How to Adjust a Watch Bracelet
So you have a watch with a metal bracelet and most likely it is way too big for your wrist. Sure, you could take it to a local jewelry repair shop to get it sized for a fee, but we’re here to show you how incredibly easy it is to do it yourself. Below are instructions on how to adjust the most commonly seen metal bracelet that employs a simple pin system.
What You Need
If you happened to purchase a watch repair kit online, chances are that you already have the necessary tools! From a watch band adjuster, to a hammer and pin tool, to even household items, there are a multitude of tools that you can use since the methodology is the same. Below are examples of some of the tools that we use.
Top to bottom: jewelry hammer, spring bar tool, watch band holder, pin tool, bracelet adjuster.
How to Actually Do It
Before you start taking links out, you need a clear work space and an idea of how many links you have to remove. Taking as close to an equal amount of links on both sides allows the watch to feel more balanced on the wrist. To figure out how many links need to be removed, put the watch on your wrist and pinch the bracelet inwards as if you were trying to wrap the bracelet around your wrist. This should give you a better idea as to how many links you need to remove.
The most common type bracelet that you’ll find is a pin bracelet or one that has pin and collars (more on this later). These types of bracelets feature holes on the sides of the links. If you flip the bracelet over, you’ll notice a bunch of arrows. To remove a link from the bracelet, you need to push the pin out in the direction of the arrow. Subsequently, you would hammer the pin back into the bracelet in the opposite direction of the arrow. We normally take the spring bar out of the clasp (with a pin tool) so that the band can lay flat. This makes things a whole lot easier.
About the pins: They are normally very thin, but rounded on one end. This helps the pin stay within the bracelet. Other pins have collars (hollow, cylindrical pieces) on both ends which further keep the pin in place within the bracelet as well.
Another common watch is the folded link bracelet. In these kinds of bracelets, the pins are actually L-shaped. The method is similar in the fact that you need to push the flat link out in the direction of the arrow. Refer to the image below: what’s circled is where the link starts. We normally use the jeweler’s hammer and a pin tool to get the pins out.
