Width: measure the lugs
Measure the inside gap between the two lugs at one end of the case, in millimetres, with calipers or a ruler. That's the lug width and the band width you need. It's often printed on the back of the old strap and is listed for every watch in our catalog. The widths watches use most:
- 20 mm: 49% of watches
- 22 mm: 17% of watches
- 21 mm: 11% of watches
- 18 mm: 7% of watches
- 19 mm: 7% of watches
Some straps taper toward the buckle, so a 20 mm strap might be 16 mm at the buckle end; that's fine, it's the lug end that has to match.
Length: measure your wrist
Wrap a strip of paper around your wrist where the watch sits, mark it, and measure it: see how to measure your wrist. Two-piece straps are sold by the length of each piece, such as 120/75 mm. As a rough guide:
- Short, around 110/70 mm: wrists up to about 6.5 inches.
- Regular, around 120/75 mm: about 6.5 to 7.5 inches.
- Long, around 130/80 mm: about 7.5 inches and up.
Bigger watch cases take up more of your wrist, so a large diver may need a shorter strap than a small dress watch on the same wrist. A NATO strap is one length that fits most wrists, with the excess tucked into keepers.
Bracelets
Metal bracelets are sized by removing links: see how to resize a bracelet. To change bands, you need a spring bar tool.