Important Note on Watch Bands

Please note that the watch bands pictured in vintage watch store listings, unless otherwise stated, are for display purposes only and are NOT included with watch purchase. I generally acquire new bands for display purposes and do not include them because they vary significantly in price and many purchasers will want to obtain their own band as suits their taste.

However, if you are interested in purchasing the band pictured in the photos along with the watch, it will be available at or near my replacement cost as an optional add-on. Please contact me for more information. I am also happy to point you to where you can purchase the exact same band directly from the seller.

If you have questions about bands or want my assistance, please message me. I’m happy to help.

Watch Band Sizing

Determining appropriate band sizing for vintage watches, which don’t always follow modern metric lug width standards, can be a bit tricky. I list precise (to ~ 0.1mm) lug widths for my watches to help with this process. It is helpful to think of this as a base + fractional lug width. For example, for a 17.4mm lug width, the “base width” is 17mm, and the “fractional width” is 0.4mm. Given that, here is my guidance:

  1. If the fractional lug width is < 0.6mm, you should definitely get a band sized for the base width.

  2. If the fractional lug width is 0.6-0.7mm, you can usually “cheat” up to the next mm band size. However, you may have trouble fitting quick release spring bars at the larger size. Conventional spring bars are more forgiving as they can generally be compressed more than quick release bars. If you end up with a quick release band that doesn’t quite fit, you can usually remove the quick release bars and use conventional springbars in their place to get a bit more clearance.

  3. If the fractional lug width is 0.8mm or greater, it’s generally a good idea to move up to the next mm band size, which will fill the space between the lugs better, and quick release bands at that size will usually work without too much trouble.

Again, if you need advice or help with bands, please don’t hesitate to reach out.