5 Tips to Pick the Watch Band Your Watch Deserves
Changing a watch band gives your watch a new and trendy look.
The right band fits perfectly with your wardrobe and gives a lasting impression on your business meeting or a special date.
You can own one vintage timepiece with a collection of bands that accentuate your style, and it'll appear like you have a watch collection.
It can also have the opposite effect if you choose a watch band that doesn't fit your dressing style or fails to complement your watch dial and face.
Watch bands come in different colors, textures, materials, styles, and designs. These factors combined can make the choosing process a challenge.
Today, we’ll make this process simpler by giving you five tips that’ll ease the task of picking the best watch band for your all-round needs.
Let’s get into it.
Tip #1: Consider Your Watch Type
A general rule is the more complex your watch, the simpler your strap.
Some watches are plain with one color, while others have multiple colors. Other watches have many hands and sections, while others are simply numerical.
You’ll need to consider these factors with every band you buy to avoid color clashing or an overly busy arm.
A thick watch face also calls for a thick and multilayered strap as opposed to a thin and small-sized band that will give your watch a disproportionate look.
The lug attachment method used on your watch may also limit the band you can buy. A lug is located on the watch's face—where the strap and watch attach.
Some metallic watches are custom-made such that the metal is attached to the watch face. They don't have a spring bar allowance to fit a new strap.
In such cases, you have to go to a professional watchmaker to change the straps, limiting how often you can switch straps.
The various watches in the market can be categorized according to:
- Watch style
- Watch display
- Watch movement
- Watch functionality
- Watch power source
Here’s a further breakdown with specific watch examples.
| Category | Types of watches | BluShark’s Bands to Match |
| Watch style | Luxury, dress, casual, fashion | Cordura Watch Bands |
| Watch display | Touchscreen, tactile, hybrid, digital, analog | CanvaSoft 2.0 |
| Watch movement | Spring dive, chronometer, kinetic, automatic, mechanical | Nylon Collection |
| Watch functionality | Dive, pilot, field, chronograph, tool, GMT, day and night | Leather Apple Watch Bands |
| Watch power source | Solar, quartz, smartwatch | Silicon Collection |
Brown Italian Calfskin Leather straps by BluShark are a good fit for a chronograph watch, which has a complex and busy watch dial. If you prefer the colorful nylon or rubber bands, choose a solid color matching the watch dial.
If your watch focuses on the display, chances are high it has multiple colors, lights, or shapes in the watch dial. Choose a simple watch band such as the CanvaSoft Apple watch band that doesn't take attention away from the watch’s face.
Andrew H. | Customer Review
Tip #2: Get the Best Material
Wrist watch bands are made from different materials to cater to all watch wearers’ needs in terms of pricing, style, and purpose. These materials include:
- Synthetic: Nylon, silk, rubber, and denim
- Leather: Aniline, semi-aniline, and pigmented
- Metallic: Stainless steel, titanium, and precious metal like gold
A water-resistant watch can go well with nylon watch straps, like BluShark’s Classic Orca Grey Watch Band, or rubber straps if your hobby or work involves being around water—unlike most leather and metallic watches, which undergo wear and tear quite fast.
Go for synthetic bands if you’re looking for colorful straps with unique textures and patterns. They’re also the most flexible, eye-catching, and comfortable straps.
Leather watch straps are durable and go well with most watches, such as the dress and pilot watch. Leather also has additional features such as contrast stitching and an extra layer to complement your luxury watch.
Knit Weave - Salem Watch Strap
Tip #3: Take into Account the Size of your Watch
It's easy to overlook the size of your watch when you start fishing for a new stylish strap in a pool of diverse straps. Always refer to your watch’s model and lug width with every band that catches your eye.
You can measure the lug width with a ruler on the cm side. Cm gives a more accurate figure. Once you get the size in cm, check the opposite side for the mm measurement. You can safely look for a watch band that matches that size.
Apple watch bands are easy to pick because Apple Watches come in two main sizes, measured vertically, 38–40mm and 42–44mm. You can pick a watch band by using these size ranges.
For example, you can pick BluShark’s Crocodile Leather Apple Band for your 38–40mm watch or Ostrich Leather Apple Band if you have a 42–44mm Apple watch.
Some other watches, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch, have bigger sizes of up to 46mm. To be on the safe side, confirm the vertical face size and the lug width before making an online purchase. For example, a 45mm Samsung Galaxy Watch attaches well to a 22mm watch band.
The importance of knowing your watch size will also prevent you from picking a watch band that is too small. Even if you have spring bars that fit the lug, your watch will look uneven.
Tip #4: Consider Where You'll Wear Your Watch Straps
A watch can help in giving a powerful first impression as long as you wear it for the right occasion. A strap plays a significant role in it.
You don’t want to wear a bund strap when a Zulu strap would have been the better option.
You wouldn't want to have a bright strap when a black or dark blue strap would have added you more points in an interview.
The number of times you attend certain occasions determines the watch band you should pick. You can buy multiple bands from BluShark to cater for all of the occasions below:
- Business meetings
- Dinners and black tie events
- Sports and recreational activities
- Field trips
- Casual dates
Pick Blushark’s Olive Green Cordura Watch Band, patterned nylon watch band, and bands with contrast stitching elements as your choice for field trips and activities.
You’ve room to go wild and exotic with your straps if you often go for casual events and your outfits aren't overly busy.
For an afternoon party, a rugged leather strap with attractive buckles goes well with khaki trousers and a short-sleeved shirt.
Showing up for a black-tie party with a flashy watch strap can cost your reputation. Choose BluShark’s brown or black lizard leather straps with a subtle detail for your vintage Rolex. Let your timepiece speak for itself.
If you work under extreme temperatures, a bund strap, invented during world war II, would be a good fit to protect your wrist from the effects of extreme weather conditions or workplace hazards.
Tip #5: Bear in Mind Your Wardrobe
Fashion-sensitive guys know that you don’t wear brightly colored nylon straps with a suit or leather straps to the beach. These are the basics that most watch wearers know.
A watch is an extension of your overall outfit. A big no-no is to draw attention away from your polished attire to your wrist. The secret is to complement your watch strap to enhance your outfit.
You may be wondering how you should pair your outfits with your band?
The table below gives you some ideas.
| General Wardrobe Outfit | Safe Band Colors | Analogous Band Colors | Complementary Band Colors |
| Blue and cool | Light to medium brown, blues, greys | Purple and green | Orange, red, and yellow |
| Black and grey | Black and grey | Any | Any |
| Red and warm | Medium to dark brown and black | Yellow and orange | Green, purple, and blue |
| Earth outfits | Brown and olive drab | Black | Bright colors |
A simpler route would be to match your belt and shoes with your straps—which will give you an executive and upstyle look. For example, if you wear brown shoes and belt, your strap should be a shade of brown.
Orca Solid Colors 5-pack Bundle
Get Your Watch Bands from BluShark’s Large Collection
Choosing a strap for your wrist watch doesn't have to be an arduous task. It’s straightforward once you know the type and size of your watch, your wardrobe and gauge the places you will spend most of your time.
With efficient online stores like BluShark, the process is straightforward and enjoyable as you can choose from a wide range of watch bands. We have straps that cater to all your watch needs.
From the eye-catching and slim profile band to the premium polished and wardrobe-friendly watch band, we’ve got you covered.
Our durable, professional, and trendsetting watch band collections include:
- Apple watch bands
- Leather watch bands
- CanvaSoft watch bands
- Cordura watch bands
- Nylon and silicon collection
Order today and let your watch speak for itself.
You should also take I to account weather and your specific job. I don’t wear leather in hot and humid conditions, usually natos and rubber straps.
Good advice overall.
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