I've been meaning to buy a large variety of spring bars and am not sure how to estimate quality or if there is even a significant difference between retailers.

Would something as cheap and plentiful as this spring bar kit be sufficient? Or are these more likely to fail than some other spring bars?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360x-8-25mm...Accessories_SpareParts_SM&hash=item19f27fd2b1Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

I tend to buy OEM or from Otto Frei. Not a high cost item, so not the place to go cheap IMO.

That said, I'm sure many generic versions would probably serve as well.

Hard to tell quality from a picture. Best to have them in hand and assess for yourself.

 

I only have a small no of watches so I just buy genuine Omega from Cousins. I can't see the point in saving a fiver on a spring bar on a watch costing a few thousand.

 

I just recently bought a generic one off Amazon that states it has the same width, size, weight, etc. as the original. I have a paranoid personality. I only bought it as a emergency set in case if my spring bar ever breaks, although my original is holding up quite well.

 

Hi David,

I'm assuming you are using these for a variety of watches, and not specifically Omegas.

Note that these are only 1.5 mm in diameter. I have an assortment I use that has 40 different options - different widths and different diameters. It covers diameters 1.3, 1.5, and 1.8. I use more 1.8 than anything else.

I use the largest diameter bar that will fit in the strap and in the lug holes.

As long as they are stainless steel, most generic spring bars I have come across are about the same in terms of quality. They all do the job well, but of course for heavier watches and specifically modern Omegas, I use Omega bars. Then again I usually buy mine from a watch material supplier, not off eBay.

Cheers, Al

 

I went for these
http://www.ofrei.com/page274.html
Made in Switzerald. Double flange.
Assortment of lengths and tube sizes.
The quik pick makes them cheaper
but you have to sort through them.

Swiss Made Spring Bars 28 Piece QPick
Assortment contains two each of the following Swiss Made Bars in One Bag: FB-7870, FB-7872, FB-7874, FB-7876, FB-7879, FB-7881, FB-7883, FB-7885, FB-7886, FB-7860, FB-7868, FB-7864, FB-7887, FB-7888.
SWISSBAR-QPICK28
$19.94

 

I've ordered the Cheap Indian/Chinese assortments off the Bay (exactly like your link). When they arrived, I was a little leery of the quality. I never had any spring bar failures, but all of my subsequent orders have been from material houses. I would thus suggest that you stick to the assortments offered by a material house and order the largest diameter that will fit your straps. I now include material house spring bars with all the straps that I offer.

At the end of the day you're talking about a few dollars, max. When you think about the potential costs of a spring bar failure (lost or damaged watch), it just doesn't make sense to risk it with inferior quality.

 

You all make perfect sense. Thank you for the advise.

 

I use
http://www.watch-band-center.com/shop-watchstrap.html

for all my spring bars lately, bit the bullet and ordered up on several sizes and diameter after paying $15 for a pair off a jeweler.