Rolex 78790 Bracelet

Read your serial before you order a 78790. Four vintage Rolex sport references moved onto this Oyster bracelet in 1995, and the reference preceding it fits the same four cases, which makes production year rather than model name the deciding fact. Oysters Jubilee manufactures the Rolex 78790 bracelet as a NEW aftermarket replacement, precision machined to 20mm hollow-midlink specifications for the drilled-lug Explorer, Explorer II and GMT-Master cases produced between 1995 and 1999.

Why Explorer and GMT-Master collectors choose Oysters Jubilee for 78790 bracelets

Two bracelet references fit the same four watches, and only one is period-correct for your case. That single ambiguity sends more 78790 bracelet buyers to the wrong part than stretched hollow midlinks and worn 501B end links combined. We manufacture the 78790 directly, to three specifications that hold across every unit.

Precision manufacturing to 1995 through 1999 hollow specifications

Tolerance decides whether a hollow midlink Oyster bracelet succeeds, and we hold ours across the full 1995 through 1999 specification window. We precision machine the 78790 body in stainless steel, and we cut the 558B and 501B hollow end links on dedicated tooling, because the Explorer 14270 and the GMT-Master 16700 take different codes on the same 20mm drilled-lug case width. Every 78790 bracelet body ships NEW, with no accumulated wear to machine around.

Compatibility coverage across the Explorer, Explorer II and GMT-Master families

Four case references run on one 78790 body: the Explorer 14270, the Explorer II 16570, the GMT-Master 16700 and the GMT-Master II 16710, each across its 1995 to 1999 production window. Three of those four take the same 501B end link, and the Explorer 14270 takes 558B. We manufacture both codes, so a collector holding more than one of these vintage sport references orders from a single hollow 78790 Oyster bracelet.

Restoration-grade fit on 20mm drilled-lug sport cases

Since all four compatible 78790 references were produced with drilled lugs, the hollow end link has to seat without a shadow line at the case. Our manufacturing process is dimensioned to that drilled-lug profile specifically, which is why we do not extend the 78790 to the no-holes cases that followed it. A restoration-grade 20mm 78790 bracelet sits flat on the 14270 or 16710, hinges evenly against a 20mm drilled-lug case, and holds its line across the wrist.

What is the Rolex 78790 bracelet?

Nineteen ninety-five marks the handover. From that production year the 78790 took over from the 78360 across the Explorer, Explorer II and GMT-Master lines, carrying forward the same 20mm hollow midlink construction and, on three of the four references, the same 501B end link code. The 78790 held that fitment position until 1999.

Position matters more than novelty on this Oyster reference. The 78790 sits inside the hollow generation rather than at its start, arriving well after folded construction had left these sport references and before solid end links appeared. A 78790A followed in 1999 on no-holes cases with solid end links, which places that variant outside the hollow range we manufacture and outside what a 1995 to 1999 drilled-lug case should wear.

78790 compatibility — watch models and end links

Compatible Rolex references across four sport families

Our compatibility chart documents four Rolex applications for the 78790, all inside a single production window:

• Explorer 14270 (1995–1999) — end link 558B
• Explorer II 16570 (1995–1999) — end link 501B
• GMT-Master 16700 (1995–1999) — end link 501B
• GMT-Master II 16710 (1995–1999) — end link 501B

Every one of these cases carries drilled lugs, and the 78790 bracelet body does not change between them.

Tudor fitment outside the 78790 range

No Tudor reference is documented against the 78790 on the Tudor chart, and we do not position the bracelet as a Tudor part. Tudor collectors working in the same 20mm hollow period have their own pairings instead: the Submariner 79090 and 79190 take the 93150 with 380B end links, while the Chronograph 79180, and 79160 production from 1993 onward, take the 78360 with 589.

Find your Tudor pairing on the Tudor Compatibility Chart

How to identify the correct 78790 end link

Before you compare end link codes, establish your production year, because the 78790 and the 78360 overlap on model name and separate only on date. Once that year sits after 1995, the code follows the case reference directly: the Explorer 14270 takes 558B, and the Explorer II 16570, GMT-Master 16700 and GMT-Master II 16710 all take 501B. The case reference is engraved between the lugs at twelve o'clock.

78790 end link options — 558B and 501B

Match the code to the case reference, not to the bracelet. Both 78790 codes are hollow end links and both are cut for drilled-lug geometry. The 558B serves the Explorer 14270 alone. The 501B serves the Explorer II 16570, GMT-Master 16700 and GMT-Master II 16710, which makes it the code covering most of this group. Solid end links belong to the no-holes production that came afterwards and sit outside our range entirely.

• 558B — Explorer 14270, drilled lugs, 1995–1999
• 501B — Explorer II 16570, GMT-Master 16700, GMT-Master II 16710, drilled lugs, 1995–1999

Check your 78790 end link code on the Rolex Compatibility Chart

Installation and related 78790 components

Professional installation on a previously serviced case

A watchmaker earns the fee on a 78790 fitting when the case has already been apart once before. Drilled lugs on the 14270, 16570, 16700 and 16710 make spring bar access simple, though not safe on a vintage sport watch serviced repeatedly. Professional installation confirms the hollow end links seat square before the bracelet takes the weight of the watch.

Complete your 78790 restoration — bundles and components

Order the end links together with the body wherever you can. Pairing a new 78790 body against 501B or 558B end links that have sat on a case since the 1990s is the quickest route to a visible seam at the case. Extra links, spring bars and hollow end links are machined here to the same period-correct specifications as the 78790 bracelet.

Order the 78790 with 501B end links for the Explorer II 16570, GMT-Master 16700 and GMT-Master II 16710

One assembly covers three of the four compatible references, paired before shipping and dimensioned to drilled-lug cases.

Order the 78790 with 501B end links

Order the 78790 with 558B end links for the Explorer 14270

The Explorer 14270 is the one reference in this group that steps away from 501B, and the 558B assembly is cut for it.

Order the 78790 with 558B end links

Browse hollow end links for Rolex and Tudor

Every hollow end link code we manufacture, 558B and 501B included, sits in one catalogue for cross-referencing against your case reference.

Browse hollow end links for Rolex and Tudor

Choosing the right 78790 for your restoration

Hollow 78790 versus hollow 78360 — the 1995 production-year decision

If your GMT-Master II 16710 was produced after 1995, the 78360 is the wrong bracelet for that case, even where a listing puts the reference against the same watch. The two Oyster bracelets share 20mm width, hollow midlink construction and, on three of the four references, an identical 501B end link. Production year is the only variable separating them, and it separates them cleanly at 1995.

That turns the 78790 choice into a production-year check rather than a parts hunt. Establish the case reference, establish the production year, then choose between 558B and 501B. A vintage Rolex 78790 ordered on those three facts arrives correct the first time, which is what a 78790 replacement bracelet is bought to do.

Confirm your 1995 to 1999 pairing on the Rolex Compatibility Chart