How to remove/put on watch strap

You now no longer need a spring bar removal tool anymore to remove your watch strap! Quite cool isn’t it. There is a better way to do it now. I have all along used the spring bar removal tool for my watches but with this new method, you can go tool-less in removing and putting on your watch strap.

Installing your watch strap have evolved, from the conventional usage of spring bar tools to the now usage of dental floss. Yes, I mentioned dental floss! Let me go to that in a moment. The 2 ways discussed here on how you can change your watch straps are:

• Spring Bar Removal tool method
• Dental floss method

 1) Spring Bar Removal tool method

This is the usual way of how you would change your straps. Here, I will provide you with a quick run-through on how you can do so with a quick idea. You would need the following:

• 1x Spring Bar Removal tool
• Your watch
• A pair of watch straps

A spring bar removal tool looks like the image above. It comes in many variations with the more commonly seen type is with a thick needle-like tip and the other end looking like a fork tip. The needle-like tip is generally used for to change out watch straps if the watch has visible drilled lugs holes at the side of the watch. Just put it tip through the lug hole and it will push out the spring bar. The fork tip is the used in situations, where the watch does not have lugs holes. In this case, follow through this guide.

Removing the watch strap

Using the fork tip end of the spring bar tool, hold the spring bar tool firmly and with the other hand hold on your watch. You may also choose to rest the watch on a table on top of a cloth to prevent it from getting scratches. 

Insert the fork tip of the spring bar tool in between the watch’s lug and the watch strap, such that you feel that the tool is securely latched onto the spring bar. Give it little push away from the lug and the spring bar should pop off on its own.

You have successfully removed your watch strap!

Installing your new watch strap

Slide the watch strap with the spring bar into one side of the lug. While holding the strap and watch firmly, use the other hand with the spring bar fork tip, to push the protruding spring bar inwards. The strap should go into the lugs with a click sound, signalling that the strap is already in place.

2) Dental Floss method

Throw away any tools! The best part is that by using this method you won’t risk the spring bar scratching against your watch’s case. It is a quick and easy DIY watch strap removal method! You just need:

• Dental floss
• Your watch
• And a pair of watch straps

The idea how this works is that the dental floss is strong enough to not break away when you pull it out and it is also thin enough to sneak it through the gap between your watch’s lug and strap.  

There are some controversies regarding this method, what I have posted is solely based on my experience. There are several opponents of this idea of dental floss, but I found that it comes in very handy. With your dental floss, put it through the gap between the watch’s head and the spring bar, going looping twice, as represented by the red dental floss “thread” in the picture below.

With the watch strap, the floss should go in that small gap, and then you pull it away slowly, to avoid scratching the watch’s lugs in the direction of the blue arrow. Takes a bit of practice. The spring bar may fly out and go missing so be wary of that. If you are not confident, you may choose to remove your watch strap with the spring bar removal tool for a better piece of mind.