Teddy Baldassarre
Watch Clasps 101: A Guide to the Various Types of Closures
As long as watches have been worn on the wrist (click here if you’re curious about how long that’s actually been), watchmakers have needed to figure out how to keep their straps, and eventually bracelets, securely fastened. Nowadays, with a plethora of strap and bracelet options available to watch wearers, there are also several styles of these closures, many of which have become brand signatures in their own right. From tang buckles to butterflies to trifolds, we cover the gamut here, listing pros and cons for each. Pin/Tang/Ardillon Buckle The simplest type of closure, and one used only on straps, is a pin buckle, aka a tang or ardillon buckle (“ardillon” is a French word that translates to “tongue”). If you’ve ever worn a belt, you’re familiar with the design, though perhaps not the terminology. One end of the strap - which can be either a two-piece, like most leather and rubber straps, or a one-piece, like a cloth or nylon NATO strap - has a series of perforations called adjustment holes along part of its length. The other end terminates in a simple device with a spring bar attached to a U-shaped bracket and a central piece called a mandel (the “pin” or “tongue”). The bracket slides over the other end of the strap while the mandel slips through one of the adjustment holes, and into a notch on the bracket, to fit the strap to the wearer’s wrist and secure it against coming loose. Pros: It’s easy to use and generally comfortable, as there...
