Watch Band Replacement: Comprehensive Steps

How to Replace a Watch Band

So, you’ve measured your wrist size, determined your watch band size, browsed through our collection of watch bands and ordered your favourite one. Now that it’s arrived and you can’t believe how beautiful it is, all that’s left is to wear your watch to your heart’s content, so that all your friends can ask you about that new watch band!

But wait, what about watch band replacement, maybe you’re not too sure how to do that? No worries! We’re here to help with all your watch band replacement needs!

The things holding your watch band in place are called spring bars. There are many, many different variants of spring bars, but you don’t have to think about them too much since you can probably reuse the pair that came with your watch!

The two most common kinds of spring bars are like these here:

As you can see, the main difference is that one has a small lever on one side, while the other is just a flat tube.

Important note: The watch band you selected must have a groove for the quick release lever. If you have a watchband without such a groove, then you can only attach the watch band using the ordinary springbars.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can get down to business!

Replacing a Watch Band With a Quick Release Springbar

If you happen to have a springbar with the quick release lever on the side, and a suitable watch band, the only tool you’ll need is a fingernail!

1. Pull the lever to one side, and the spring will contract, releasing the watch band.

2. Then, simply remove the spring bar from the old watch band and place it inside the new one.

3. To fix your new watch band in place, attach the fixed side of the spring bar to one lug hole and align the watch strap to match the other lug. Then pull the quick release lever so the springbar can fall in place, and release the lever to insert it into the other lug hole.

Watch Band Replacement of a Common Pushpin Style Springbar

Unlike the quick release mechanism, a common pushpin springbar uses the force of the spring on both ends to keep everything in place, so you can detach it from either side.

There are many variations of this design, and the main difference is in the ends (double shoulder, single flange, double flange – see the first image) which determines the location where you need to attach your tool in order to gain purchase.

Unfortunately, since there is no lever, this means that it requires a bit more precision to get right.

If you happen to have a springbar removal tool, it should make your life much easier. Otherwise, a dull pocket knife or a small flat-head screwdriver will do the trick.

Here we go!

Pro tip: These springbars are notorious for coming loose and flying across the room when you least expect it, which can lead to long searches and painful rummaging through tight corners. You could place the watch in some kind of enclosure, or even a transparent nylon bag to minimise the distance a flying springbar can travel. It might look silly, but it’ll work!

1. Use the tool or screwdriver to latch in between the flanges of the springbar, and try to compress the spring, until the springbar pries out of the lug hole.

2. At this point, you should be able to gently shift the springbar along with the watch band, and detach it from the watch case. Beware the flying springbar!

Note: Many of our watch bands include new springbars (some of our watch bands or metal bracelets can include some nice gifts, so be on the lookout!). If you prefer to keep your old springbars, you should remove them from the old watch bands and insert them into the new ones, just like in Step 2 of the watch band replacement procedure.

3. Place one end of the springbar in a lug hole, and use your tool of choice to compress the spring from the other end. Then, gently navigate the springbar to the lug hole until it clicks in place.

That’s it! You can now enjoy your wonderful watch all over again!