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HOW TO CHANGE JAEGER LECOULTRE WATCH BAND?
Jaeger-LeCoultre is one of the best and innovative watchmakers out there in 2024. The brand makes nothing shy of exceptional watches with highly finished movements and dials ticking all the boxes for many watch enthusiasts. Since its inception in the heart of Switzerland's Vallée de Joux, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been crafting timepieces that many desire and aspire to have in their collection one day. The brand came to life back in 1833 when Antoine LeCoultre founded the company, the maison has evolved into an emblem of Swiss watchmaking prowess, consistently making incredible timepieces. Despite making watches as close to perfect as can be, sometimes you want to mix things up and give your watch a ‘new pair of shoes’ by swapping out the current strap for another. Today we are going to show you how to change your Jaeger-LeCoultre watch band.
Source : Hodinkee
Probably the most common material used to make a strap by Jaeger-LeCoultre is leather, however their metal bracelets are known for their unique designs, functional features and comfort. Whenever you head into a boutique of Jaeger-LeCoultre or visit their online page you can quickly tell it’s an option realty used and only offered on a few of their sport models. Jaeger-LeCoultre only makes a few of them and they come in a couple of different metals though, steel is definitely the metal most commonly used but then you can have two-tone yellow gold and steel as well. Of course each of those metal bracelets will not only look different but feel different, especially in terms of weight!
The first method for changing a watchband
Metal bracelets are often an easier option when it comes to putting a watch on your wrist more easily than other options. Once you have sized your Jaeger-LeCoultre bracelet to your wrist, it’s just a case of sliding the watch on and closing the clasp and as quick as that you’re ready to go. However that can also be a downside, you need to have links taken in and out which can take time and require skill, and even once it’s sized you may need to change it depending on the temperature as your wrist heats and cools causing it to expand or shrink. Most of the brackets made by Jaeger-LeCoultre have a clasp that allows you to extend the bracelet by half a link.
This is very similar to the famous easy-link system Rolex uses on many of their models like the Datejust for example. However, for some of the ‘Ladies’ models offered by Jaeger-LeCoultre their brackets do not have any on-the-fly adjustment nor do many of their older models. So, changing your JLC bracelet for a rubber or leather strap can be quite attractive especially in Summer time when your wrist contracts in a cool air conditioned building and then expands when you walk out into warmer weather.
Jaeger-LeCoultre metal bracelets can give a casual, sporty or even dressy look not to mention it’s quite durable material when compared to leather or nylon. Of course being durable will also depend on the type of metal, for example their two-tone yellow gold will scratch a lot easier than steel, so when you change your strap, if it’s a yellow gold bracelet you want to take extra care. If we take a look at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris watch, a great sports watch with many complications included, whilst it has a half a link extension system you may still want to explore other strap options for different looks.
Source : Watch Obsession
So, if you wanted to change it out for another strap like leather or rubber for example, you first need to remove the steel bracelet from the watch. The first thing to do is turn the watch over and set it down on a soft material on top of a table so you don’t scratch the sapphire crystal. Then, to protect the watch’s lugs use electrical tape to cover up the lugs so that when the spring bars come out, they don’t scratch the lugs. You don’t need to do this if scratching your watch doesn't bother you, but if you like to keep your watch in the best condition you can, then we recommend doing this to avoid accidental scratches, especially if your watch is made from precious metal! Once you've covered up your lugs you can now use one of two tools to remove the bracelet, the first is with a spring bar tool. This is probably the most popular and certainly cheaper way out of the two, you slide it in and use the fork end to push the spring bars inwards and then use your other finger to gently push up on the bracelet. Then swap over to do the same on the other side and voila! Repeat this process on the other side as well, regardless of whether your strap is metal, leather or rubber, this process is the same.
The second way is to use a tweezer style spring bar tool, whilst costing more, it avoids getting your watch scratched up because unlike the first tool, it pushes in both ends of the spring bar at once.
This method is also much quicker making the process much easier and smoother for you. All you have to do is simply line up both forks at each end of the spring bar, squeeze and pull up and that should remove your bracelet in one clean action.
Not only is it quicker but you also have more control which helps avoid the spring bar accidentally springing across the room or scratching your Jaeger-LeCoultre watch lugs.
This process will be the same for rubber, leather and even nato straps as well. Once you have removed the bracelet, take out the spring bars from the end of the links and then you can put them through the holes in your rubber, leather or nato strap.
However, if the spring bars that came with your bracket are too wide or thin, you may need to buy a new set of spring bars to make sure the new strap fits perfectly, don’t worry, they aren’t expensive or hard to find!
Source : Hodinkee
Once you have got your spring bars fitted into your leather or rubber strap, you now reverse the process. It should go without saying but make sure your new strap width is the same as your Jaeger-LeCoultre lug width, which is almost always 20mm, otherwise you’ll have a very hard time getting it to fit! With the spring bar tool, push one end in first and then compress the other end and gently push it in until you feel and hear a small click. That way you can be sure your new strap is securely attached to your watch. With the tweezer style spring bar tool, simply compress both ends of the spring bar and carefully slop the strap in place, then move it around slowly until you hand and feel a click like with the spring bar tool. Once you have done this for both straps, you’re good to go! One quick tip, before putting your new strap on, make sure it is the right way round on the watch to avoid having to take it off and put it back on the right way round.
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The second method for changing a watch strap
Another way to change your strap can be done with no tools at all. This is because the spring bar that holds the strap or bracelet to your watch case is fitted with a ‘quick release’ function. All you have to do is pull down on the small lever and the strap will come out. This is the most common watch strap function offered across all their leather strap models which means you can easily swap your leather strap colours between your Jaeger-LeCoultre watches. This makes the strap changing process so much easier and friendly towards people who do not feel comfortable using tools so it’s a great first system to use as it is mega easy. With leather straps being the most widely used strap across all of Jaeger-LeCoultre’ watches, it is good news for you as it is rare that you will ever need to use a strap changing tool.
Source : Watches of Switzerland
There are many other brands who use this system on their bracelets and straps too so you can buy the quick release spring bars cheaply as well, however, with the small lever on it, you should first check whether your strap can accommodate it or not. Rubber straps tend to fit these more commonly than metal straps due to the nature of the end link on a bracelet being made to fit a normal spring bar. Rubber straps tend to have a shorter covering at the back to reveal more of the spring bar, this is because you can then use curved spring bars to help fit the strap even better. Hence it can often fit a quick release spring bar as well so the lever can be exposed.
One additional way to do this is to take your Jaeger-LeCoultre watch to your AD or a local watchmaker/ shop and get them to change it for you, this is great if you really don’t trust yourself to do it or have the tools (yet). You don’t need to worry what type of strap you're changing to and from as the watchmakers at AD and even assistants are usually all quite experienced at both adjusting and changing straps. However, they may charge you to do it and it is quicker to change it from your home since you won’t need to travel to a watchmaker every time you want to change your strap. You can also ask them for tips on swapping out the leather straps and get them to show you how to best remove and insert a new strap as the staff will likely have a lot of experience.
The easiest wristband to change
The easiest of all straps to change on your Jaeger-LeCoultre is from one nato strap to another. Nato straps are probably one of the most secure and easy straps to use as each spring bar is connected to a separate loop going around your wrist. Hence if one spring bar breaks, whilst your Jaeger-LeCoultre will be hanging off your wrist, it will still be connected by the other spring bar unlike a normal strap or bracelet. Once you have got your Jaeger-LeCoultre with just the spring bars attached, all you have to do is simply slide the strap over the top of one spring bar, pass it underneath the case and over the top of the other spring bar. It’s that simple. To change them, reverse the process and then do it again to attach the new one.
And there you have it, you now know how to change your Jaeger-LeCoultre watch strap. If you’re looking to change out your Jaeger-LeCoultre watch strap from one style to another, you can use a simple spring bar tool, a tweezer style spring bar tool for their bracelet models or even no tool for 90% of their watches as they have a quick release function! And if you’re not feeling up for the task or simply don’t want to do it yourself, just head out to your AD or local watchmaker and they should be able to help you out. Now that you know the different methods to change your Jaeger-LeCoultre watch strap watch strap, you may be more tempted to. If you like the lightweight yet durable sporty look and feel of rubber then you’re in the right place! Here at ZEALANDE we can offer you a variety of different swiss style rubber straps designed for yourJaeger-LeCoultre watch strap. You can select different colours for different looks and once fitted you can size it perfectly to your wrist and watch since there is now a perfectly made universal rubber strap for 20 and 22 mm lug width for your Jaeger-LeCoultre watch.
