Long Island BRAC-71 appreciation post.
I’ve had my Citizen NY0040-17LE for just under two years now.
At the start of this year, I decided it was finally time to try a bracelet.
I’d always had my eye on the Long Island Watch BRAC-71 bracelet, but compared to others it was more than double the price of the usual eBay/AliX alternatives.
That said, I’ve been burned by the “buy cheap, buy twice” cycle before, so I took the plunge… and I’m genuinely glad I did.
I was a bit unsure about how import taxes would work shipping to the UK, but after reaching out to Long Island, Marc quickly replied and suggested selecting “duty paid.” At shipping. This meant everything was handled upfront no surprises. The total came to $71.05 (about £52.77), and that was it.
Surprisingly delivery was much faster than expected (originally quoted 4 weeks to the UK) it was just over a week from ordering to arriving at my door. First impressions were excellent, the bracelet feels solid, well finished, and fits the watch perfectly with those solid end links and jumbo XL spring bars (they’re seriously chunky!). There are a couple of slightly sharp edges on the centre links, but at this price point it’s really not a dealbreaker. It also came with a quality Long Island branded flathead screwdriver, which was a nice touch and the milled clasp works perfectly and is comfortable.
I know this may be old news to most people as the bracelets have been out a few years now but overall, I’d highly recommend this to anyone who owns a NY0040 and hasn’t taken the plunge with this bracelet yet. It might seem like quite a bit to spend on a bracelet compared to the overall price of the watch, but having dealt with cheaper ones that don’t fit properly in the past with other watches, I can say it’s well worth it. The BRAC-71 really elevates the watch in both fit and finish.