Can a leather wrist watch strap be replaced with a stainless steel strap?

[kmarizo]

Can a leather wrist watch strap be replaced with a stainless steel strap? If so, is that difficult to do?


I will be getting married this summer. I plan on buying my best man a wrist watch so I am starting to look now. My budget is $600.00. I prefer leather straps, he does not like leather. He is always talking about getting a Japanese made watch. I am thinking about buying/getting it shipped from the trusted Seiya Japan store. I wish I could afford a Grand Seiko but that is not going to happen. $$$$


I am thinking about buying him this Orient Star or the Seiko 'cocktail time' S-SARB065 40 mm watch but if I can't swap the leather strap for a stainless strap, it rules that out.


Otherwise, I am thinking about one of these stainless steel strapped Seiko watches:


Seiko 23 S-SARX001 40mm


Seiko 23 Jewels S-SARB033 37mm


Seiko 23 S-SARB035 37mm


Seiko 23 S-SARB021 37mm

[LesserBlackDog]

The short answer is, yes, you can replace a leather strap with a metal bracelet.


The long answer is that it's not as simple as switching to a leather strap, for a number of reasons. Not all watch cases are shaped the same, and more importantly, not all watch cases are the same relative distance to their lug holes. In other words, it's difficult, if not impossible, to find a non-stock bracelet whose endlinks will perfectly fit against the case. Additionally, most non-stock straps come with hollow end-links rather than solid ones, which look and feel cheap and can contribute to the rattly sound characteristic of lower-end bracelets. Finally, a non-stock bracelet will lack the appropriate manufacturer's signature, which can leave the watch feeling incomplete or mismatched. And to top it all off, bracelets cost a lot more than leather straps.


The Seiko Cocktail Time is a beautiful watch, but if your best man prefers a watch on a bracelet, I think you should seriously consider getting him a watch that comes with a factory bracelet.


Another option is to contact Seiko directly to see if they sell bracelets designed to go with the Cocktail Time. It will be expensive but whether it's worth it is up to you.

[kmarizo]

@BenR: Thanks, I kind of figured that would be the case. I will go with a stock/factory bracelet.