Your Watch Should Fit Just Right, Not Too Loose Or Too Tight.
Your watch’s band is one of its most important components, and its fit can make a major difference in the enjoyability of your watch-wearing experience. Watch bands can be made from a variety of materials, including metal, leather, rubber, and fabrics like nylon. Each of these materials has pros and cons for watch wearers, and it is up to you to decide which one fits best with your style, the demands of your daily life and career, and the colors and materials you typically wear.
Many watch bands are highly adjustable in nature, loosening and tightening in a manner similar to a belt. The most adjustable types of watch bands are typically straps made of nylon or bands made of rubber or leather. Metal watch bands, on the other hand, sometimes require the adding or removing of links to get the ideal fit.
Getting a perfect fit out of your watch band is an absolute must. Your watch goes with you everywhere, and if it is uncomfortable, it can become burdensome and frustrating. A man’s watch should never feel like a chore to wear. Instead, your watch should be enjoyable to put on and wear throughout the day. Wearing a watch that fits perfectly feels like a pleasant and meaningful ritual, and it is worth the time and effort it takes to make an adjustment if your watch is too loose or too tight.
When A Metal Watch Band Is Too Tight
Metal watch bands can be ill-fitting in two ways – they are either too loose or too tight. When you choose a watch with a metal band, one of the potential obstacles to expect is an overly tight fit. Dealing with a tight metal watch band is often more of a challenge than tightening one that is too loose. This process is a greater challenge because it involves adding additional links to your metal watch band, whereas tightening involves removing links.
Most metal watch bands are made from a series of connected stainless steel links. These links form a chain, with each link connecting to the next via a tiny pin that slides through a hole to pair two links. If your metal watch band is too tight, you will either need to add additional links that you already own or purchase a few from the manufacturer of your watch band.
When it comes to tightening metal watch bands, it is always better to have extra links to use than too few. Too few watch links means your watch will be looser, but not loose enough to fit. Even if you need to order a few extra links, it’s worth it.
When A Metal Watch Band Is Too Loose
Tightening a metal watch band involves removing some of the interconnected links to get a more snug fit. This process is typically easier than the alternative, loosening a too-tight strap. When your watch band is too loose, it may slide around haphazardly on your wrist, sometimes even falling off if it is extremely loose. You definitely don’t want to lose your watch due to a loose band.
Removing links from your watch band is relatively simple. You only need a few tools, all of which are small and gentle enough to interact with the tiny, fragile parts of your watch band. We’ll get into the details of adding and removing links from your metal watch band in the next few sections, so make sure to stick around to get a clearer sense of what this process looks like.
The Tools Of The Trade
To make adjustments to your metal watch band, you need just a few things: a clean, well-lit surface with ample flat space, a lightweight hammer, a pushpin, and a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Most of these should already be present in your home, with the most uncommon of them all most likely being a small hammer. Jewelry hammers are ideal for making watch band adjustments and are much more lightweight and precise than a full-sized hammer.
A pushpin is used to gently press out the pin that connects two links in your watch band. A pushpin removes one of these linking pins enough that it can be fully removed using pliers. However, it’s best to stick to tools instead of trying to use your hands for this part of the process. Let the pushpin and pliers do the work instead of attempting to pry out a pin with your fingers, running the risk of damaging or losing it.
Finally, you need a pair of needle-nosed pliers to finish extracting pins from links once they are loosened by your pushpin. These pliers have long, slim pincers that are perfect for handling the tiny pins in your watch band.
Set up your workspace so that it is fully illuminated and comfortable to sit or stand at. Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to make adjustments to your watch. Take your time with the process – it may feel like a bit of a chore, but performing maintenance on your watch can become a ritual that you enjoy and find rewarding.
Removing Links From Your Watch Band
To get started with removing a link from your watch band, remove the band from your watch. If you have a quick-release metal watch band, it can be detached from your watch using the release levers on the left and right sides of your watch. These tiny levers retract the coupling pins from your watch with a light press, allowing you to easily remove your band from both sides of your watch.
Once you have removed your watch band from your watch, lay it flat on the surface of your workspace. Then, take your pushpin and gently press it into one of the connecting holes between two links in your band. With some light pressure, the pin should partially retract from the watch band, making it easy to remove it fully with pliers.
Take your watch band in your hand, cradling it carefully so that it does not fall. When you remove the pin, your band will separate into two halves, so it is best to get a secure grip on it before you pull the pin out with pliers.
With a pin removed, one of the links in your watch band will be removed. To reconnect the two separated halves of your watch band, you can place a loose pin in the connecting point between two links and give it a gentle tap with your jewelry hammer. Once you have removed a link and rejoined the two halves of your watch band, reattach the band to your watch and try it on. If it is still too loose, try removing another link. Getting the fit just right may take some trial and error.
Adding Links To Your Watch Band
The process of adding links to a watch band that is too tight is a bit more complicated than the process of removing them. When you have too few links in your watch band, it is sometimes tough to tell how many you need to add for a better fit. In addition, adding links to a tight band may require you to order some extra links from the manufacturer of your band. However, resizing a watch band that is too tight can still be done with some patience and precision.
To add links to your watch band, you can create a separate chain of connected links to make a major adjustment, or just add one link to your band to make a smaller adjustment. Whether your adjustment is big or small, the process of adding links is relatively similar to the process of removing them – you’ll need the same tools and the same steady, precise hand.
Adding links to your watch band means creating two separate halves of your band by removing a pin with a pushpin and pliers, the same way you would if you were shortening your band. Once you have separated your band into two halves, add any additional links to the chain by coupling them with each other using your pushpin, pliers, and hammer. Once you have added the desired amount of links to your band, try it on for size. If it is too loose, you will need to remove a few of your added links. Likewise, if it is still too tight, try adding one or two more links to your band.
Ultimately, the process of resizing a metal watch band can take plenty of determination and patience, but it is worth it in the end. With the right tools and a good space to work in, you can get the job done well and end up with a watch that is much more comfortable.
Sources:
https://hespokestyle.com/nato-strap-history/
https://www.thehourglass.com/collectors-guides/how-should-a-watch-fit/
https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a33637601/quick-release-watch-straps-are-better/
