Is there a way to take links out of my cheap watch band myself?

geepondy

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I bought this cheapie watch at Amazon to hold me over should I decide to have my Omega serviced and be without it for ten weeks.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KPWC1K/?tag=cpf0b6-20

The watch came without any instructions and the band is too big. Any tips on removing the links myself or can it be done? I see the little pins in the individual links but they don't seem to move by hitting them with a pick.
 

Aluminum Junkie

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Sometimes you can take a large paperclip and cut a small piece with wire cutters. Then take a wide jaw plier and squeez it out. It almost take three hands to do it, one with tweesers to hold the mfg'd pin and one to hold the band, and one to apply pressure. The real tool is a little plastic vise gizsmo with a twisty screw thing (technical watch terms) lol. Or, the guys that install batteries can usually do it for you for a small bribe. Good luck
 

geepondy

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Oh my god, you've scared me enough! They have a little mall center jewelry workshop, if they'll do so for ten bucks or so, I'll have it done there. But people must come across the same problem when buying watches off of the Internet.

The cheap watch is actually ok for a beater watch and atomic to boot, all for $30 and free supersaving shipping.

Aluminum Junkie said:
Sometimes you can take a large paperclip and cut a small piece with wire cutters. Then take a wide jaw plier and squeez it out. It almost take three hands to do it, one with tweesers to hold the mfg'd pin and one to hold the band, and one to apply pressure. The real tool is a little plastic vise gizsmo with a twisty screw thing (technical watch terms) lol. Or, the guys that install batteries can usually do it for you for a small bribe. Good luck
 

louie

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It looks similar to a Casio Atomic I have - the pins simply push out, but only in the direction indicated inside the links. Careful, I nearly pushed a pin out, into my finger. They look like tiny cotter pins. I have several homemade pin-type tools, like a jeweler's screwdriver with the blade ground off. They shouldn't be that hard.

I just bought another watch which had crude link plates that had to be pushed out, and it was a bear. I needed an awl wrapped in a rag to cushion my hand.
 

gadget_lover

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I have a Casio wavecepter with a different yet similar band. The pins on mine are U shaped. They are pushed out by inserting a small screwdriver in the hole on the back of the link and pushing the flat of the U outward. The hole is on the back of the link to one side.

Yes, it appears to be a fairly good watch.

Daniel
 

felder

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Usually it's pretty easy to get those pins out. Ideally you'd use a little gadget with a screw and a pin that lets you pop the pins out of the links. However, you don't need one.

Just bend a small paperclip, look for the arrows on the band, then put the paperclip in the hole and push in the direction of the arrow.

You may want to get one of those little gadgets though, particularly if you like watches. They are fairly inexpensive and they easily pay for themselves after a few times.

http://www.pmwf.com/Watches/WATCHSA...SizingToolJun04/BraceletSizingToolDetails.htm
 

geepondy

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I broke down and spent $15 to have the mall centercourt jewelry repair take them out. He basically used a small hammer and pin pusher and made short work of it.
 

LED BriCK

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Sorry for the necrobump, but I just had to point out how much we rule! I did an internet search for how to remove links from watchbands, and this thread was near the top of the results. Even cooler, I'm searching because I too got a Casio Waveceptor to hold me over while my Omega is getting serviced!
Incidentally, I got the pins out, but man they were a b!atch! I bent up my jewelers screwdriver doing it.
 
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