I had to choose when I bought my Sealander last summer. I did some maths and noted that the base watch was £615, plus the cost of chosen strap/bracelet.

I did like the look of the Consort, but it was £260 vs £70 for a Hybrid strap.

Thought about this for a long while, and the thing that tipped me towards a strap was the concern about sizing a bracelet correctly without scratching or marking it.

I could have paid the £10 for CW to do it, but would it actually be the right size on arrival, and would they do it without leaving any marks? Sending it back and forth would have been stress-city.

I could have tried to do it myself, but accounts of DIY efforts seem to range from "yeah, easy job, no problems" to "I've ruined it and now given up". I can all too easily imagine being in the latter.

Also, if I understand correctly, there are different link-connect versions as well. Pin/collar, double screw, single screw, with double-screw seemingly being disliked by everyone.

There was a half price nearly new Consort in the recent sale that got me thinking about this topic again.

So, for anyone who was on the fence re a bracelet and decided to give it a try, are you glad you did or wish you hadn't?

Richie

I was a complete novice when it came to bracelet sizing, bought a kit from Amazon and gave it a go. Watch a few videos, take your time and you should be fine re-sizing. For me it’s now a nice part of the process to size a bracelet to my wrist.

once you get used to it, sizing a bracelet isn't that tricky, but perhaps the getting used to it puts people off! Every type has a technique, but there are plenty of videos on youtube, and a cheap watch makers kit from Amazon or equivalent will give you the tools you need - one of the most critical is the ability to hold the bracelet while the work takes place and there are a variety of tools to help do that...

I also don't over worry about light scratches, I like to wear my watches and the bracelet will pick up scratches, but you can minimise this using cloths / tape over vulnerable areas / etc.

buy yourself a cheap dead watch on a bracelet from ebay / a tool kit and then practise...
you will then gain the confidence you need before you first do it on £100s of pounds of proud new watch

Agreed with the above. I’ve had a mix of bracelets from CW. Some sizes, some not. When requesting a size I’ve had mixed results with what CW send me!

I’ve enjoyed the process of learning to size bracelets, although it is a bit daunting! The right tools, and helpful YouTube videos are a must though

I was new to this a few years ago but as has been said above, I bought a cheap kit on Amazon and found it easy. CW are pretty straightforward and others designs can be more fiddly - double screw just being a bit of a faff rather than hard. With the right tools, a youtube video or two, and a bit of patience and practice scratches can be avoidable.

Bracelet sizing with a single screw is the easiest. You may need to loosen the screws if they are fixed with thread locker. You need a screwdriver of the right width, somewhere between 1.2 and 1.6mm. the screwdrivers have very thin tips. If the screw doesn't unscrew easily, there's most likely done thread locker on it. They can be very hard to remove if you don't soften the thread locker, and you run the risk of scratching the bracelet, and maybe gouging the screws.

I use a small piece of plastic, cling film type stuff, over the screw so I don't accidentally scratch anything. .

Split pins/push pins need a special tool but are quite straightforward.

Pins and collars are easily the worst. Easy to get out, hard to get in, and a real risk of losing small parts. CW used these before switching to screws.

Thanks to all for replies so far. I found a link I was looking for in my browser history. Someone's Twelve resizing disaster. Beware as it's pretty severe.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChristopherWar ... o_have_cw/

Richie

I wouldn't know 1 end of a pin or collar from a paper clip so whenever I've needed a bracelet lengthened (always lengthened due to wrist size) on a pre-owned purchase I've used a local jeweller shop that sells watches (new and pre-owned).

£10 a time, just like CW's cost I think, and I can be sure the size will be correct as I'm on-site when they measure it.

Depends where you live & what shops available to you. I live 85 miles away from a long time jeweler that sells watches & has a master horologist on staff. I simply wait until we have a trip to that city & take along the bracelet to be resized. The jeweler charges less than CW for the service & when I leave the shop, I know that the bracelet is resized perfectly. Vernon’s has never scratched a bracelet in the process. Up to you on whether to attempt to do it yourself or take it to someone that does this sort of thing all the time for a reasonable price. As far as bracelets & straps go, I like both & there are advantages to either. I really do like the micro adjustment of the Christopher Ward bracelets as my wrist does vary throughout the day according to my activity & the temperature outside.

Delmar

I can only think there was some thread locker on the screws in that video, which makes them very hard to shift.

If they don't move easily, I soak the bracelet in boiling water for 30 seconds or so. Others use a hair dryer. The first time I had a bracelet with screws (two sided) I gave up before doing too much damage , and got professional help. That turned out to have thread locker on it.

I bought a new bracelet for a watch on eBay which was new, but which tuned out to have multiple gouged screws when it arrived. Fortunately I was able to get the screws out after heating the bracelet, and got a good result.

I currently have a bracelet with pins and collars, 2 small collars in a 5 section bracelet. Hard to get the pins out, and I just know I won't be able to put it back together, so I've put a bit of sellotape round it until I can get to an AD.

The first time I took the strap off my Sealander it took me half an hour to get it back on. Quick release maybe, but quick attach certainly not I thought, along with some cursing the saints, as Inspector Montalbano would say. After a bit of practice I can now swap a strap in less than a minute. Which is really to say that it's going to be down to research, practice, and a sprinkling of luck re bracelet resizing. I may pick up a NN Consort in the next sale. For now though, I have 5 straps to cycle through for variety. The Sealander came on the Hybrid. Five months later I've just swapped it to the Aquaflex. After that I've got a Seta Leather, Fine Italian Leather, and Vacona Leather, the latter two having Bader deployants. So I'm not going to be desperate for the bracelet for a little while yet. Thanks for the additional replies today.

Richie

For pins and collars these are a game changer.




For screws having the right sized screwdriver is essential. And as others have stated watch out for thread locker. After that it really isn't that hard.

There’s definitely a bit of a knack to most parts of the process. So it does get easier/quicker each time you do it, even if it seems quite difficult/frustrating to begin with. So stick at it

To me it comes down to having the right tool for the job, and practice using it on less expensive watches. For home hobbyist vs watchmakers there are different levels of tools as well.

For pinned ones definitely try to get a tool that pushes them through that has adapters to allow better placement of different thickness straps so the pin pusher is centered on the hole. Get one with replaceable pins too. Don't use a hammer, hand held pushpin unless you have a superbly steady hands lol. Some pin ends are also polished so make sure to use a pin pusher that either uses softer material tip or it self is polished flat or risk scratching the polished end.

For screw down type make sure you have a quality screw driver set
with hardened tips. Not some cheap all in one kit bought on amazon. stripping the screws is easy to do. Make sure it is the right size for the screw too.

Which reminds me - anyone know the correct size screw driver tip for christopher ward bader/consort bracelets?

^^^^ 1.4mm for CW bracelets.

Guy