Gay Frères was founded in Geneva in 1835 by the Gay brothers as a chain and bracelet maker for jewellery and watch use. Through the 20th century the company became the de-facto supplier of metal bracelets to most major Swiss watch brands. Rolex sourced beads-of-rice, riveted Oyster, and pre-1976 Submariner bracelets from Gay Frères. Heuer bought expansion bracelets for the Carrera and Autavia. Universal Genève, Longines, IWC, and Patek all had Gay Frères-produced bracelets in their catalogues.
Vintage watches with Gay Frères bracelets carry the 'GF' stamp on the inside of the bracelet links or clasp. Rolex acquired Gay Frères in 1998 to bring bracelet production fully in-house; the Geneva facility became the modern Rolex bracelet-manufacturing centre. Vintage 'GF'-stamped bracelets are now collector-prized; an original Gay Frères Submariner expansion bracelet on a 1960s Sub can add USD 5,000-15,000 to the watch's value over a service-replaced bracelet.
