Pros and Cons of Customizing your Luxury Watch

ARTICLE DATE 02/10/2016

Owning a luxury watch can give you a sense of status and accomplishment. You don’t put on a Rolex to match your outfit, you put on a Rolex because it MAKES your outfit. While there are a plethora of options and offerings by different brands, nothing quite grants you the ability to call something your own and reflect your unique personality as a customizable luxury watch allows you to do. Individually customizing your luxury watch to truly have your own unique timepiece, is, well, timeless.

Custom Watch Bands and Bracelets

One of the most common changes watch owners do to make their piece unique is to customize their watch’s band, bracelet, or strap. The material of the band can be customized from leather, metal, rubber, to even fabric options. The variations for leather straps are abundant and you can even choose between different forms of exotic hide such as alligator, crocodile, and ostrich which all have different textures.

Following this, the hues for leather, rubber, and fabric bands can range across the color spectrum. The mechanisms on which the bands open and close can also be customized to either a simple tang buckle or a folding deployment style buckle.

There are multiple bracelet options as well; different types of metal can be chosen as well as the style of bracelet. The strap/bracelet is one of the most popular features to change by watch enthusiasts as it is one of the most noticeable features of the watch and can be done at home if you have access to a spring bar tool. There are multiple how-to guides across the Internet that make customizing your watch strap a breeze and doing so is like giving your car a new paint job for your desired look for the day.

Our very own Gray and Sons website has an overwhelming amount of options to choose from for many different brands and models to help you with your personalization. Whether you’re going for a more classy, traditional look with leather, or for a sporty, casual appearance with rubber, the ease and customizability of the watchstrap is why so many experienced watch owners own multiple bands for their timepieces.

Customizing your Luxury Watch
Rolex watches with customized bands, bezels, and dials

Custom Watch Bezels and Dials

Some watch models allow for even further customization of the watch with options for the bezel and dial. Some dials can be interchanged between models of different collections or custom ones may also be integrated. Dials range in color, material (including mother of pearl, onyx, and lapis), and style (roman numerals, stick indicators, or diamond studded.)

Watch bezels can also be exchanged for your own desired look. Bezels range from the different tones of metal and also textural differences such as smooth, fluted, or diamond studded. Changing the bezel or dial however, are much more complicated and require a trained watchmaker to complete. You won’t be able to change them as frequently and as easily as the watchstrap, but changing the bezel or dial can be a major refresher for your luxury timepiece.

Custom Rolex dials and bezels
Custom dials and bezels available for Rolex watches

Pros of Customizing Watches

When all of these options are taken into account, starting from specific watch brand to fully customizing every feature on the watch, it is possible to design the luxury timepiece that really represents who you are. Different brands dictate your style but customizing the bracelet/strap, dial, and bezel can really define the ultimate luxury watch for you and serve as a channel to express your individualism.

Cons of Customizing Watches

Customizing your watch does however come with some repercussions other than the possibility of permanent damage. Many watch manufacturers including Rolex and Cartier, will refuse to service your watch if it is not with the original dial and bezel or if you add any additional diamonds. Of course an independent jeweler like Gray & Sons, with qualified Swiss trained watch makers, will service your customized luxury watch on site with no need to send it in to the manufacturer.

If its your luxury watch, your most prized possession, the pride on your wrist, the luxury timepiece you paid for, you deserve to have it your way. The exact way you want it to look! So if you are looking for an outlet to express your individuality and uniqueness or simply just tired of looking at your stock watch, express your right to customize your luxury watch. After all, you paid for it.

Leave a reply in the comment section and let us know your opinion on customizing luxury watches.

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