Howto: Resize Your Own Watch
Colin M | January 10, 2007 | 5:35 pmI haven’t put too many posts up here that are actually helpful to anyone else in any way, so I thought I should start working on that. This may or may not be helpful to anyone either, but what the heck, I already had the pictures…
Disclaimer: I am not a jewelry / watch expert, and in fact know next to nothing about them. What I present here worked for me, but I make no claim that it will work for you and take no responsibility for your actions and any damage they may cause. :)
Back-Story
So why am I resizing a watch band, of all things? Well, my parents bought me a Seiko watch for Christmas during my senior year of high school, which I like very much. Unfortunately, wearing it for several years (and drumming with it on) popped one of the hands off one of the smaller dials, and that hand now rattles around freely under the crystal, frequently getting stuck under other dials and jamming the watch up:
Note the alarm dial (bottom) of the old watch is missing a minute hand, which is located upside down jamming its second hand (left dial).
After sending it off to Seiko for a repair estimate ($162), we decided it wasn’t worth the money to repair, as it would be better spent toward the purchase of a new watch. Fast-forward several months, and I find my very same watch on Amazon.com for $105 (no longer available). I was pretty excited to have a chance to get it fixed, so I bought it. Fast-forward another week or so, and my new watch arrives. Three sizes too large for my wrist. Oops.
And so, here we are.
Goals
- Resize a watch band of the “pin-and-link” type seen above.
- Avoid fees to have it resized at the mall
- Avoid damage by the inept worker at the Younkers jewelry department
Tools
- Pentel 0.5mm mechanical pencil tips
- Thumbtacks
- 1″ Brad
- Light hammer
Steps
- First, take a close look at your watch and determine how many links need to be removed, and from which sides of the clasp. Keep in mind that you should try to balance the removed links from both sides, or the clasp will end up on the edge of your wrist instead of the back.
I had this step easy, as the old watch was fitted correctly to my wrist already as a model. In my case, I needed to remove 3 links total: 2 from one side of the clasp and 1 from the other. - The next step is to determine exactly which links you will need to remove to accomplish this, and which pins hold them in place. Generally, you will need to remove 2 pins (one from each end of the link(s) you will remove), and then replace 1 to rejoin the watch band.
- Removing and inserting these pins without a commercial tool for doing so is the tricky part, and why I am writing this Howto. So, on to the pins:
- On my Seiko, I started by removing one of the pins on the links near the clasp, in the direction indicated by the small engraved arrow:
- One method to remove these pins uses the tip from a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. Remove the tip and place it point up on a solid surface. Then press the watch down, aligning the pin with the pencil tip’s metal shroud. Apply force as vertically and firmly as possible.
This was the first method I tried, and though it worked for two of the pins I needed to remove, it destroyed 3 mechanical pencils by pushing the metal shroud into the tip. For this reason, I do not recommend this method.
- A second method is to use a thumbtack. Place the tack point-upward on a sold surface. Very carefully align the watch pin on the tip of the tack and press downward firmly. It is very important to keep the watch aligned so that you are always pushing directly into the pin, not at any angle. If you are not careful, the watch will slip off the pin, and if you’re like me, you’ll stab the pin a full quarter inch into the tip of your finger.
Despite the increased danger in this method, I found it to be the most effective, and though I did destroy another few tacks in the process, I was able to remove the remainder of my pins relatively easily.
- Once all the pins are removed, you simply rejoin the remaining watch band pieces by reinserting pins as necessary. This is the second significant challenge.
- When reinserting the pins, it worked best for me to insert them in the opposite direction I had removed them in. I attempted to insert the pin in the direction of the arrow the first time around, pushing the “bulge” in the pin through first, with the result of destroying the pin:
- It is possible to push the pin nearly all the way back in just by hand and pressing the watch against a table, but replacing the pin the last 1/16″ proved trickier. You would like to reposition the pin as it originally was, to minimize the risk that it will fall out.
- The best method I found for recessing the pin back to its original position was to tap it lightly with a hammer, via a nail. Place the watch on a solid board or edge of a table so that the edge of the watchband rests solidly on the surface. Then align a small brad (I used a 1″) with the stub of the pin sticking out, and rap it lightly with a hammer as shown:
- Repeat for all pins that you need to remove and replace to adjust the watch size.
- And that’s it!
Finished watch, down to size with minimal scratches.
Total bill of materials:- 3 mechanical pencil tips
- several thumbtacks
- one watch pin
- one stabbed finger
Dear Colin,
Howto: Resize Your Own Watch made me fall in love with you a little bit. Keep up being one of the coolest people I know.
Excellent. I googled “resize watch” and got your article. Daughter got El Cheapo KMart $10 watch and needed it sized. Needless to say you saved me money and frustration.
Used the hammer and pencil tip to great effect.
really appreciate you blog. I was wondering what the arrows meant.
My Tool-Kit; Needle nose pliers, Some Tape, a Pin from a Picture Hanger, and one of them nut crackers that looks like a dentist tool.
The pin is about an ince long and has a sort of tiny brass knob on it. Also, the pin has a shapr point but the overall, it is a larger diameter than the Watch Pin. (the picture hanger is one of those nickel sized metal hook with adhesive backing, The Pin from it is intended to anchor it to the wall.)
Place your tool pin in the needle nose pliers and use tape to hold the pliers shut. Set the pliers on a coffee table and hold them in place with your foot ( i swear this is how the jewelers do it!) Set your watch band target pin on the tool pin, the arrows should be facing up. Pushing down on the watch band with about 10-15 pounds of pressure, the watch pin will pop up a tiny bit. Grab the no loosened pin in your fingertips and pull out. Really simple.
reassemble the watch without the missing link, place watch pin back just like you pulled it out, and firmly set pin using the Dentist tool. (more common, you might use the file found on most Fingernail Clippers.)
cheers… didnt have the pro tools that i saw on other websites, came here and sorted it with a thumbtack ;)
nice 1
This is a perfect axample of the net being useful… Man do I ever appreciate your page…Thanks to you I was able to size the watch I bought my wife for christmas…Thanks again….
thank you for the info. OMG you saved me so much money and time and headaches. My husband couldn’t get any of his tools to work. I googled and found your info. I used a thumb tack and ….voila. Thank you. That was amazing. I can now wear my fossil watch I got for Christmas.
This worked for me. Cost 3 bent thumbtacks. One of the pins bent when I tried to put it back in, but it bent back straight with some needle-nose pliers. Now I can wear the watch I recieved last Christmas.
Thanks. This saved me a lot of trouble. I ended up using a dremel bit instead of a thumb tack. Pretty much the same effect.
Bravo. I’ve resized a couple of watchbands using different techniques–I’m cheap and a control junkie–and will add yours to my list. A cautionary note: I learned the hard way that on some watches, the pins actually unscrew and you can get into a bit of trouble if you start trying to bang one of those out.
I can only echo the other posters. I bought a Fossil watch and they even advertise their “Smart Links”, but nowhere in the booklet or on the Fossil site can you find an explanation on how to properly resize it.
Thanks for this very useful post.
looked at your site..took me 2 seconds to resize my watch..thanks alot!!!!
Thank you!!! I’m a college student and just got a watch off ebay, I was worried about how I was going to get it sized seeing as how I live on campus and don’t have a car, but your advice with the pin (along with the numerous cautions) worked wonderfully. Thanks again!
Thank u sooo much! I had bought an Ed Hardy watch a couple of weeks back and hadn’t been able to resize it and couldn’t figure out how to. This was sooo helpful. A couple of tacks later and BAM! there it was…lol. You rooockk!!!
Thank you very much, it did help! I had no loss, I needed only one metallic pencil tip, which is still working.
Attila from Hungary
i love you.
So glad I googled before taking my watch to the jewler! Great advice! Although, the pin did stick in the side of my finger too.
excellent stuff….was able to resize a Paul Frank watch in under a minute with a .7mm mechanical pencil tip which I didn’t even have to unscrew and which still works. Thanks for this helpful post!
thank you for your tutorial, my brother game me his old watch today, but it was a little loose around the wrist, it needs a battery as well, but your site is the first i clicked on to see if i can resize this watch myself, and guess what? it worked, i successfully resized my watch, thank you for saving me the trouble of taking this watch to a jeweler :)
Thank you SO much!! Your tips worked perfectly and saved me time and $$. A thumbtack was too big in diameter, so I pushed a sewing needle into an eraser (to keep it vertical) and pushed the eye end in. It worked like a charm and couldn’t have been easier.
Great photos, too! I will think of you whenever I wear this watch.
Thank you very much. Helped with fixing my wife’s new Seiko watch. Thumbtack worked perfectly.
Thank you!!!! I was desperately trying to resize my fossil watch, and nothing was working. The push pin idea was brilliant! Since the push pin couldn’t push it all the way out (a little too thick), I bent a paperclip to push it the rest of the way. It worked perfectly!
Thanks so much sweetie!! This was quite helpful!! Thank you Thank you Thank you
Thanks! Pencil tip worked great. I bought a $5 watch on the street and didn’t want to pay more than the cost of the watch just to get it resized.
Thanks it helped. Turns out the pins in my watch are smaller than my pencil tips, and tacks, I used a vise clamp to hold a sewing needle – but same basic idea.
Thank you! I had gotten a watch last Christmas that was too big, but I am too cheap to pay some to resize it. With your directions I got it done myself! I too had to use a sewing needle, as the push pins I had available were too big.
Thanks for your write-up. I was able to resize my new Seiko watch with only a reinforced push-pin (the ones with plastic around them). We should all send you 50% of what it would’ve cost to take our watches somewhere…
Thank you so much! I received a Seiko from hubby for Chirstmas. I looked an numerous sites trying to do the band resizing myself. I had just about given up and found your instructions. Bingo! You walked me right through it and it fits perfectly. Thank you so much!
Thanks. Got my Fossil with the opposing arrows done.
AFA the bent pins, one could try to straighten them. Similar to the way a carpenter straightens a nail, roll it and tap the high spot until it’s better. ;)
Thank you, it works as described. Saved me $25 dollars! Thank you very much!
thanks. a huge headache saver. i used some of those colored pushpins which are similar to thumbtacks. worked great.
TIP: if you have a set of allen wrenches, inserting the pin back in the phone will be much easier. use one of the larger wrenches and just push the remaining end of the pin through. shouldnt take much effort at all.
Sick, thanks man, got the Paul Frank done in no time at all. Better yet, didn’t cost a dime.
Cheers
Excellent! I just received a new Invicta Sea Wizard this weekend and couldn’t wear it because the bracelet was too large. I knew it couldn’t be rocket science to remove a link, and your post proved to be exactly what I needed. I used a thumbtack to remove two pins (no bends, no blood), and a standard workman’s claw hammer to very gently tap the one pin back in. Great fit! Thanks for the info, Colin.
Colin M:
Thanks for the very informative tips….I was able to resize my band..and only bent one pin (strictly because I got a little cocky and didn’t pay attention to the direction of the arrow when reversing or reinstalling the pin…My Bad!)
Your blog was not only helpful but well written and humorous. Your instruction to place the tack on the table and to push the watch band down was invaluable and may have helped me accomplish my task without injury or any messy bloodletting. FYI….In lieu of a tack, I elected to use a push pin with a very small portion of the tip removed (to provide a flatter tip in an effort to reduce slippage and scratching). To stabilize the push pin in a vertical position, I drilled out a hole in a 3/4″ x 2-1/2″ pencil eraser, just the right size to hold the push pin.
Thanks again.
Respectfully.
SH
Interesting post and thanks for sharing. Some things in here I have not thought about before.
I’m going to bookmark this page so I can return and keep reading.
one more tip: if you take off the clasp, make sure you keep track of which way it goes! either compare it to the image above, or look at another watch, or mark it (nonpermanently)
Great tips in here. I got this watch as a gift, but with the three-day weekend, I would not have been able to wear it until next week.
Thanks!!
My life was a mess until I found this. Now that I can resize my own watches I feel like an angel is watching over me.
ThANKS COLIN!!!
Uesd your tips on my Fossil watched and it worked great. No scratches, no bent pins, no injuries.
Thanks!
Awesome. I used the tack, pliers and some masking tape (to protect the pin when pulling).
I have a Seiko as well and after many years of good use, I have to resize again.
The first resizing when I originally got it was an ordeal and put off getting it resized for several years. The first time the guy wanted to charge me $12.99 to resize, but I talked him down to $8. When I picked it up and it wasn’t ready he turned around and took about 30 seconds and then asked for $10. I said what happened to the $8, he told me $8.99 plus tax was just short of $10. I said no way we had a deal for $8, and wasnt returning my watch until I gave him $10. Long story short we went back and forth and I threaten to call the police if they didnt return my watch, the jewelers wife stepped in and took my $8 and I got my watch.
I took my watch to the mall to get resized one shop wanted $12.99 and another after looking at the brand said $24.99, wtf. I found your site after googling, “cost resize watch links”, and have my watch back on my wrist.
Thanks so much. This is great!!! I love you…. thanks for sharing good stuff. I just done resize my fossil watch.
Thank You Very Much Colin!! You’re so awesome for posting this!!
Good stuff!! Adjusted the linkage on my Fossil watch within a matter of minutes. Thanks for sharing this info.
I came upon your site as I had just purchased a new Fossil watch. It gave me some good tips but all I used was a push pin and a pair of tweezers. Took me about 10 minutes and I just pushed the pins back in flush against a desk without having to use a Brad nail and hammer.
Just bought a Pulsar for my wife and she loved the watch but your posting here helped the most as the watch would have been useless without her being able to wear it tonight itself.
THANK YOU. I bought a Seiko watch but never got the chance to get it resized. I was trying all week to figure a way to get the pins out. The only thing thin enough was a paper clip. I was just about to quit and look for a shop to get it done. Then I saw your guide and found a thumb tack in my roommates room. It was ez as pie to get the pins out.
I just resized my wife’s new fossil watch. The secret for me seemed to be plenty of lubrication. I dropped some oil onto each pin that needed to be removed, and let it work down inside the pinholes. Then I pushed the pins out with a blunted push pin. Reinserting the pins was even easier.
WOW! Seriously tried everything to push those pins in but the nail was genius. Great help, you saved me some time. Thanks again!
Thanks. You saved me $5 and a trip to Walmart.
DARN IT! Found you website just after buying a tool from e-bay! the 5mm mechanical pencil tip worked for my Citizen Ecodrive and is still alive. I used the body of a hard plastic pen to push the pin back in. For others, note the arrow is the direction you push the pin OUT. To put it back in do the reverse, insert the pin in the correct orientation in the hole it came OUT of (the non arrow hole).
Check out this site for better descriptions on the different types of pins used in watches and what the arrows mean.
http://www.pmwf.com/Watches/WatchSchool/WS%2014%20How%20to%20Resize%20Common%20Bracelets/WS%2014%20How%20to%20Resize%20Bracelets.htm
Thanks Colin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!