[lgbennett]

watch: smw titan diver
band: crown & buckle blk/gry zulu 22mm ballistic nylon
problem: spring bar will pop off pretty easily

owned the strap for about a week, it has popped off twice, with little effort (while putting on a t-shirt, c'mon). i was told this is common, but was given no remedy. i wore the rubber titan strap previously, with the same bars and never had a failure. the rubber retainers for the excess strap have torn away, thus pushing me into buying a new strap.

i have read a few threads discussing thicker bars, but it was not clear to me if going this route would resolve my issue.

love the look, love the practicality, feels pretty comfortable, durability unknown. very happy with the strap, i would really like this to work.

thanks for your input...

 

[amacman]

How about just new standard bars? They do wear out.

Also, if the issue is not enough clearance between the spring bar and the case (happens with Zulu sometimes) then thicker bars will make things worse.

 

[Guarionex]

Your problem sounds like you don't have enough clearance between the spring bar and case for a thick Zulu. Try a thinner Zulu or a NATO which is usually thinner than Zulu straps. Crown and buckle list the mm for each of their straps.

Forum Runner App

 

[Jiman]

How old is your watch/spring bars? Is it difficult to thread the strap between the case and spring bar when installing the strap?

Have you tried using different/new spring bars of the same size?

If it is a clearance issue between the spring bar and case...especially with the fat spring bars...I solve that issue by getting a set of bars that were one size larger then what is required and made them into curved spring bars. For example, my watch uses 24mm spring bars. I bought 26mm spring bars and put a gentle curve in them using a pair of spoons. All you do is put a spring bar in one spoon and press the other over top. The curvature of the spoon will put a nice controlled bend in it. I used a set of baby spoons we don't use anymore because they were flatter and didn't want too large of a curve.

Once you do that and orient the curve in the right direction, it will give you the extra room between the case and strap. You need the extra length of the spring bar to compensate for the length you'll lose from the bend.

Some warned that putting a curved spring bar through a straight strap would ruin the strap. It hasn't on mine. But my 'curve' is also very shallow; only enough to create the extra space.

If the answer to the second question above is your issue, maybe my solution helps, Rob

 

[Bill Smith]

I've never had that problem and have even removed springbars from mil. watches that were 40-50 yrs. old, but I guess that can happen today with mass production in Asia. Have you made sure the bar that popped out was the correct length...or that the hole is deep enough to retain the tip of the springbar?