Melissa Torres
This is an excellent band and the price is right. I have a small wrist and big hands, so some metal bands that fit my wrist don’t slip over my thumb without scratching; thus the quick release style works best for me. I read the reviews and was a bit concerned about the clasp holding and a few reviewers had trouble adjusting the length and so forth. Here is my assessment:CONS:1. The linkbreaker tool wasn’t the best, but it was functional. I used it to remove the first pin, but switched up to the better one in my watch repair kit for the rest.2. The spring fork was pretty substandard, too. It’s really too small to use easily. I tried inserting the pins in the watch with it, decided life is too short for this, and switched to my serious one. Then, no problem.3. No instructions. I already know how to pop links, but if this is a maiden voyage with watchbands you’ll save a lot of time by learning the fine points first.PROS:1. Fit and finish are excellent and what I would expect in a much more expensive band.2. The double-latch is particularly sweet. The foldover doesn’t just click in like an older Seiko band, it has a toggle latch. Then the safety clasp folds over. Unlike some reviewers I had no trouble with the latch malfunctioning, but I’ve only just installed the band. I can say that out of the box (speaking of which it was nicely packaged for shipping) the clasp is tight and solid with no slop in the mechanism. No clue how it holds up over time but if it lasts a year I’ve got my money’s worth.3. The band is heavy. Some buyers might consider that a negative but I consider it a sign of substance and in my case the watch it fits is already a clunker.4. There were no mars, burrs, or scratches on the brushed finish, and the link ends are well-finished, too.5. Smooth underside and no pinching or hair pulling. I wear watches a bit loose and it’s extra-smooth inside. Feels good on the wrist.6. Includes extra pins.Overall I’m really pleased with the product. The toolkit is kind of flimsy but adequate if you have lots of time and don’t mind some frustration. I didn’t buy the band for the tools and didn’t deduct over them. I would suggest if you plan to fiddle with bands on more than this one occasion you get a basic $5-15 repair kit and pitch the spring bar and breaker tool that comes with the band. Not to say the tools don’t work - they do - but if you have your own it’s better, and I’m for sure not trying to discourage the seller from including the kit.Another tip would be to remove your old band and measure the gap with vernier calipers BEFORE ordering. If you slap a ruler on it with the band still in you’re inviting error on band size, imho.The links are held with directional pins so check the arrows on the inside. Push the pins out in the direction the arrow points and remember to replace them in the opposite direction. The link pins are actually a folded wire with one open end that spreads a tiny bit to latch the pin in place. The open end of the pin fits opposite the inscribed arrow on the link.Another tip is to use bright light and some kind of magnification. I wear reading glasses but they aren’t strong enough for watch work so I have cheap flip-downs.I didn’t time installing the band because I first tried the enclosed tools but for pinning the second end to the watch, measuring the band on my wrist, and removing 4 links the job was finished in 4.5 minutes.An excellent product that I would buy again and recommend to a friend.
