

I have this band in 14k gold trim.

Anybody know when these JB bands were made? I'd love to date my band. I have a thread in the vintage section on USA Jubilee bands right now. thanks.

Rolex had bands made for their watches imported to the USA in the late 60's and 70's to avoid the tariffs on "complete watches" at the time.. This was probably from lobbying from the strong, at the time, US Watch manufacturers. That law was changed in the late 70's, when the quartz movement drove almost all US watch manufacturers out of business, so there was no longer any need to source bracelets "locally". C&I, JB, and Mexican and Canadian sources were used... (I'm going on memory as I can no longer find the sources where I read this trivia)

JB Watchbands went into bankruptcy and was no longer in business by ~1985, although I'm sure they stopped providing Rolex Bracelets much earlier than that..

JB watchbands.jpg

[Rolex2]

Originally Posted by Tools

Rolex had bands made for their watches imported to the USA in the late 60's and 70's to avoid the tariffs on "complete watches" at the time.. This was probably from lobbying from the strong, at the time, US Watch manufacturers. That law was changed in the late 70's, when the quartz movement drove almost all US watch manufacturers out of business, so there was no longer any need to source bracelets "locally". C&I, JB, and Mexican and Canadian sources were used... (I'm going on memory as I can no longer find the sources where I read this trivia)

JB Watchbands went into bankruptcy and was no longer in business by ~1985, although I'm sure they stopped providing Rolex Bracelets much earlier than that..

Attachment 202584

My watch is a 1979 oyster perpetual date, inscribed model 1505. It's gold/ss. The seller said a jeweler determined the bezel was 18kt, but only 14kt was available in the 1505 gold/ss from 1970-83. Assuming it's 14kt, the 14kt JB band might be the original, which means the JB bands were still available in 1979.

Does this make sense?

[sailmed]

Just as an aside, JB Champion were the makers of the adjustable bracelets that all of the NASA Apollo astronauts wore with their Speedmasters. You can see them in some of the photos. They are very sought after.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Rolex2

My watch is a 1979 oyster perpetual date, inscribed model 1505. It's gold/ss. The seller said a jeweler determined the bezel was 18kt, but only 14kt was available in the 1505 gold/ss from 1970-83. Assuming it's 14kt, the 14kt JB band might be the original, which means the JB bands were still available in 1979.

Does this make sense?

Rolex had a tendency to use parts as long as they had them.. My feeling is that they would have ordered enough that they could have installed them on watches for some time after they ceased ordering/manufacturing them..

[harry in montreal]

great article. i have seen those JB bands on some watches... i have passed on them because i was sure that they were fakes. oops! i like the crown-dot-code for SS and gold trim. harry

[Flash Gordon]

As I recall when I visited the JB factory in Toronto in the early '70, they made only stainless steel watch bracelets, no two tone.

[Rolex2]

My band has an imprint on one of the ss oval links, right 3rd link down from 12 o'clock:
3 numbers or letters. 214, I think. The 2 I'm not sure of . On the 6 o'clock side, the left sixth oval link down may have another 14. Maybe a reference to 14kt. The numbers are hidden on the narrow curve of the oval between the links.

[Rolex2]

Originally Posted by Flash Gordon

As I recall when I visited the JB factory in Toronto in the early '70, they made only stainless steel watch bracelets, no two tone.

JB Champion made a lot of bands, SS and gold-filled. There are many listed for sale on ebay from different sellers. Just search JB Champion bands. The clasped ones show the JB logo in the triangle, and "Champion" inscribed in large written letters.

The ss/gold ones I've seen say gold-filled trim on the clasp, not "14kt trim" as on their Rolex USA bands. My band is very old, and shows no brassing on the gold links which show heavy wear. Hence, most likely solid gold.

The JB Rolex bands are hard to find--there aren't that many of them around for sale.

[ericpiletbfr@aol.com]

Hi, i'm a new member

excuse me for my bad english, but i am french ! (near Paris)

Is it possible to have the references of the the end pieces for the oysters's bands for the rolex 1002?

My rolex 1002 is an 1966 model 18XXXXX

is it the 557, 557b or 571 ? specialy with the 78350/19

Thanks

ericpiletbfr

[Rolex2]

Originally Posted by Rolex2

My band has an imprint on one of the ss oval links, right 3rd link down from 12 o'clock:
3 numbers or letters. 214, I think. The 2 I'm not sure of . On the 6 o'clock side, the left sixth oval link down may have another 14. Maybe a reference to 14kt. The numbers are hidden on the narrow curve of the oval between the links.

I looked at these areas with a loupe, cleaned up, and concluded they were not numbers but pits in the SS. The gold looks solid.

I had the back rubber gasket replaced on the watch during the weekend by a watch expert. The movement is a 1570 caliber, consistent with the '79 time period.

He recognized the band. They are now rare and coveted by some collectors.

[pdoukas]

I'm bringing this thread back to life to inquire more about the JB Jubilee band. I have a line on a watch that I am interested in and it has a SS Jubilee JB Band. The thing is, I do not like the band, Jubilee for that matter. I'm am trying to determine the worth of this band so I can use it to my advantage for price negotiation. There seems to be a good amount of stretch but overall appearance looks clean with little scratching. I realize pictures would be helpful, but I cannot seem to download the damn things as they are embedded in JAVA I believe. In any event, the back of the buckle says SS and the coronet has 1 missing dot above the first coronet. Rough guesses are welcome. I know there are buckles in ebay that go for $250ish, and this particular band does say ROLEX on it.

Pete

[RolexPete]

I too am resurrecting an old thread...just picked this up yesterday...JB Champion band. Sending it off to Michael Young for refurb. Note the coronet with missing dots. Mine also has a 7 stamped on it. I have seen others with a 7, some with a 6. I am thinking this corresponds to a date code, in my case 1967. Thoughts on this?

[Chris1974]

Wow great thread. Glad I found it. I just bought a ladies 6517 at an auction and once I looked at the bracelet I thought for sure it was fake. Just the bracelet, I knew the watch head and movement was authentic.

This is what came on the 1969 ladies date just 6517. Being this vintage can I assume the bracelet is original to the watch?

Also there is a pin missing. Are these push in pins or screw in like the Swiss made bracelets?

[Cortezthekiller]

JB also made the coffin link and bullet bracelets that are the most coveted on the 60s-70s Astronaut and Spaceview watches.

[bal91]

Hi everyone,
I have never posted on any type of Forum before but I am stumped on my watch and I really would like to see if anyone has any answers about it. I stumbled across a Rolex at an estate sale. I think it is from 1942 and I have been researching like crazy to find out about it. I can not find another that it exactly to the 'T' like it. There have been some very similar but none with the band that I have and the second hand is red on most but mine is gold... When purchased it came with this JB Champion band on it (stainless steel) which to be honest was the reason I thought...eh...this might be fake but now I'm quite positive its real. The numbers on the back read 231848. I will post some pictures and maybe you guys will know some more about this piece! And thank you for all the previous info! I was really getting disappointed that I couldnt find much on this band!

[bal91]

I dont think it added all of my photos but I dont know how to do this LOL

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by Mike Wood

Tylden, could you shed any light on WAB, a manufacturer of bracelet and strap fittings for Rolex in the UK during the 1950s?

I have also seen Clewco on some British-made Rolex bracelets (Stelux Clewley & Co.?).

Going back to JB... was "Champion" one of their watch bracelet ranges?

Hi Mike.
Re WAB as seen on Rolex Bracelets sold in the UK.
There was a bracelet manufacturer in Birmingham that made bracelets for Rolex UK. Both Rolex Ltd UK and WAB (Watch Accessories Birmingham) were wholly owned by Oscar Winter a friend of Hans Wildorf. As a young watchmaker I worked for Rolex Ltd first in their new watch casing up department casing up movements using UK made gold cases then in their after sales service department - both at their Service Centre at Heathend Road, Dartford Heath outside Bexley in Kent I knew Mr Winter and his son who took over the UK company when Oscar died. I think it was only when the son Richard (Dickie) died did the UK company change hands and become part of the Swiss company. Tylden.

[Tylden Reed]

Originally Posted by Mike Wood

Tylden, could you shed any light on WAB, a manufacturer of bracelet and strap fittings for Rolex in the UK during the 1950s?

I have also seen Clewco on some British-made Rolex bracelets (Stelux Clewley & Co.?).

Going back to JB... was "Champion" one of their watch bracelet ranges?

Forgot.
Clewco was Clewley and Co - before Stelux took over the company.
Wasn't Stelux a company with a HQ in Hong Kong?
Re JB. Can't remember but you are probably right.
Tylden.

[Bertroex]

Many thanks for all your clarifications and the resources available on this forum: it appears that my New York supplied 1675 GMT was equipped with a Jacoby-Bender SS jubilee.

I can’t post any pictures just yet as I am a long term lurker and very much learning day by day about the fascinating worlds of vintage Rolex.


Take care,


Bert