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Can I put a new spring bar hole into my watch strap to get it to align properly?

Xonax
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JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

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21 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

What the poster did not understand is that this is a watch porn site.  We want to see pictures. 

Yes we want to see pictures. Anything that's a interesting repair we want to see that also we are visually oriented on this group. The problem is the original posting person has a very clear idea of exactly what they're doing exactly what the problem is and totally cannot comprehend at all why we would question anything at all related to the question. So the concept that we might want to see the actual watch is beyond their comprehension even though it is a watch repair discussion group and we always want to see the watch we like seeing pictures especially if their watches and clocks. Even better if the watches and clocks are naked as I really like seeing the mechanisms of clocks and watches.

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Xonax New Member

Xonax

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https://imgur.com/a/idd0ZQz

 

Here are the photos. I still don't know what they will inform anyone of. I've tried to provide every angle.

First image is how it sits without being on - you can see the gap. Second and third are how it SHOULD sit - perfectly aligned with the lugs against the watch.

Fourth is the area I would be putting my spring bar through. Fifth is the lugs, to see if anyone can determine the distance or recommend a strap that would fit.

Sixth is how it SHOULD sit from the back. Seventh is how it sits with the gap from the back.

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Xonax New Member

Xonax

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5 hours ago, AndyGSi said:

It wasn't clear to me on the first read if he was even using a curved end strap, maybe I should have read it more throughly but never expected that response.

I did go afterwards and look at the offending watch and noticed how far the spring bar is from the case.

image.png.c393720e7ffd29964d47219839adf6f2.png

I've had similar issues in the past and on most occasion found a strap that worked.

On the occasions that I couldn't I used a heated syringe needle in a drill press to melt
a new hole through the strap and then used a spring bar tube to fill the old hole.

The thing I find strange is to pay $300+ for a watch and then say the strap is cheap which I think says a lot about the brand.

My pet hate about these micro brands is how they always show inflated prices with large discounts to make people think they're getting a bargain.

What's strange about buying a watch that ends up having a flaw? I'm not happy with the strap quality for any price. But I'm used to replacing straps on my watches - what makes me upset is that it seems to accept a nonstandard strap solely due to the lug holes being placed wrong. THAT'S a major issue. If I do get a new strap on it I won't be able to swap it out.

A syringe needle seems rather small, would I need to get a larger needle? And then it's as simple as (attempting to) throwing the strap in a vise, heating the needle, and pushing it through? What method did you use to heat the needle? I'm picturing just a lighter. I appreciate your suggestion and your help!

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JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

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3 hours ago, Xonax said:

I still don't know what they will inform anyone of.

The problem is everybody approaches problem solving differently. While it seems crystal clear to you because you're holding the watch in your hand and you can see the problem. Unfortunately everybody in the world is different for some of us one picture's worth 1000 words and Once we look at the picture we can grasp the problem.

3 hours ago, Xonax said:

what makes me upset is that it seems to accept a nonstandard strap solely due to the lug holes being placed wrong. THAT'S a major issue.

Actually that's clever marketing because you're forced to purchase their straps. A lot of watch companies do clever things to force you into only purchasing their items.

 

 

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HectorLooi Distinguished Member

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I don't think there is an easy solution here. If you do manage to make a new hole through the strap, it will be so close to the original hole and tear through eventually. 

Drilling new holes in the lugs to reduce the gap might be an viable alternative.

Why not buy original straps from the manufacturer? 

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HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

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@Xonax thank you for posting photos. They were well taken and helped us to understand the problem more easily.

We have never seen such long lugs in modern watches and would have had a hard time visualizing what you put in words. 

Many of us in the watch repair circle are a bit dyslexic. So pictures are really a help.

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AndyGSi Distinguished Member

AndyGSi

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5 hours ago, Xonax said:

A syringe needle seems rather small, would I need to get a larger needle? And then it's as simple as (attempting to) throwing the strap in a vise, heating the needle, and pushing it through? What method did you use to heat the needle? I'm picturing just a lighter. I appreciate your suggestion and your help!

This is the type you need in either 15Gauge or 16Gauge which should be 1.6mm O/D so you can use a 1.5mm Spring Bar.

You need to sharpen the tip slightly and I heated with a mini lighter blowtorch.

image.png.e94449de55fa8ede2d96acb9652198c1.png

I think there are better options from the strap you're starting with but I'm out most of the day so will see what other people suggest.

1 hour ago, HectorLooi said:

it will be so close to the original hole and tear through eventually.

This was solved as mentioned above by using a spring bar tube to fill the existing hole.

Edit

Just found you can get 16Gauge Hypodermics which would possibly go through better.

image.png.c6e553b5a58ce8d48647445e28ba7920.png

And body piercing ones maybe even better.

image.thumb.png.57dfa36d916bb3e9f5fcb55beabc3c3e.png

 

Edited by AndyGSi
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Xonax New Member

Xonax

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12 hours ago, clockboy said:

It looks like to me that this watch was designed to have a metal strap with a end piece such as this.IMG_0982.jpeg.55cda665ef2b33c1ee87fe3a98368f8d.jpeg 

I have another Microbrand watch where this was the solution. I removed the metal strap, kept this gap closer piece, and attached one of those straps where the middle is extended, like this. That might be the solution here as well. Of course I was not provided any of those end pieces with this watch. Step one will be to ask them if they have any, but step two is - is there a generic version of this product I could try? Do we have a name for it? My Google Searching is only finding those ends that go from 18mm to 20mm, or vice versa.

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Xonax New Member

Xonax

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12 hours ago, AndyGSi said:

This is the type you need in either 15Gauge or 16Gauge which should be 1.6mm O/D so you can use a 1.5mm Spring Bar.

You need to sharpen the tip slightly and I heated with a mini lighter blowtorch.

image.png.e94449de55fa8ede2d96acb9652198c1.png

I think there are better options from the strap you're starting with but I'm out most of the day so will see what other people suggest.

This was solved as mentioned above by using a spring bar tube to fill the existing hole.

Edit

Just found you can get 16Gauge Hypodermics which would possibly go through better.

image.png.c6e553b5a58ce8d48647445e28ba7920.png

And body piercing ones maybe even better.

image.thumb.png.57dfa36d916bb3e9f5fcb55beabc3c3e.png

 

This will be my next project for sure! I was given some extra bands so I have some room to play around with. Inserting a dummy bar into the old hole is a terrific idea as well! The holes on these straps are already too big that I need to fill the space with extra material just to keep it tight. No idea if that was an error or if it's just expecting a really thick spring bar. They go through decently easy when heated?

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Xonax New Member

Xonax

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3 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Search fof curved hollow end links.

To keep all my options open, I ordered one of these that matches the make and model/size descriptor of the strap I ordered. One of my bonus straps is already ready for this kind of cutout, we'll find out how it all fits.

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JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

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On 4/13/2025 at 12:59 AM, clockboy said:

It looks like to me that this watch was designed to have a metal strap with a end piece such as this.

out of curiosity today when I went to work I asked about the problem. The first response was it sounds like the watch was made for a metal strap.  so in which case as already discovered the spring boreholes are too far back. I do believe on the website they did have metal straps.

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MariusJacob Member

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On 4/14/2025 at 10:10 PM, AndyGSi said:

So despite not have the correct drill and setup here at home the piercing needle did the job without any heat.

IMG_20250414_210737.jpg

I don't know when I will need this information, but thanks to this strange story I guess I will always remember this solution. 

Thanks Andy. 👍

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