Most people cannot do much on their own to customize the watches they own. Changing the hands, or colors are beyond our ability both in expertise and the tools we have available. This can create a problem for the creative among us who really want to make watches “our own.” One effective outlet for creativity however, is placing a new bracelet or strap (band) on your watch. You must first understand that this does not work with every watch. Some watches or watch makers as a whole, have special proprietary watch strap or bracelet connections that won’t allow for a universal connection, and other watches have straps that won’t come off at all. However, most watches give you the ability to remove and change the strap or bracelet. If you are unsure how to do any of the following, you can always buy a fitting strap or bracelet yourself and take it to a watch repair person or store that can do the work for you cheaply. You will usually save a lot of money and have more selection by purchasing the replacement straps or bracelets yourself rather than relying on what a watch repair or store has in stock.

The first thing you need to make sure of is that your watch has a universal connector. This means two lugs with a screw or pin holes in the lugs, between which you can connect bracelet or straps. The best way to look at this is to turn the watch upside down and inspect the connection. Some watches with bracelets have a cosmetic clasp-shaped piece which is intended to make a metal bracelet appear as though it is part of the watch case. This usually can be switched from bracelet to bracelet. It is further not always necessary to use this clasp-looking piece if you do not like it, or if it does not fit with your new bracelet.

Next, you want to measure the width of your watch strap so that you know what size of watch bracelet or strap to replace it with. Measure the width in terms of millimeters. Most are between 18mm and 24mm. Straps on women’s watches can be smaller though. Knowing the size you need, you can then go online and search eBay or the many sites that have straps available. There are literally hundreds of straps and bracelets available, in many styles and levels of quality. You really get what you pay for. Don’t spend more on the watch strap than you watch itself, but you don’t always want to go with the $10 straps that will not last you very long.

Sometimes you will need to take parts from your current watch to place on the new strap or bracelet. These parts are usually the connector pins and possibly the clasps or buckles that secure the straps or bracelets. These are usually easy to remove with the right tools, which can also be purchased cheaply. Spend a good deal of time seeing all the parts which are available to get the best mix of styles to match your watch, and how you’d like to appear. Some watch straps are utilitarian, while others are purely decorative. Go ahead and see what is out there.

If you have a watch with a bracelet, do not hesitate to buy a strap for it. You can really change the look of a watch by juxtaposing the way a watch is attached to your wrist. Many high quality watches come with several straps these days to give their owners flexibility with how the watches look and feel. An otherwise classy watch can suddenly become a sporty watch by removing a metal bracelet and installing a rubber strap. There is no shortage of options and choices for looking to add news looks to their watch collection.

When getting a new watch bracelet, you will have to adjust the bracelet to fit your wrist. You don’t want it to choke your arm, but at the same time, your watch should never freely swing around your wrist. There are two types of ways to adjust the links on a bracelet depending on whether the bracelet uses pins or screws to hold the links together. Screws are the easiest to work with, and it is recommended that you always get a bracelet with screws if necessary. The best way to work with pins is by using a simple tool which can be found anywhere online that watch sizing tools can be found. One of these tools is pictured here. If you have any doubts about sizing your watch bracelet, take it to a watch store.

Another great reason to give a watch a new strap or bracelet is to make it feel newer. A watch’s strap or bracelet is often the part of the watch that receives the most wear and tear. Putting on a new fresh strap or bracelet will really freshen up an otherwise aged watch. Try it on an old watch and you will realize how much a new strap or bracelet can do.

See the watch straps, bands, and bracelets are available on eBay here.

See watch straps on Amazon here.