Step-by-Step Guide: How to Repair a Broken Rubber Watch Strap

Owning a watch is a right of passage for some people, they can be passed down from generation to generation. But what happens when the rubber band breaks and you need to now repair a watch strap?

You may find yourself in the market for a new watch because an old one has broken just from usage, you may be finding it hard to part with your watch. Why should you part from your favorite watch if there is something that can be done to fix it.

In the case of a rubber strap you may be in luck. The perks of a rubber strapped watch are that they are adjustable, comfy and usually are quite durable. A watch strap breaking isn’t a new thing but it certainly is an annoying thing.

You can get many different types of watch straps such as, rubber, leather, silicone or one that is made out of stainless steel, today we are going to be focusing on rubber watches. In better words, how to fix a rubber strap that has broken. Don’t worry there may be hope for your watch yet, just follow these simple steps for a few ways to fix it.

Rubber Watch Band Durability – Ideal Choice For Watch Band

Rubber straps will last its owner from anywhere between 18 months and 2 whole years. Obviously this is dependent on how well the user cares for their watch in the first place. Rubber strapped watches can become incredibly dirty from daily wear. It is a good idea to regularly clean them to remove any forms of debris or dust.

You can very easily clean a rubber watch by using warm water with some soap. This should be done regularly for proper care of the watch.

After you have cleaned your watch you should let it dry out before putting it back on your wrist as you will just be trapping moisture which can damage the watches structural integrity.

The lifespan of this type of watch is shorter than many other watches made from different materials. However, with proper care a rubber watch can last a very long time.

Other Types Of Band For Watch Strap

Similar types of watches are silicone and leather. A silicone watch is soft and incredibly smooth, it feels very comfortable on your skin. Silicon is also eco friendly and non toxic. It is also a temperature resistant material unlike other watches and often comes in many colors to choose from.

Silicone is a durable material but can break if stretched too much. Once they have broken it can be very difficult to repair this style of strap because it is not a porous material so glue doesn’t stick to it. Keeping a silicone watch dry is a good place to start when looking into proper watch care for silicone bands.

Another type of watch is leather. Leather is great because it is extremely long lasting and also water resistant. They are also incredibly durable, due to the nature of the material. Make sure not to wear a leather banded watch during water activities like swimming. Direct sunlight can also cause a leather strap to fade over time. You can clean a leather strap by using a mildly damp cloth.

Benefits Of Using A Rubber Watch

Using a rubber strapped watch has many benefits, it generally offers a more sporty look than any other type of watch and due to its durable nature can stand up to any extreme weather you may face.

Due to rubber being so great at handling the weather a rubber watch can be used for a variety of water based activities, Rubber watches are often adjustable and incredibly comfy because of this. It will also dry quickie and unlike a material like leather, it won’t lose its original color or start to fade over time.

Rubber really is an incredible choice when it comes to picking what strap is best for your specific needs. If you are a more adventurous person who loves the outdoors then a rubber strapped watch is the choice for you, below will be a step by step guide on how to fix your rubber strap if it is broken (This could work for a broken rubber bracelet as well)

Step By Step Guide Of Fixing A Rubber Strap

Before beginning your watch repair guide it is important to know there are many different tricks and hacks that you can use to get your watch looking brand spanking new. One is by using velcro and the other is by using super glue.

Velcro

Things you will need to fix a watch with velcro are, a bonding agent, a strip of velcro, scissors, something that can hold it together for 24 hours without touching like a weight on a book for example and some sandpaper.

Step One: Cut The Velcro

The first thing you will need to do is use the scissors to cut out the size of velcro you want to use to fix your watch so it will fit it perfectly in both length and width. This will ensure that no snaggly bits are left hanging on the outside of your strap.

Step Two: Glue It To The Watch

After you have cut out your velcro to the perfect width and length, clean the part of the watch where you feel you need to fit the velcro.

Use any type of glue that you want but we recommend using the strongest glue you can find. Then simply glue it to the watch, for this part you want to make sure that the velcro side is not facing your skin.

Step Three: Glue It To The Strap

Now you want to clean the part of the watch strap where you want to glue the velcro. Then glue the velcro making sure that this time the velcro is facing your skin.

Step Four: Vice

Once you have completed the previous steps it is now time to find something that can hold everything in place for an elongated time. We would say to use a vice as they are the best working and can apply the most pressure when needed to.

However, not every household has a vice laying around so we recommend using a book and weighing it down to act as a vice. Once you have done this it is now time to leave the strap for 24 hours.

Step Five: Remove The Excess

After your 24 hours are up you can remove your watch from your home made vice, careful though the process is not over. Once you have removed the watch form the vice it is time to very carefully get rid of any excess glue that may still be left on your watch.

Do this by using sand paper. You need to be careful when doing this as you may find that you can damage the watch strap if you sand it too much. This step is only important if you feel there is a lot of excess glue and isn’t a necessary step if you have used the perfect amount of glue(or you can use Loctite glue remover). 

That is the first guide on how to fix a rubber watch strap using velcro. The step by step guide below will show you how to fix a rubber watch strap by using super glue.

Super Glue

The things you will need to fix your watch strap using this method are as follows, super glue, paper towel, rubbing alcohol, sandpaper and waxed paper.

Step One: Clean The Edges

The first step to this method is to remove any dirt and debris from the band. Oils can also be an issue that you need to clean as your skin naturally produces oils, the best way to do this is by using rubbing alcohol so the band will dry quickly.

Step Two: Sandpaper

You can now use the sandpaper to create a rough surface area on the edges of the strap so it will not slide around because of the glue that you are using.

Step Three: Super Glue

After you have left the watch for some time so it is completely dry, it is now time to add a small amount of glue on both edges of the strap that is broken. You want to cover the other parts of the watch to avoid things like fingerprints or other forms of stains that can occur. You can then press the two together and hold it together for a few minutes.

After you have done that correctly it is now time to place it on some waxed paper to allow the glue to dry for around 24 hours. You can then get rid of the extra part of the strap, this is the best method to use as it will give a more original look to the watch that you won’t be able to get with the velcro method. 

It is important to know that this method will not work on some types of strap, if this is the case for you then you should try using the previously mentioned velcro method.

Strap Replacement

It is now time to talk about replacing your strap, sometimes too much damage has been done to the original strap and trying to fix it would be counterproductive. You may also just want to replace the strap of the watch for aesthetic purposes. Replacing a strap is quite an easy thing to do so no need to get yourself in a panic if you have found yourself in this situation.

You will first need to gather a replacing strap, a tool to remove the spring bar and a microfibre cloth. This method is not too difficult but you should be weary when attempting it at risk of damaging the watch further.

Step One: Clean Your Workspace

Use the microfibre cloth that you have gathered and lay on a flat surface that you have cleaned. This will ensure the safety of your watch and stop it from sliding when you are trying to fix it. Place the watch face down ensuring the cloth is clean to avoid scratching.

Step Two: Changing The Strap

Use the tool that you have acquired for the spring bar and remove both sides of the strap. It is important to know that at this point you need to be careful as too much pressure applied will break the spring bar before you have even started. You need to remove the spring bar from one side and then pull the other spring bar out.

Step Three: Installing The Strap

You now need to take the spring bar and insert it onto one side of the new strap. Make sure the bar sits equally out from either side of the strap. Then simply place the spring bar on both sides of the strap into the lug hole one at a time. Do this process for the other side too and you have successfully replaced your watch strap.

Remember with high importance not to apply too much pressure as you can break the watch by doing so. Another thing that you may want to fix is the strap holder.

Fixing The Strap Holder

This is a very easy fix and shouldn’t take you much time at all, you simply news duct tape and scissors to make this a success.

Step One: Cut The Tape

You need to determine the thickness and length of the strap holder before you do anything, once you have done this you need to simply cut some tape and make it fit the dimensions you need it to by cutting it to the right size of the strap holder.

Step Two: Measuring The Tape

You now need to wind the thin strip of tape around the buckle side of the strap holder and measure it to size. You need to make sure that the tape you are using is smaller than the actual buck itself. Then cut the right length with the scissors.

Step Three: Making The Strap Holder

Now it is time to again wind the tape around the strap and use a tiny piece of duct tape to close the holder, your strap holder is now completely repaired for your usage.

Watches can often be worn every day so it is no surprise that they often break and are in need of a quick at home repair. The above methods are all incredibly useful and will have your watch looking brand new in no time with very little cost.

These aren’t the only methods that you can use but we found that they were the most successful when it comes to repairing a damaged strap, replacing a strap and fixing a strap holder.

All of these things can break fairly easily with daily usage so it is always good to have some quick DIY fixes that you can do to save yourself taking it to a retailer to get it fixed. This is a much more rewarding process.

Commonly Asked Questions to Fix Broken Rubber

Here are a few questions answered that seem to get asked a lot these days to help clarify for the most people possible.

In Summary

Lots of people enjoy wearing watches, but the issue with that is that you wear a watch every day, unless you have a selection to choose from of course, whilst wearing you watch may add that little something that you are looking for it can become damaged from the usage, obviously some watches can become more damaged than others at a quicker rate.

A few of the types of band that are available to consumers are rubber, silicone and leather. We have solely focused on rubber today as these tend to be the ones that wear their damage on their sleeve.

Because of the above step by step guide you now have no reason to panic when it comes to fixing your strap with either velcro or super glue, we also covered other parts of the watch known to break such as the strap holder and or replacing the strap as a whole.

Rubber is a great choice of watch because it is durable and also comfy. That being said just because it is durable doesn’t mean that it won’t break, without proper care for you watch it can break fairly easy, to avoid any issues with your watch strap you should clean it regularly and avoid stretching it to test its durability as it will snap leading you right back to this step by step guide.

Remember it is important to practice health and safety when using tools and super glue as they can be quite dangerous if not used correctly, if you are younger it may be best to be supervised by an adult.

Like stated above rubber has many positives when it comes in watch form, such as being great in extreme weather conditions making it the perfect choice for you if you love to do water based activities or just love the outdoors in general.

They will also dry quickly and as you can also see from above they are very easily fixed if the strap or any other part becomes broken.

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Garrett Jones

Hi, my name is Garrett Jones, and I am a tech enthusiast. I enjoy researching the new tech that has been released, and have a vast knowledge of the best tech to purchase.

From a young age, I have always had a big interest in technology, and this blog is an extension of that interest. Through this blog, I hope to provide others with all of the information they need regarding tech options to consider, and things such as compatibility. Some of the different items I will be discussing include headphones, smartwatches, and how to fix common issues.

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