Changing bands on Judith's oval watches...

Hi Dallas-Dame

Love that bling strap.

Lay your watch on a soft cloth face down. Tilt the watch up a bit and see the two ""push pins"" that are on the strap itself right in the area where the strap connects to the face. Draw the pins in toward the center and remove (like unbolting a door). It's usually easier for me to remove one pin at a time. Enjoy.

On 9/6/2014 persiflage said:

Hi Dallas-Dame

Love that bling strap.

Lay your watch on a soft cloth face down. Tilt the watch up a bit and see the two "push pins" that are on the strap itself right in the area where the strap connects to the face. Draw the pins in toward the center and remove (like unbolting a door). It's usually easier for me to remove one pin at a time. Enjoy.

Thank you very much, persiflage! I've been trying to draw both pins in at the same time and look forward to staging the process one pin at a time. Have a lovely weekend!

Dallas-Dame, watch out for your fingernails! This is a nail breaker of the first degree. I use a pair of forceps, you might even try a tweezer, just to hook the "hook" closest to you, once you see it move the little pin that it is attached to, you will understand how it works. A bit of a challenge, but, once you do it, it's a piece of cake. Wait till you see that bling strap when it's on. It is to die for. You MUST get the matching spinel bling strap as well!

On 9/6/2014 kachina624 said: I have a Michele watch with a band that has a similar mechanism and have never been able to get the band on it. I take it to my "watch guy" jeweler and he does it. The leather straps are easy, the metal not so much.

Thank you, kachina624. I tried the suggestion posted above by persiflage and after some frustrating attempts, it finally worked. I do think I'll bring it to my jeweler the next time I'd like the band changed.

On 9/6/2014 Dead Eye said:

Dallas-Dame, watch out for your fingernails! This is a nail breaker of the first degree. I use a pair of forceps, you might even try a tweezer, just to hook the "hook" closest to you, once you see it move the little pin that it is attached to, you will understand how it works. A bit of a challenge, but, once you do it, it's a piece of cake. Wait till you see that bling strap when it's on. It is to die for. You MUST get the matching spinel bling strap as well!

You are so right, Dead Eye! I broke my right thumb nail (and just had a mani earlier today) but the end result is quite stunning. The size small is not currently available in the spinel but I plan to keep a close eye on the listing to see if one reappears. Thank you so much for your input.

For a couple of dollars, you can buy a little tool at the jewelry counter at WalMart that will help. Often, the tool is included when you buy a new band.

The tool is also included in a kit you can buy if you replace your own watch batteries or want to remove extra links in a watch. The kits run about $20 or so, but are a great time saver if you have many watches and replace your own batteries or have to remove links.

I have a small wrist, and always have to remove at least two additional links attached with pins.

I order my watch batteries online - most watches use only 3 different batteries. Generally, when I take a watch off, I pull the stem out. Yes, it means I have to reset the watch when I wear it again, but except for one work watch with a large sweep second hand, I rarely wear the same watch two days in a row.

I find it easier to do it one pin at a time. Sometimes it takes me a minute and others ten minutes - lol. I actually once did it on my lap on a moving train in one try. It's all the luck of the draw, but totally worth it. BTW, love the bling strap.

Thank you Deadeye Daisy and BGDC! I'd not tried switching out to the leather bands as they're a bit too long for my small wrist. When the stainless "bling" band arrived, I knew I had to patiently give it a try. As I mentioned above, it was frustrating but definitely worth the attempt (and broken nail). I'll likely bring it to my jeweler if I decide to switch out to the plain stainless in the future...but I think the "bling" might be my permanent band on this lovely watch. Happy weekend to both of you!