How to choose spring bars / watch pins for your watch strap.

So how do you choose the right spring bars, or as some people call them watch pins, for your Rolex / Omega / Swiss watch? First things first, the size you need is the size of the space between the watch head where the spring bars go. That might seem obvious to you but a sizeable number of people mistakenly choose their bars thinking they need to be bigger and will compress down. Not at all. So if your gap is 20mm, say on the Rolex Submariner or Omega Seamaster, you choose 20mm bars. The bars are longer than this but compress down to the right size.

The next thing you are looking at is the diameter of the spring bars you are looking to buy. This is not so easy. The most common diameters are 1.5mm and 1.8mm. Some specific straps for certain models will 2mm or even 2.5mm in the case of Seiko fat spring bars for their divers watches. Can you use 1.8mm bars to replace these? Yes, you can. Some of the watch cognoscenti see this as sacrilege claiming you will pitt and scour the holes for the bar to go into. Not really, the case steel is too hard for this. If you find yourself worried about the small gap between your bar end and the watch case hole question what your worries and anxieties are!

Consider buying spring bars / watch pins that are double flanged - this simply means that they have a collar on for your spring bar tool to get a purchase on. We only sell these types of spring bars as if you have ever tried getting spring bars off without a collar you will ask yourself why they were ever made. Watchmakers and jewellers often have to resort to cutting these off the watch in order to replace. Our advice, don't buy them. Quick release spring bars are a great idea but the strap has to be able to accommodate them.

The key thing when purchasing new spring bars is to buy quality. Avoid cheap as chips ones that abound across the web - those bars are keeping your watch where it needs to be - on your wrist. The springs need to be properly tensioned and high quality for the bars to have the longevity you need. You will more than likely replace those bars only once, invest in a good pair that you can then forget about as you prioritise loved ones in your life, your team winning or the beautiful watch that is safely on your wrist.