The Oysterlock is the folding clasp Rolex uses on its Professional watches. It has a safety catch that stops the bracelet from opening by accident. It first appeared on the GMT-Master II in 2005, and Rolex developed and patented the current version.
How does the Oysterlock work?
The Oysterlock locks in two stages. A hinged catch sits on the clasp, marked with the Rolex crown. To take the watch off, you lift this catch first. Only then can the main clasp fold open. While the catch is down, the clasp cannot open. The whole clasp is made of 15 small parts, and Rolex patented them. The large crown on the catch was added at the request of Rolex’s designers, for its looks.
Not to be confused with
The Oysterclasp is Rolex’s plain folding clasp with a cover. The Oysterlock keeps the folding clasp and the cover, and adds a safety catch. You can tell the two apart by the crown logo. On an Oysterclasp, the crown is embossed into the clasp. On an Oysterlock, the crown sits on the catch you lift, so it is part of the opening mechanism.
Which bracelets use the Oysterlock?
Rolex fits the Oysterlock to its Professional watches. Rolex’s Oysterflex rubber bracelets are also fitted with Oysterlock safety clasps, made in gold to match. On these, it is still an Oysterlock safety clasp: the crown catch is lifted first, and then the clasp folds open. So the same safeguard against opening by accident applies to the rubber bracelet too.
Checked