Good watchbands in DC?

August 23, 2006 12:22 PM

Where in DC can I buy a quality watchband?

I had a Seiko perpetual calendar watch I was very pleased with, but the watchband broke after years of use. After scouring jewelry and watch stores in three different malls looking for someone willing to sell me a watchband, I went to FastFix in Pentagon City and paid an embarrassing sum for what is, to put it bluntly, a crappy watchband that chafes my skin and doesn't bend properly. Do I have any options, or should I just buy a new watch?

posted by commander_cool to Shopping (5 answers total)

There's a Tourneau store in the Pentagon City Mall.
posted by Bezuhin at 12:31 PM on August 23, 2006

Not exactly the answer to what you're asking but, you could contact Seiko directly and see if they can replace the bracelet.

Seiko Customer Service Center is:
1111 Macarthur Boulevard, Mahwah, NJ 07430
Tel : [phone]
Fax : [phone]
E-mail : [e-mail]
posted by anticlock at 12:41 PM on August 23, 2006

Response by poster: Tourneau wouldn't sell me a watchband.
posted by commander_cool at 12:49 PM on August 23, 2006

I assume you want a replacement metal bracelet for your watch, not a leather strap, right? Because any quality watch retailer/jeweler (or Tourneau, if you can't find one) should be able to sell you a nice strap. You just need to know the required width.

Matching a bracelet to your watch, OTOH, is a tougher proposition. Usually the best bet is to get a replacement from the manufacturer.

Equation of Time (scroll down) offers a nice range of straps. This guy has a range of bracelets and straps, but he's in Germany.
posted by mojohand at 1:11 PM on August 23, 2006

Oh, and CoolWatchStraps.com offers some, well, cool watch straps. I suggest one of these would look nice on your watch, but then I'm not a big fan of ersatz two-tone bracelets, or even real gold/steel bracelets, so far as that goes.
posted by mojohand at 1:24 PM on August 23, 2006