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I have this old (and dear) simple digital wrist watch (a Casio W71). It uses a Silicone strap by default - and (one side of) this strap tends to tear at the point where you fasten it, after a few years of use.

I was wondering if it's feasible, for someone who's not much of a craftsman, to either:

  1. Prevent the (side-of-a-)strap from tearing, or
  2. Fashion a strap or one side of a strap for the watch which would last longer, or would be easy to fix (e.g. by sewing).
einpoklum
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  • Why not just accept they don't last long after being in contact with oil and sweat constantly and buy a new one when it breaks? They aren't expensive. Or change to a nylon or leather strap? I did just that with my OG Pebble as one of the silicon bands perished after years of abuse – Mr Pablo Sep 14 '17 at 07:31
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    @MrPablo: 1. Goes against the spirt of this site? 2. I don't mind buying a new strap, except that where I live, they're massively overpriced (10 EUR per piece). I couldn't find someplace cheap. I'll probably try buying online, but that takes a lot of time to arrive. – einpoklum Sep 14 '17 at 08:37

2 Answers2

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Try using Velcro once it breaks cut the excess off and replace it with Velcro straps instead and sew them on to be able to be used.

kaneki
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  • You can actually buy velcro watch straps. I did exactly this with a treasured Casio myself and the velcro one lasted much longer than the original resin one. – Lefty Sep 18 '17 at 19:36
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If Silicone strap is broken, you can do one magic with the rubber band.

  • Wind the rubber band around strap so as to join two broken pieces(it would be a better option if you do this trick as and when it is broken and starts to be apart into two).
  • Burn the joint using a candle or cigarette lighter until the rubber band fuses with strap. Take care when you do this, as rubber can provide some black smoke.
  • After fusing with strap, keep the strap on ice so as to reduce its temperature.
  • Use a blade to chisel out extra protruded parts during fusion so that it won't cause irritation while you wear it.

Note: Please select a rubber band that matches the color of your strap. If your strap has light color, the result of using this trick may leave some dark marks around the surface, which I suggest you can take as an art.

MANEESH MOHAN
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