Watches are a beautiful piece of jewelry that anyone can wear, whether you are school teacher or a senator, a watch looks great. What happens when you have fallen in love with the watch but wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the accompanying watch band? You can change the band yourself. In this article you will find not only everything you need to know about watch band vocabulary but the basics of changing it out. 

First let’s look at the vocabulary so you can knowledgeably order and talk about your new watch band with confidence! First you have two basic types of a bracelet or a strap. The bracelet is the metal band type while the strap would be leather, cloth, rubber or other non-metallic band. Once you know which type of band you are looking for you need to know what kind of clasp that you prefer. You have the typical tang type buckle, which is like a typical man’s belt. Then you also have the deployant clasp, which is connected to both sides and unbuckles to slide over the hand and buckles by clipping together. 

Another thing to know about buying watch bands is if it is a standard strap is all you need to know is the width. You can find out what width you will need by measuring the old watch strap or the width between the “lugs.” The width is measured in millimeters. If you are unsure of the width you can take the watch with you so that the jeweler can measure it for you and point you in the right direction. 

Once you know what the width of your band needs to be you can look at your choices which can seem to be endless, if you go shopping or shop online with the idea of what you want your watch to look like. You should also know the purpose of the watch. Some types of bands or clasps may not be appropriate for you. For example you would not want to get a deployant clasp if you know that you tend to swell. If you wear rings or wedding bands and sometimes they are too tight, you swell and this type watch may not be the most comfortable for you. With a tang type clasp you can let the watch out as you would your belt, which would be more comfortable to the wearer. 

Once you know what you are looking for finding a watch band for your watch, shopping for it can be a fun and rewarding experience. You just need to make sure you do your homework before you fall in love with a band that does not fit your watch!