Sport watch bands might get the most wear and tear of any kind of watch, mostly because
they are attached to watches designed for tough use. You can easily replace your rubber
watch band to keep your watch looking like new with this guide from Esslinger.com.
You will need: A spring bar tool
A parts tray A replacement watch band
To change your watch band, first you need to remove the existing band. Hold the watch
case in your hand so the back is facing toward you and one half of the watch band is accessible.
Look at the band where it meets the watch case. You should see the edges of the spring
bar on either side of the watch band. Turn your watch case on its side for stability
in this repair.
Take your spring bar tool and insert the forked end into one of the openings where you see
the spring bar above the donut ring on the bar.
Using the donut ring as a catching point for your spring bar tool, push down so that the
spring bar contracts on itself. Push the spring bar out toward you until the band is free
of the watch case.
Once the first part of the band is partially free of the case, you can easily pull it out
of the case completely. Remove the spring bar from the band and place it in your parts
tray before setting the watch band aside so you will remember which side of the watch
case it belongs on.
Turn the watch case around in your hand so that the other half of the band that is still
attached to the case is accessible.
Take your spring bar and repeat what you did before: find the edges of the spring bar that
are sticking out of either side of the watch band and insert the spring bar tool so that
it will catch on the donut ring.
Push the spring bar down on itself with the spring bar tool. When it is compressed, twist
the spring bar tool to push that end of the band out of the case.
Release the spring bar and carefully pull the second half of the watch band out of the
watch case. Take the spring bar out of the band and set it in your parts tray before
placing the band off to the side with the first half.
Now you will need to measure your watch band to make sure you get the right size replacement
band. For help doing this, check out this link here.
After you know what size watch band you need, you can check out Esslinger-dot-com's wide
selection of watch bands here to find your replacement band.
Once you have your new watch band, you can place it on the watch case. Line up your new
band next to the old one so you can tell which side of the watch band belongs on each side
of the watch case.
Pick one side of the watch band and insert the spring bar. If your new watch band came
with spring bars, you can use them. Otherwise, you can use the old spring bars as long as
they are in good condition.
Take the watch case and orient it so that it is sitting on its side with the back facing
you and the end that matches the watch band free.
Insert the first end of the watch band into the watch case. Turn or angle the band so
you can position the spring bar in the notch for it in the watch case. Be sure that the
finished side of the watch band is facing the same direction as the watch face.
Position the forked end of your spring bar tool above the donut ring on the spring bar
and push down until the end is out of the way. Then push the watch band into place in
between the lugs in the watch case.
Move the watch band around in the lugs until you feel the spring bar pop into place. Don't
worry if it takes you more than one try to get the spring bar into position.
Grab the second half of the new watch band and insert the other spring bar into the band.
Turn the watch case around so the end without a band attached is accessible and insert the
first end of the watch band into the space for it in the watch case. Position one end
of the spring bar in the notch in the case.
Then, use your spring bar tool's forked end to push down the free end of the spring
bar and slide the end of the watch band completely into place in the watch case. Move the end
around until the spring bar pops into place.
Once both ends of the watch band have been secured in the watch case, you can wear your
watch again. For more help with watch band repair, visit Esslinger.com's learning center
today.