Watches2u

Most high street jewellers or key cutting shops are more than happy to remove or add links from metal band watches, but usually will charge between £5 and £15 to do it. Fortunately, this is a relatively simple thing to do yourself.

First things first – you will need to know whether your watch has push (sometimes called “split”) pins or threaded pins. If you are not sure it’s vital you find out as push pins require a push out tool (pictured) and threaded pins require a small watchmakers’ screwdriver. If you use the wrong tool you may damage the pins, the watch or even yourself. Almost every watch we sell has the push type pins so I’m going to concentrate on that type of link change here.

Lay the pin extractor tool on a stable flat surface and then lay the watch on it lining the pin you want to remove with the tools’ pin. Note that typically four links are removeable and the rest are permanently fixed. The pins that are removeable should be marked with arrows on the inside of the band to indicate which direction they push out. Be careful not to push the watch pins the wrong way as this will more than likely result in damage to both the pin and your push out tool.
Turn the handle to drive the pin out. It won’t come out all the way, just enough for you to be able to grab the end with a small pair of pliers and pull it the rest of the way out. When your using the pliers be sure to use as little pressure as possible to avoid damaging the pin.

Once your link is out (keep it and the spare pin in a safe place in case you need it later – the box the watch came in being the ideal place) slot the two loose ends together, insert the pin back in (opposite direction to the arrow – ie the way it came out!) and push it back in by reversing the process. It should give a very slight “click” as it gets back into position.