Posted on agosto 26 2025
The same watch can look like two different watches depending on what it sits on. Before you choose a model, it’s worth deciding how you want it to wear.
Steel bracelet
A steel bracelet is the most versatile choice. It goes from the office to the weekend, handles water and sweat, and adds weight, which a lot of people like. Most close with a fold-over clasp, often with push buttons to release it.
A new bracelet usually needs sizing. Links are taken out until it sits snugly, with room for about a finger’s width. Any jeweller or watchmaker can do it, and the spare links are worth keeping in case your wrist changes or you sell the watch later.
Leather strap
Leather is warmer and dressier, and it makes a watch look a little more compact. It softens and shapes itself to your wrist after a few weeks. Keep it away from water and perfume, and let it air out after a warm day. A good strap lasts years; when it’s worn out, it’s simply replaced.
Rubber and silicone
For swimming, the gym or a dive watch, rubber is the practical choice. It doesn’t mind water, rinses clean and stays comfortable in the heat. Citizen uses specialist rubbers such as polyurethane on many of its Promaster models.
Fabric and nylon
Fabric straps are light, casual and comfortable in summer. They give a field or pilot watch a relaxed look, and they’re easy to swap.
A quick rule
If you’ll wear the watch every day, in all weather, start with steel or rubber. If it’s for the office and evenings, leather. You can always add a second strap later: the lug width, in millimetres, tells you which straps fit.