Changing a watch strap is easy with the right tool, and you can do it yourself. Place the tool carefully so that the case does not get scratched. If you would rather not do it yourself, a watchmaker can change the strap for you.
Video · 3:48 min
Changing a watch strap: the video guide
In this video we show you how to remove the old strap and fit the new one. With the right technique, it only takes a few minutes.
More videos, for example on the folding clasp and the butterfly clasp, are in our video tutorials.
Guide
How do you change a watch strap?
To change a watch strap, you remove the spring bars, take off the old strap and fit the new one. A spring bar tool is made for exactly this job.
What you need
Step by step
- Use the tool correctlyThe tool has a fork and a pin. In most cases you use the fork to release the spring bar.
- Use the pin for drilled lugs (if your watch has them)If the lugs of your watch are drilled right through, you can push the spring bar out from the outside with the pin. This is a special case, only some watches allow it.
- Slide the tool between strap and case (if step 2 does not apply)Carefully slide the fork of the tool between the strap and the case until it reaches the spring bar.
- Compress the spring barGently push the spring bar towards the middle of the strap to release it from the hole.
- Remove the old strapOnce the spring bar is free, carefully take off the old strap and pull out the spring bar.
- Prepare the new strapPut the spring bar into the new strap and place one end of the spring bar in the hole of the lug.
- Finish fittingCompress the spring bar and carefully guide the other end into the hole of the second lug.
- Check that it is secureMove the strap slightly until the spring bar clicks into place.
You will find more guides for your watch strap in our overview.
Tool
The spring bar tool
Our tool for changing straps has two screw-in tips, one with a fork and one with a pin. Both tips can be swapped, and a replacement fork and a replacement pin are available. The handle is made of light aluminium, with a thread at each end.
Spring bars
Spring bars: how the strap is attached
How is a watch strap attached?
Most straps are held by spring bars, small rods that sit between the lugs of the watch. A spring bar is a thin tube with a spring inside that keeps it in place. At each end there is a movable tip that you can push in. Once the spring bar sits in the holes of the lugs, the tips spring out and hold the strap.
Our spring bars are made of stainless steel. If a spring bar is damaged or needs replacing, you will find replacement spring bars in our shop. The video shows how to fit spring bars into a strap.
Types of spring bars
Standard and quick release spring bars
We recommend ordering new spring bars each time you change the strap. Over time the spring inside can weaken, and the strap may then come loose while you are wearing it. There are also quick release spring bars, which let you change the strap without a tool. You will find spring bars and tools in our accessories.
Size
Choosing the right spring bar size
The spring bars must match the lug width of the strap. If your lug width is 20 mm, you need 20 mm spring bars. A 20 mm spring bar is actually about 23 mm long, because its tips go about 1.5 mm into the tube on each side. This extra length gives a firmer hold once the spring bar is in place.
How do you measure the lug width? Measure it between the lugs of the watch with a calliper or a ruler. You can also measure your old strap. Our guide how to measure the lug width and length explains everything.
Fixed bars
Fitting a strap to a watch with fixed bars
Some watches have fixed bars that are soldered to the case and cannot be removed. This is mostly the case with older models. For these watches you need a strap for fixed bars.
Which types of attachment are there?
Clip system
These straps have a clip at the end. You simply push it over the fixed bar from above.
Straps with open ends
There are two versions:
- Glued ends, like our straps with open ends, which are fixed with a special glue.
- Ends with metal clips that lock once folded over, like our leather strap with pad.
Pass-through straps
You thread them between the case and the fixed bar, so they run under the watch. Our NATO straps are an example. Our guide shows how to fit a NATO strap.
Buckle
Changing the buckle of a watch strap
A buckle is changed in almost the same way as a strap. In most cases it is held by a spring bar. To remove it, slide the fork of the tool between the strap and the buckle and push gently towards the middle of the strap. If the spring bar is not double-shouldered, check whether the buckle has a hole on the side. In that case the pin of the tool will help.
Good to know: our replacement buckles come with a new double-shouldered spring bar.
Check before you buy a new replacement buckle:
- The width of the buckle must match the width of the strap at the buckle.
- The strap must not be too thick at this point, or it may not fit into the new buckle. This matters most for deployment clasps, which often leave less room.
Example
Lug width of the watch: 22 mm
Width of the strap at the buckle: 20 mm
In this example you need a 20 mm buckle. Also check how thick the strap is, because a strap that is too thick may not fit into the new buckle.
Would you like to fit a deployment clasp instead of a pin buckle? Our guides to the folding clasp and the butterfly clasp show how it works. How the safety folding clasp works is explained in its own guide.
Animations
Removing strap and buckle: animations
These animations show how a strap and a buckle held by a standard spring bar are removed. The first shows how to take the strap off the watch, the second how to remove the buckle from the strap.
