How to change a watch strap

What you need

• A strap of the right width. It must match the gap between the lugs exactly: here is how to measure it.
• A spring bar tool with a forked end, unless the strap has quick-release pins.
• A soft cloth to work on. Masking tape over the lugs protects them from slips.

Quick-release straps

1. Find the small lever on the underside of the strap, near the lug.
2. Pull the lever towards the middle of the strap. The pin retracts and the strap comes free.
3. To fit, put the fixed end of the pin into one lug hole, pull the lever, line the strap up and let go so the pin clicks into the other hole.
4. Tug the strap to check both ends are seated.

Spring bars

1. Lay the watch face down on the cloth.
2. Slide the forked end of the tool between the strap and the lug, and catch the shoulder near the end of the spring bar.
3. Push the spring bar end in, towards the middle of the strap, and lift the strap out of the lugs. Repeat on the other side.
4. To fit, slide the spring bar through the new strap, seat one end in its lug hole, push the other end in with the tool and slide it across until it clicks into its hole.
5. Tug the strap to check. A spring bar that is not fully seated is the usual reason a watch falls off a wrist.

Which piece goes where

On a two-piece strap, the shorter piece with the buckle goes on the 12 o'clock lugs and the piece with the holes on the 6 o'clock lugs. A NATO strap threads under both spring bars without taking them out, so there is nothing to remove.

Tips

• Some watches have holes drilled through the lugs. Push the spring bar end in from the outside with a pin and the strap drops out.
• Spring bars are cheap. Replace one that is bent, rusty or has lost its spring.
• Integrated bracelets and some sports watches use screws or their own system. If you are unsure, a jeweller will swap it in minutes.