How to Change a Watch Strap: Easy Step-by-Step Guide
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Time to read 7 min
Introduction
In this easy to follow tutorial we'll go over the basic steps on how to change a watch strap. We will focus on two piece watch straps with regular and quick release spring bars. If your watch has screw in bars, fixed bars or another alternative style of strap fixing, there may be some advise here to help you, but we also have other blog posts more specific to your needs.
Fitting a new watch strap is the easiest option to change up the style of your watch. With this simple change you can elevate your timepiece from a watch sat in a drawer, to a timepiece you love having on your wrist. Many people believe that if a watch strap breaks, then the whole watch needs replacing, but this isn't the case. The life of a watch can be revived with a simple strap change.
Tutorial Video
Required Tools
You will need:
Changing a watch strap or bracelet is a simple task with only a couple of tools needed.
- Spring Bar Tool
- Soft Surface to Work on
- Painters Tape (Optional)*
The most important tool is the Spring Bar tool, there are other videos online telling you this is a job that can be done with a screwdriver, but we advise heavily against this as you are likely to scratch or damage your watch. A spring bar tool can be purchased for less than £10 and will not only make the job easy, but will also greatly reduce the risk of damage to your watch.
You will see in the video that our preferred soft surface is a casing cushion, they are ideal if you will be needing it frequently, but for occasional use any soft surface will do; a lint free cloth, a soft towel, etc. simple make sure it is clean and will not scratch the glass of your watch.
"This is a handy robust tool that does the job and us good value." ★★★★★
Before you Start: Preparation
Before you start, you will need to know what size watch strap to get, luckily we have a full blog post with video tutorial on exactly how to do that here: Get the Right Fit
When doing any watch maintenance, it's important to prepare your work area to avoid any unnecessary damage to your watch:
- Make sure your work area is clean and dust free as you don't want any unwanted dust or dirt to scratch your watch.
- Ensure good lighting. Working in front of a window to use natural sunlight, or under a desk lamp are both great options.
- Another tip is to have a small pot to hand to store any spring bars or small screws while working so they don't get lost. A shallow lid is a great option.
*You may be wondering why we have painters tape listed in the required tools, if this is your first time changing a watch strap, or you want to take extra precautions in avoiding scratching your watch, we find painters tape to be a great option in protecting your lugs. Simply tape the underside lugs of your watch as close to the edge as possible. See the video for how to do this.
Must Have Watch Strap Tools
Removing Your Old Strap
Regular Spring Bars
Steps
- Lay your watch face down on your soft surface.
- Slide the forked end of the tool in between the strap and the lugs of the watch. If you have a leather, rubber or fabric strap, you may need to gently squeeze the strap.
- Use the tool to compress the spring bar.
- Once the bar is compressed, keep holding the tool in place while you lift that side of the strap out of the way.
- Once the spring bar is out the way of the watch you can pull the strap away from the watch, making sure not to scratch the watch with the spring bar or tool.
- Repeat for the other side.
Tips:
- Alternatively: if your watch has drilled lugs (holes in the outer side of the watch), you can insert the pointed end of your spring bar to release the spring bar. Some spring bars don't have shoulders meaning this is the only option.
- If your watch is fitted to a bracelet, the task is slightly harder, this can be made easier by opening up the bracelet by removing the spring bar from the clasp if there is one.
Quick-Release Spring Bars
Steps:
- Lay your watch face down on your soft surface.
- Compress the spring bar using the small lever on the underside of the strap.
- Once the bar is compressed, keep holding the lever while you lift that side of the strap out of the way.
- Once the spring bar is out on one side; you can pull the strap away from the watch completely, making sure not to scratch the watch with the spring bar.
- Repeat for the other side.
Tips:
- Some watch bracelets, such as the Timex Giorgio Galli S2Ti, have two quick-release tabs that you squeeze together to remove the bracelet.
- If you are struggling to remove the strap originally fitted to your watch, contact the manufacturer as they may be able to offer some advise.
Fitting Your New Strap
Regular Spring Bars
Steps:
- Insert the spring bars into your new watch strap if it doesn't have them.
- Lay your watch face down on your soft surface.
- Place one side of the spring bar into place.
- Use the tool to gently compress the spring bar.
- Once the bar is compressed, move the strap into place and release the spring bar.
- Give the strap a little tug to make sure it is secure.
- Repeat for the other side.
Tips:
- Make sure to fit the straps the right way around with the buckle end at the top of your watch.
- If you don't get the spring bar into the hole straight away, you don't have to start again, sometimes you can secure the spring bar by gently agitating the spring bar into place.
Quick-Release Spring Bars
Steps:
- Lay your watch face down on your soft surface.
- Place one side of the spring bar into place in the hole.
- Using your finger nail, compress the spring bar.
- Once the bar is compressed, move the strap into place and release the spring bar.
- Give the strap a little tug to make sure it is secure.
- Repeat for the other side.
Tips:
- Before starting make sure you have a good grip on the watch to avoid any slipping.
- You will know if the quick-release spring bar is in place when you hear a little click and see the lever pop into place.
- Before fitting a new strap is the ideal time to clean the inside of the watches lugs. It is an area that can be tough to clean other times so take advantage while you have full access.
Conclusion
After you've fitted your new watch strap it's time to break it in, some materials like rubber and fabric don't need much breaking in, while others; stiffer leathers for example require a little more wear before they're comfortable.
Once you've realised how simple the job of changing a watch strap is, you'll be mixing it up and changing your straps to match your clothing, daily activities or just for a change of style. You'll realise that your one watch collection can have the variety of multiple watches.
If you need any further help, our team is more than happy to assist you. Just reach out using our Contact Us page.
The Author: Will Parker
Will Parker is the Head of Media at WatchObsession and has been with the company since 2020. As our dedicated photographer, videographer and content creator, he has changed more buckles, straps and clasps than we can count and his own personal watch collection grows every year, although his strap collection is growing faster.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How tight should a watch strap be?
Although a very personal choice, a good rule of thumb is that a a finger should be able to fit behind the clasp, but not be able to slide around the wrist. For more information read our Blog post: "How Tight Should a Watch Strap Be?"
What size watch strap do I need?
To determine which size watch strap you should get, you need to measure the strap length and lug width on your watch.
For more information read our Blog post: "Finding the Perfect Watch Strap."
Will any strap fit my watch?
Whether a watch strap is universal is dependent on how it attaches to the watch. If the watch has a conventional lug arrangement which will hold a straight ended watch strap, you can attach almost all watch straps to that watch. However, some watches are designed so that you cannot fit a universal replacement watch strap to it.
For more information read our Blog post: "Are Watch Straps Universal?"
Can I remove Quick-Release Spring Bars?
If your watch has screw in bars and you need to remove the quick release spring bars, it's a simple job made easy with a spring bar tool. We have a YouTube video showing you exactly how to do it here:
"Removing a Quick Release Spring Bar."
