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Watch band information

No watch is complete without a nice watch band. If you want to enjoy your watch for a long time, it is important to choose a watch band of good quality that you take good care of. The quality of a watch band differs per brand. In general: the higher the price of the watch, the better the quality of the band. Watchstraponline.com also offers a large variety of separate watch bands in all sorts and sizes. We 100% guarantee the quality of these bands.

Maintenance

Every watch band is subject to wear and tear. How fast a watch band wears down, depends on the intensity of use and treatment. In case of normal use, the majority of watch bands lasts 1-2 years, but often much longer. However, it may occur that a watch band breaks within a month.

General tips to increase your watch band’s life span:
Avoid contact with water. Showering or swimming will damage the band, especially leather bands.
Avoid direct sunlight to prevent discoloration or drying out.
Never clean your watch band with soap, dish soap or other (aggressive) cleaning products.

Finally: a leather watch band may develop an unpleasant smell on people with a higher skin acidity. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about that. A watch band of higher quality does not give better results.

Types of material

Most watch bands are made of leather, rubber, silicone, solid stainless steel, titanium or nylon. Every type of material has certain characteristics to take into account.

Leather watch bands
Leather watch bands are very sensitive to water and perspiration. Strong changes in temperature can also negatively affect the quality. TIP: Watchstraponline.com sells special waterproof watch bands made of leather, better known as ‘lorica’.

Rubber watch bands – silicone watch bands
Thanks to the flexibility of the material, rubber and silicone watch bands are comfortable to wear. They are excellent for working out and easy to clean with water. White rubber bands are an exception: these can turn yellow or green over time. Nothing can prevent this from happening. A disadvantage of a rubber watch band is that it will need to be replaced as soon as a hairline appears (after hitting a sharp object, for instance).

TIP: a rubber or silicone watch band is the ideal band to wear during and after working out. It doesn’t absorb perspiration and can easily be cleaned afterwards.

(Solid) stainless steel watchbands

Stainless steel watch bands are very strong and durable. In almost every case they are nickel free and suitable for people with a nickel allergy. A stainless-steel watch band can easily be tailored by removing chain links or moving the closure.

Titanium watch bands
Titanium watch bands distinguish themselves by their silver-grey color and light weight. These bands are much lighter than solid steel ones, adding to their wearing comfort. Titanium is nickel free and therefore suitable for people with a nickel allergy. TIP: a titanium watch band is 5x harder than a steel watch band. Suitable for rough work.

Nylon watch bands
Nylon watch bands are very strong and water resistant. In 90% of the cases, nylon watch bands are NATO style, giving them a nice vintage look.

Clasps

Watch bands come with different types of clasps. The most common clasp is a buckle. Besides buckles, there are foldable clasps and butterfly clasps.

The advantage of a foldable clasp (also known as safety closure) is that you only need to set the size of the band once. After that, you simply slide the watch onto your wrist and click to close the clasp. Leather watch bands with a foldable clasp have a lot less wear than bands with a buckle closure.

A butterfly clasp is like a double foldable clasp. This luxury closure is often used with exclusive or classic watches in a higher price range. Watchstraponline.com also sells separate butterfly clasps compatible with almost any watch band.

Widths
Watch straps are available in different widths. Watchstraponline.com offers watch bands between 8 and 40 mm in width. The right size can easily be defined. Simply measure the distance between the ‘legs’ of the watch case. Most watch bands have an ‘even’ width, between 18 and 24 mm for instance.

More and more brands are choosing to produce uneven sizes. This makes it harder to find an alternative watch band that fits. We do have watch bands in uneven sizes in our collection. Please don’t hesitate to ask us for help if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

Original or universal band?
A universal watch band can often be paired with a branded watch. Sometimes the brand chooses to produce unique watch bands for a better fit. In that case, a standard band will not match.

Watchstraponline.com offers an amazing collection of both universal and branded watch bands. Can’t find a certain brand or serial number? Please contact us.

Replacing a watch band
Replacing a watch band is easy, especially if you watch Rogier’s instruction video. In only 2 minutes you can replace your own watch band.

Order the convenient spring bar removal tool together with your new watch band, or use a pair of tweezers or a paring knife. For the real handymen and women out there, Watchstraponline.com offers several watch toolsets.

Want to see how easy it is? Check out our instruction videos.

Resize your watch strap
This too can easily be done without having to visit a watch maker. With a link removal tool you remove the links from the watch band. A rubber or silicone watch band can be cut to the right size with a pair of scissors or a knife. Leather watch bands cannot be shortened, you can however add some holes or move the foldable clasp. Want to see how easy it is? Watch our instruction videos.
  • Next day delivery (order before 6.30 pm)Next day delivery (order before 6.30 pm)
  • Items on stockItems on stock
  • Returns within 30 daysReturns within 60 days
  • Excellent serviceExcellent service
  • Visit our Experience CenterVisit our Experience Center