The short answer: strap holes are usually about 6mm apart, and your wrist changes size through the day and with the weather. So the right fit often sits between two holes. The fix is a second position halfway between them: a micro-adjust buckle or link gives you a tighter and a looser setting about 3mm apart, and you switch between them when your wrist changes.
Why it happens
- The holes are too far apart. At around 6mm between holes, there's a lot of room for "almost right".
- Your wrist isn't the same size all day. It's often smaller in the morning and bigger by the afternoon.
- Heat and exercise. A strap that's fine in winter can feel tight in summer, after a run, or on a flight.
- Cold days. The same strap can then slide around and sit loose.
Our customers put it simply: one hole is too tight and the next is too loose. Some stop wearing the watch altogether.
What you can do about it
Live with it. Wear it a little tight and loosen it when it bothers you, or wear it loose and let it slide around. Plenty of people do this for years.
Punch an extra hole. It gives you one new fixed fit. It's permanent, holes set close together can weaken the strap, and if your wrist changes during the day you're back where you started.
Add a second position. A micro-adjust buckle replaces your strap's buckle and gives every hole two settings, 3mm apart. If you'd rather keep your buckle or deployant clasp, an inline micro-adjust link does the same job. Of the three, it's the only one that follows your wrist through the day.
The full comparison, including rubber straps and deployants, is in our guide to micro-adjust for watch straps.
How the Fitwell buckle handles it
The Fitwell M1 replaces your strap's buckle and has two fixed positions, 3mm apart: pull the buckle out to loosen it, press it in to tighten it. No tools needed. That doubles the number of usable fit positions on the strap you already have.
It's firm on purpose, so it won't creep to the loose setting on its own. Once you get used to it, you can change it on the wrist, which is the point when your wrist swells in the afternoon.
If your watch has a deployant clasp, or a buckle you want to keep, the Fitwell M4 link gives you the same two positions, and it's designed to fit most deployant clasps. You take the watch off to change it by hand, which takes five or ten seconds.
Questions people ask
Why is my watch too tight in summer?
Wrists get bigger in heat and after exercise, so a strap that fits in cooler weather can feel tight. A second position about 3mm looser lets you open it up without going a full hole looser.
What if my strap is between sizes?
If the right fit sits between two holes, you need a position between them. A micro-adjust buckle or link adds one, halfway between each pair of holes.
How tight should a watch strap be?
Snug enough that the watch doesn't slide around your wrist, loose enough that it doesn't leave a deep mark or feel tight. If neither hole gets you there, that's the between-holes problem.
Will it fit my strap?
The M1 suits leather, rubber and fabric straps with a pin buckle, 16mm to 20mm at the buckle end. The M4 link suits 16mm to 22mm straps and works with pin buckles and deployant clasps. The size finder checks your strap.