# Insecure Straps & Bracelets



## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

@Daveyboyz experience with his JLC strap has got me thinking, how many watches have you had where the strap or bracelet has been less than secure?

For me there have been a few the most significant was an IWC Ingenieur 3227, one of my favourite watches but I sold it because on my wrist at least it wasn't secure. It had a deployant style clasp with a single catch to release it, I found this a problem as the catch could be released by bending your wrist (not like in the video below which says otherwise see 3:27). I took it to an IWC dealer and they put a new clasp on the bracelet which improved things but still didn't stop it coming undone.

In my opinion on such a heavy watch the clasp should have had a double catch rather than single, it still upsets me 

Several times it came undone and I caught the watch in my palm but once while climbing stairs it fell and fortunately landed on the foot of the girl behind me, she got a bruise but it saved the watch.

My next pet hate are NATO straps on watches with springbars. Useless, catch your watch on a strap while donning a backpack - the spring bar pops, working actively - the spring bar pops, bloody useless. I tried thick spring bars which was better but still not the answer, so I only use a NATO on fixed bars.


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

This came, (new) with a deployant clasp that opened of its own free will, after two replacements, which did the same, I got a replacement strap with buckle and pin, problem solved, and it was all done under warranty. 










I only really like clasps like this, (tri-fold)


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## Daveyboyz (Mar 9, 2016)

I bought my mother a must de cartier 21 one year on a brown leather much like the one below. The strap was super cool with a double ribbing running through it and a deployant clasp where it kind of folds back on itself under a bar which doesn't go the entire width but has a gap in the centre.

Long and short is one day she looked at her wrist and there was no watch there, I figure it just popped through rather than opened (in which case you would expect to feel it sliding over the hand)


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## KO_81 (Dec 16, 2012)

The deployant clasp on my Tissot Heritage Visodate is really loose and rattly and generally not of very high quality; many a time I have just been moving my hand/wrist very lightly and it's just popped open. This is when the strap was relatively loose on my wrist as I hate them too tight fitting.

Had to fit a replacement traditional leather strap in the end as I was scared of the watch slipping off and falling on the ground.


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## PC-Magician (Apr 29, 2013)

Screw in links use thread lock. :thumbsup:


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

I had a lucky escape with a Bulova Precisionist last year. I was skiing, and had stopped for lunch. Took my jacket off, and noticed my watch was missing - Gutted! However, I checked my jacket and the watch was still inside the sleeve, with one of the spring bars popped off.

With reference to the OP and NATO straps, I think the idea is that you're unlikely to pop both spring bars at the same time, so the watch is likely to be spared loss or damage by hanging onto the remaining pin if one of them goes belly-up. I don't like NATOs anyway, but that is my understanding of the thought behind their design. Obviously I might be wrong, and no doubt there will be someone along soon to point that fact out :laughing2dw:


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## tx101 (Jan 7, 2018)

JoT said:


> My next pet hate are NATO straps on watches with springbars. Useless, catch your watch on a strap while donning a backpack - the spring bar pops, working actively - the spring bar pops, bloody useless. I tried thick spring bars which was better but still not the answer, so I only use a NATO on fixed bars.


 This happened to my Speedie when I whacked it against the edge of a car door. Lucky only one of the spring bars popped out.

Did some searching and reading on the interwebs and apparently shoulderless spring bars sorts this issue out.

Found some on EBay and installed them on a couple of watches.

I hope this really works :hmmm9uh:


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## Noob101 (Mar 24, 2017)

I've had problems with a Seamaster bracelet before - I think I wrote about this a short while ago.

I remember it like it was yesterday; I was walking down the pier in Brighton when I realised the top pin holding the watch case to the first bracelet link had slipped more than half way out! This really freaked me out because just earlier that day I had worn the watch swimming in the sea! It has been a long time since this happened and I have had the bracelet refurbished, but I still have not been able to comfortably wear that watch swimming while on the bracelet since which is very sad because the whole purpose of having a Seamaster is having a rugged strong watch (I took it swimming in Spain year before last but that whole holiday I had it on a NATO). I wonder if the new screw type pins are more resilient.


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## Boots (Sep 22, 2018)

Davey P said:


> I had a lucky escape with a Bulova Precisionist last year. I was skiing, and had stopped for lunch. Took my jacket off, and noticed my watch was missing - Gutted! However, I checked my jacket and the watch was still inside the sleeve, with one of the spring bars popped off.


 @Davey P Really late coming back to this post, but I'm working through old topics.

I went skiing the year after getting married, without Mrs Boots. I was worried about my wedding ring with all the gloves on/gloves off and cold fingers, so I had the bright idea of tying it on a string round my neck. Stopped for lunch and... no wedding ring, just a bit of untied string. I checked all my clothing, but no joy. That was not a good phone call to Mrs Boots. :sadwalk:


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