Atelier finder
Spring bars
Brand, reference, width. Three pieces to land the right spring bar.
Technical glossary
Lug width: the distance between the lugs
The distance between the case lugs, measured in millimetres. Always an even number on modern models: 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24. Measure it with a caliper, never by eye. A 19mm strap on 20mm lugs wobbles. A 21mm strap on 20mm lugs won't fit. The millimetre isn't negotiable.
Diameter: the pin inside the spring bar
The thickness of the pin inside the spring bar. Modern standard: 1.5mm. On recent Rolex sport watches — Submariner, GMT, Daytona — it's 1.8mm. On some vintage Sub and GMT with drilled lugs, 2.0mm. If the spring bar goes in but doesn't seat, the diameter is usually wrong. For most non-Rolex watches the 1.5mm standard pin works perfectly.
Drilled lugs: how to spot them
You see them from the side of the case, below the 9 and 3 positions. A through-hole that crosses the lug. On Rolex sport watches it's the mark of a vintage or transitional model — Sub 5xxx, 16800, GMT 16710 before 2003. For these there's a dedicated springbar tool that pushes from outside. For closed lugs the standard tool compresses the pin from inside.
Compatible
Other compatible watches
Domande ricorrenti
Frequent questions
How do I work out the lug width without a caliper?
The manufacturer's spec sheet always lists it. If you don't have it, take a ruler and measure between the inside faces of the lugs — the value rounded to the nearest even millimetre is almost always the right one. To be sure, the finder above starts from the reference and gives you the measurement without guesswork.
Standard 1.5mm vs fat 1.8/2.0mm spring bars — when does it really matter?
On Rolex sport watches. A Submariner 116610 with a thicker leather strap needs the fat pin — 1.5mm would bend under the load. On a dress Datejust or an Omega Constellation the standard pin is fine. When in doubt, look at strap thickness: dressy leather under 4mm goes with the standard pin, sports straps over 4mm prefer the bigger pin.
My Rolex has drilled lugs — can I still use standard spring bars?
Yes, as long as lug width and diameter are right. Spring bars for drilled lugs aren't stronger — they're simply designed to be pushed from outside with a pointed tool, faster in the workshop. The standard spring bar works perfectly in the same housing.
Original Rolex or aftermarket Swiss Standard spring bars?
Original Rolex only come through the Rolex Service channel and are often hard to source. A good aftermarket Swiss Standard spring bar — hardened steel, proper dimensional tolerance — covers the same use. It's what I fit in the atelier on the straps I make for clients.
The next step
The right strap isn’t chosen. It is built, together.
From the atelier appointment to delivery, every step is designed for those who know that things done well take time. Your watch deserves exactly what it deserves.
Request an appointment →What we offer
- We guide you through every step — with exclusive images directly from our atelier
- Over 50 artisanal steps for each strap — from leather selection to final stitching
- The time it takes to do extraordinary things — four, five weeks. Not a day less.
- An object designed to last a lifetime — cared for by us for eighteen months
- The right leather for your watch — chosen together, in the atelier, only for you
By appointment only · Milan