So, I’ve been meaning to freshen up my Hermes H08 for a bit. Great watch, really solid piece, but you know how it is, sometimes you just want a different vibe without getting a whole new watch. That textile strap option they have? Yeah, that caught my eye.
Getting Started with the Swap
I finally got around to ordering one of their textile straps. Picked a color that I thought would give the H08 a bit more of a casual, everyday feel. When it arrived, I laid everything out: the watch, the new strap, and my trusty little spring bar tool. It’s nothing fancy, just that little forked tool that helps you get at the spring bars holding the strap to the watch case. Most watches these days use these straight-end bands with spring bars, so it’s a pretty common setup.
The first thing, obviously, was getting the old strap off. I carefully slid the forked end of the tool between the strap and the watch lug. You have to find the little ridge on the spring bar. Then, a bit of gentle pressure inwards, towards the strap, and pop! One side of the spring bar released. I did the same for the other side of that strap piece, and then repeated the whole thing for the other half of the strap. Gotta be a bit careful here, those spring bars can sometimes decide to launch themselves into another dimension if you’re not paying attention. Lost a few in my time, believe me.
Putting the New Textile On
Alright, old strap off. Now for the fun part – getting the new textile strap on. It’s pretty much the reverse process. I took one piece of the new strap, made sure it was facing the right way up (you’d be surprised how easy it is to get that wrong when you’re not focused), and inserted a spring bar into the little tunnel at the end of the strap.
Then, I lined up one end of the spring bar with the lug hole on one side of the watch case. The tricky bit is compressing the other end of the spring bar with the tool and easing it into the hole on the opposite lug. You kind of have to feel for it. Sometimes it clicks right in, other times you wiggle it a bit. Heard a satisfying little ‘click’ and knew that side was secure. Did a little tug, just to be sure. Don’t want your watch making a sudden escape.
Repeated that for the second piece of the strap. This one felt a little quicker, maybe I was getting into the groove. Hermes talks about “interchangeability” and making it playful. I get it. Once you’ve done it a couple of times, it’s not a big deal. You don’t need to be a watchmaker or anything.
The Final Result
And there we have it. The H08 with its new textile strap. Honestly, it completely changes the look of the watch. The textile feels really comfortable on the wrist too, right from the get-go. Softer than the original strap I had, and it just makes the watch feel a bit more understated, which is what I was going for.
Took me, what, maybe 10 minutes in total? And most of that was me being overly cautious. It’s a simple enough job, and it’s quite satisfying to do it yourself. Gives you a bit more connection to your watch, I reckon. Plus, now I know I can easily swap it back or try another color if the mood strikes. Definitely worth doing if you’re thinking about it.
It’s funny, I remember years ago, I wouldn’t have dared to even touch a watch strap. Thought I’d scratch the lugs or something. But you just get a simple tool, watch a video or two perhaps, and take your time. It’s one of those little skills that’s quite handy for a watch guy to have. Now, I’m already thinking what other strap might look good on it. This is how it starts, isn’t it?
