Metal bracelets

Removing or adding links

For a change of more than a few millimetres, take links out or put them back, in pairs from both sides of the clasp so it stays centred under your wrist. Links are held by push pins, pins with tiny collars, or screws. Our guide to resizing a metal bracelet covers each type step by step.

Micro-adjust holes

Most folding clasps have a row of two to five small holes on each side. The spring bar that holds the clasp to the bracelet sits in one of them; moving it one hole changes the length by 1.5 to 2 mm.

  1. Open the clasp and find the spring bar end showing in one of the holes on the side.
  2. Press the end in with the pin end of a spring bar tool, or a straightened paperclip if that's all you have, and ease the bracelet end out.
  3. Move it to the next hole in or out, let the spring bar pop into the hole on both sides, and tug to check it's seated.

A spring bar tool makes this a one-minute job and saves the clasp from scratches.

Tool-free clasps

Some clasps adjust on the wrist without any tools: Rolex's Glidelock slides in 2 mm steps and its Easylink folds out an extra 5 mm, Tudor's T-fit slides, and many microbrands now use a ratcheting clasp. Diver's extensions fold out to fit over a wetsuit, and a fold-over clasp with a comfort setting gives you a couple of extra millimetres on a hot day.

Current watches in our catalog with a clasp you can adjust without tools, from the least expensive:

Mesh bracelets

Milanese and shark mesh usually have a sliding clasp: lift the small latch with a fingernail or a thin blade, slide the clasp along the mesh to the length you want, and press the latch down so it bites. Some use the same micro-adjust holes as a link bracelet.

Straps

Buckle straps

Leather, rubber and fabric straps with a pin buckle adjust like a belt. Use the hole that leaves a finger's gap; if you land between holes, a leather worker or cobbler can punch a new one cleanly. A strap that needs the first or last hole is the wrong length: see how to measure watch band size.

NATO and single-pass straps

Thread the strap through the spring bars, buckle it at the hole that fits, and tuck the spare tail back through the keepers. A long tail can be folded back under itself, and our NATO strap guide covers the tidier ways to wear one.

Hook-and-loop and resin straps

Hook-and-loop straps adjust anywhere along their length. Resin straps on watches like G-Shocks adjust at the buckle, and the keeper slides to hold the tail flat.

Getting the fit right

Adjust the band in the afternoon, when your wrist is at its largest, and leave a little room: wrists swell in heat and after exercise. Read how tight a watch should be for the details.