How to Change a Watch Strap in 5 Minutes

Changing the strap is the easiest way to give a watch a whole new personality. Swap a leather strap for Milanese mesh and a minimalist watch goes from casual to smart in an instant. The good news is that you don't need a watchmaker or any special skills. Here's how to do it, depending on how your strap is attached.

First things first: measure the lug width

Before buying a strap, measure the lug width: the inside gap between the two lugs of the case, where the strap attaches. Use a ruler marked in millimetres or, better still, a pair of callipers.

• Common sizes run from 16 to 24mm, usually in even numbers
• A 40mm case often has a 20mm lug width, a 42mm case 22mm
• The widths must match exactly: a 20mm strap on a 22mm lug width leaves an ugly gap

Apple Watch works differently: you choose the band by case size, and the connectors slide into the grooves on each side.

What you'll need

• A spring bar tool, with a fork at one end and a pin at the other
• A soft cloth or towel to protect the glass
• Optionally, a little masking tape over the lugs
• Some spare spring bars, in case one pings off or gets bent

Our spring bar tool kit includes the tool, four spare tips and 108 spring bars from 16 to 24mm, so you're covered for every situation.

Option 1: a quick-release strap

This is the easiest. Turn the watch over and find the small lever on the spring bar, on the strap side. Slide it towards the centre with your fingernail: the bar retracts and the strap comes free. To fit a strap, put one end of the bar into the lug hole, pull the lever, line up the other end and let go. You should feel a slight click.

Option 2: standard spring bars, using the tool

1. Place the watch face down on the cloth.
2. Slip the fork of the tool between the lug and the strap, against the shoulder of the spring bar.
3. Press gently towards the centre to compress the bar, then tilt the strap outwards.
4. Keep the spring bar: you can reuse it if it isn't bent.
5. Insert the bar into the new strap and seat one end in the lug hole.
6. Compress the other end with the fork and slide the strap across until the bar clicks into its hole.
7. Give the strap a firm tug to check it's secure.

If your watch has drilled lugs, with small holes visible on the side, use the pin end of the tool: push the bar through the outer hole and the strap releases without any force.

Option 3: fitting a NATO strap

A NATO strap doesn't even require removing the spring bars. Thread the long end under the top bar, then under the bottom one, keeping the back of the watch against the strap. Pass it through the buckle, tuck the end into the keepers, and you're done. If the gap between the bar and the case is too tight, remove the bars, position the strap, then refit them.

Mistakes to avoid

• Forcing it with a screwdriver or knife: the quickest way to scratch the lugs
• Working over a tiled floor: a spring bar that pings off is hard to find, so use a table covered with a towel
• Reusing a bent spring bar: it could give way, taking your watch with it
• Skipping the check: always tug on the strap after fitting it

Which strap for which occasion?

For the office, Milanese mesh looks sharp and adjusts to the millimetre thanks to its magnetic clasp. For weekends and summer, a nylon NATO strap is light and easy to wash. Leather remains the all-round choice. With two or three straps, one watch can cover almost every occasion.