Z22 rubber expand ?

So, I was changing the bracelet on my seiko monster to the rubber z22, with a paperclip.. I have 2 of em, one which I suspected is not a genuine z22, gf got it while she bought the blak monster for me..



The genuine z22 used to fit into my monster with ease, while the other (suspected aftermarket) one does not.. Though it still fit with some force applied.. It's been at least 3mths since my last rubber-bracelet switch, this time BOTH the z22 can't fit with ease :shock:



I guess what I'm askin here is:

- any bros encountered this before ?

- do rubber straps expand after long absence from usage ?



Cheers

expanding not sure, but be careful if u notice the seiko strap surface start to appear shiny and sticky after long storage. possibly a sign of resin rot?



i had a z20 (the sawtooth type) that got sticky, after mounting it snapped at the usual tang hole with little flexing

Luckily it hasn't shown any sign of resin rot, yet.. My seiko guru is always confused by this.. What are the chances that the lugs of my monster shrunk then ? :D