Annoying rattly/clicky-sounding spring bars

john_coburg · Aug 25, 2020

Good evening all,
Does anyone find sometimes when attaching a heavy leather strap to a case, moving the strap side-to-side, which inevitably happens from time to time, particularly when fastening the watch to one's wrist, generates a nasty-sounding click or rattle sound? It makes them feel overly delicate and that they're about to snap out of the case, although they don't seem to.... it just sounds and feels unsettling. Some spring bars seem to do it more than others, but i can't tell what it is about them that is making this unpleasant sound and feel. i'd have thought it's the thinner ones some somehow have more 'play' in the holes in the case, but playing around with a few doesn't seem to bear this out. It's irritating as more seem to be noisy than silent. Has anyone any ideas on this..?!

sonicosa · Aug 25, 2020

I have a watch that does this, and I think it's because the hole on the strap is much larger than the spring bar diameter. I might try to find a small piece of plastic tubing to thread the spring bar through and make the fit tighter.

Aquariusmatic · Aug 25, 2020

I usually have a rattly bracelet so it cancels out the springbar clicking. For leather, nato and similar options i get me "seiko spring bars" or fat spring bars.

JwRosenthal · Aug 25, 2020

The fat spring bars can help as long as you know that the holes themselves have the correct dimensions- some take larger ones and most smaller. If you put a fat spring bar into holes that are meant for smaller, sometimes they may seat but not bed- and then will pop out at the worst time (like when over asphalt or concrete- never over carpet).

Pazzo · Aug 25, 2020

sonicosa
..., and I think it's because the hole on the strap is much larger than the spring bar diameter. ....

I once made use of a used up clean ball-pen cartridge to narrow the strap's hole. Used the correct size spring bars on the watch and it worked out fine.

john_coburg · Aug 28, 2020

Aquariusmatic
I usually have a rattly bracelet so it cancels out the springbar clicking. For leather, nato and similar options i get me "seiko spring bars" or fat spring bars.

Thanks @Aquariusmatic and @JwRosenthal, i have a feeling you might be right on the spring bar thickness. I think the risk of putting too fat in small holes is minimized by the absence of 'nasty clicking', hence they're be no need to tinker with them. Who is a good purveyor of said 'fat' spring bars? i think the vast majority of mine are cheapo freebies that come with eBay nato's and the like.

JwRosenthal · Aug 28, 2020

Many here recommend Omega spring bars, of course, but many of us don’t have access to a boutique that stocks them.
Uncle Seiko’s carries fat spring bars that are well made, but they also have the fat pins that only fit in the holes of watches that accommodate them (large holes).

Ofrei carries a line of Swiss made spring bars of varying dimensions. I have no personal experience with them but have been curious to try them.
http://www.ofrei.com/page475.html

The spring bar is an often overlooked piece of equipment that is far more complex than many people think. The fit is a big deal as well as quality of materials ( cheap ones can rust internally and fall apart). Cheap insurance from your watch hitting the ground at the worst possible moment

john_coburg · Aug 28, 2020

JwRosenthal
Many here recommend Omega spring bars, of course, but many of us don’t have access to a boutique that stocks them.
Uncle Seiko’s carries fat spring bars that are well made, but they also have the fat pins that only fit in the holes of watches that accommodate them (large holes).

Ofrei carries a line of Swiss made spring bars of varying dimensions. I have no personal experience with them but have been curious to try them.
http://www.ofrei.com/page475.html

The spring bar is an often overlooked piece of equipment that is far more complex than many people think. The fit is a big deal as well as quality of materials ( cheap ones can rust internally and fall apart). Cheap insurance from your watch hitting the ground at the worst possible moment

Really helpful, thank you. Agree spring bars are overlooked. Mind you, i haven't yet had one fail, but it's surely only a matter of time. Makes a NATO feel all-the-more attractive an option.

JwRosenthal · Aug 28, 2020

john_coburg
Really helpful, thank you. Agree spring bars are overlooked. Mind you, i haven't yet had one fail, but it's surely only a matter of time. Makes a NATO feel all-the-more attractive an option.

I think the cheapies work 95% of the time and can fit fine. But I have swapped bars in vintage bracelets where just the slight change in thickness tightened up the gap between the last link and the endlink and made the whole bracelet feel more stable. That said, some bracelets won’t accommodate above a certain thickness in the rings so it’s important to have an assortment.
I have also had vintage spring bars disintegrate with a tug on the bracelet as they corroded internally (so the pin was just sitting in the hole and the crimp has failed), and I had a cheapie thin spring bar in a bracelet pop out on a watch as my wrist flexed when I went to grab the door handle getting into my car and down the watch went onto the asphalt- left a nice ding in the bezel and crystal. 🤦

Annoying rattly/clicky-sounding spring bars

john_coburg

sonicosa

Aquariusmatic

JwRosenthal

Pazzo

john_coburg

JwRosenthal

john_coburg

JwRosenthal

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