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One of the most important things to do when you are planning to change your watch band is to measure the existing band (if possible) and find out the width and length. Without those two measurements, you will not be able to ensure that you have the right size watch band for your watch case. Use this guide from Esslinger.com to help you successfully measure a sport rubber watch band.

 

 

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Tools Needed:

 

Step 1

To accurately measure the length of a rubber watch band, you must first remove the old band from the watch case. For help removing your watch band, you can check out our article on How to Remove a Rubber Sport Watch Band.

 

 

Measure_Rubber-2Step 2

Once the old watch band is free of the watch case, the first thing to do is determine the width of the band. You can find this measurement in one of two ways and you can use either a ruler or a digital gauge according to your preference.

The first way to measure the width of a watch band is to use the watch band itself. Take the end of the band that usually sits inside the watch case and line the rectangular protrusion up against the metric side of your ruler. Be sure that one side of this portion of the band is flush with the zero marker on your ruler and then record the width of the band where it sits in the watch lugs in millimeters. All watch band widths at Esslinger.com are measured in millimeters, so this will help you avoid confusion when ordering a replacement.

 

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The other way to measure the width of a watch band is to measure the distance between the watch case lugs. In sport watches like this, the lugs will be hidden under the case and you will get the most accurate results using a digital gauge to measure this distance. Take your digital gauge and position its backward opening jaws between the lugs. Then, open the jaws until they sit snugly against the inside of the case lugs and record the millimeter measurement on the display of the gauge.

 

 

 Step 3

Now that you know how wide the watch band is, you can measure the length of the band. Lay out the two pieces of the band so that the tail of the longer side of the band touches the end of the other half inside the buckle, refer to the picture for help. Remember to keep the watch band pieces arranged so you know which side belongs on which side of the band.

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Measure_Rubber-4Step 4

Next, take your ruler and align the zero mark on the standard side with the end of the watch band that will be outside the watch case. DO NOT include the rectangular portions that you measured to get the width of the band, because they sit inside the watch case, their length does not matter here. When you’ve aligned the watch band with the ruler, read the measurement where the band stops, just before the portion on the other end that sits under the case starts. This is the length of your watch band.

 

 

Finished

With these measurements in hand, you can easily order a replacement band that is the perfect size for your watch. Be aware that watch bands come in standard lengths, and you may not find a watch band that is the exact length of your old band – since you can easily make a rubber watch band smaller by changing which hole in the band you use, purchase a band that is longer than your current one if we do not have your exact size.

Check out our wide selection of watch bands today! You can learn How to Replace a Watch Band here once you have your new band picked out.