The Watch Owner’s Essential Toolset: 5 Tools for Everyday Watch Maintenance

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A loose bracelet, a worn strap, or a dead battery can send you to a watch repair shop for a relatively small job. With the right equipment, you can handle common adjustments at home, including changing straps, removing bracelet links, and measuring replacement bands.

You don’t need a complete watchmaking kit to get started. These five tools cover different maintenance jobs, from simple strap changes to opening compatible case backs. Some are useful for almost any watch collection, while others make sense only if you’re comfortable working on the watch yourself.

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1. Marathon × Bergeon Spring Bar Tool: For changing straps

Changing a strap can give your watch a different look and feel. Leather works for a dressier appearance, while rubber is practical for casual wear. If your watch uses traditional spring bars, you’ll need a tool that can reach the small fittings holding the strap between the lugs.

Marathon’s collaboration with Bergeon produces a Swiss-made spring bar tool measuring 148mm long. It has a forked tip for releasing shouldered spring bars and a pointed 0.8mm tip for compatible drilled lugs and bracelet clasp adjustments. Both tips use hardened blackened steel, while the PVC handle has a textured finish.

Price: $60
Where to Buy: Marathon

An integrated ruler measures up to 50mm, with markings in millimeters and inches. That gives you a convenient reference for small measurements while changing straps.

The forked end compresses accessible spring-bar shoulders, while the pointed tip works with suitable access holes. Quick-release straps already have built-in levers, so they generally don’t require a separate tool.

Priced at $60, this is a premium option for someone who changes traditional watch straps regularly. If you only replace a strap occasionally, a basic spring bar tool is the more economical choice.

2. MiLTAT Watch Band Pin Remover Set: For adjusting bracelets

A metal bracelet that slides around your wrist can make an otherwise comfortable watch annoying to wear. Removing a link can improve the fit, but the small connecting pins need tools that match their dimensions.

Sold through Strapcode, the MiLTAT Watch Band Pin Remover Set includes three pin removal tools with 0.6mm, 0.8mm, and 1.0mm tips. Each tool measures 72mm long and combines an anodized aluminum body with a hardened steel pin. Three spare blades are included in each size.

Price: $32.99
Where to Buy: Strapcode

Different tip sizes let you work with compatible bracelet pins of varying diameters. Strapcode recommends using the tools with a watch hammer and bracelet holding block, which provide the support needed to drive pins out correctly.

Check the bracelet construction before starting. Push-pin links are different from screw-secured links, and some bracelets use small collars that must be retained during adjustment.

For $32.99, this set makes sense if you regularly resize compatible metal bracelets and already have the supporting equipment. If your watches use screw-secured links, buy the appropriate screwdriver instead.

3. Ewatchparts Watch Strap Measuring Gauge: For getting the correct strap width

Ordering a replacement strap starts with measuring the distance between your watch’s lugs. A strap that’s too wide won’t fit correctly, while one that’s too narrow can leave a visible gap and may not attach securely.

Ewatchparts offers a flexible plastic measuring gauge covering strap and lug widths from 6mm to 30mm. Its white body has pre-cut notches and marked sizes, allowing you to compare measurements directly against the watch or an existing strap.

Price: $14.95
Where to Buy: Amazon

Measuring 125mm long, 25mm wide, and approximately 2mm thick, the gauge is small enough to keep with your spare straps. Its range covers common widths such as 18mm, 20mm, and 22mm, along with wider watch bands.

Measure the inside distance between the lugs where the strap attaches, not the overall width of the watch case. A reliable millimeter caliper can perform the same job.

For $14.95, this is useful if you regularly order replacement straps online. Owners who already have a suitable caliper can skip it and use the equipment they own.

4. Horofix Watch Case Cushion: For protecting the crystal

Removing a bracelet or opening a case back often means placing your watch face-down on a workbench. A hard surface can expose the crystal to scratches from dust, grit, or loose metal parts.

Horofix makes a watch case cushion with a firm foam surface measuring 2.5 inches, or approximately 64mm, across. Its outer plastic ring measures 2⅞ inches in diameter, and the complete cushion is 0.40 inches thick.

Price: $14.95
Where to Buy: Esslinger

The padded surface supports the watch during case opening, battery replacement, and other maintenance jobs. It separates the crystal from the hard tabletop while you handle the watch.

Keep the cushion clean before placing a watch on it. Grit trapped against the crystal can still cause scratches, and the padding doesn’t replace a proper case holder when a job requires significant twisting force.

Listed at $14.95, this is useful if you regularly work on watches at a desk. Skip it if you already have a clean, padded watch support. Esslinger currently lists this model as sold out.

5. Horotec Two-Pin Case Back Opener: For more involved maintenance

A stopped quartz watch may need a replacement battery, but reaching it can require removing the case back. Watches with compatible notched screw-down backs need a wrench that engages those notches securely.

Horotec’s High Leverage Two-Pin Case Back Opener has adjustable jaws for compatible screw-down cases. Its steel construction and composite handle provide a 190mm overall length, giving you a larger gripping surface when working on screw-down cases.

An adjustment knob changes the distance between the pins, allowing you to position them in the case-back notches. Two square pins are included. Interchangeable pin styles are sold separately for different case-back designs.

Price: $139
Where to Buy: Esslinger

The adjustable range accommodates regular and larger watch cases, but compatibility depends on the notch arrangement. Snap-on backs require another opening method.

Battery replacement also involves checking the gasket and closing the case correctly. Watches that depend on water resistance may require professional resealing and pressure testing.

The $139 price puts this firmly in specialist territory. It’s intended for someone who regularly opens compatible screw-down cases, not an owner who only changes straps or adjusts bracelets. Esslinger currently lists it as sold out.

Start with the tools your watches need

A spring bar tool and measuring gauge cover traditional strap replacements, while a pin removal set handles compatible metal bracelet adjustments. A clean cushion protects the watch during maintenance, and a case back wrench becomes useful when you’re ready for more involved work.

For most watch owners, strap changes and bracelet sizing are the sensible starting points. Choose equipment that matches your watches and leave delicate movement repairs and water-resistant sealing to a professional. You don’t need all five tools to handle everyday watch maintenance.

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