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You have a brand new, great watch on a metal bracelet, and all that remains is to set the right length of the bracelet (how to do it at home, we advise you in the article Watch Academy: How to shorten the metal bracelet of a watch). Take three articles - very tight. You return one - very free. What now? In this difficult moment of life, microregulation will solve everything! Microregulation is used for the final adjustment of the length of the metal stroke, and here we will show its basic types and their advantages and disadvantages.
This is clearly the most common solution for fine regulation of a bracelet. It's basically a clip with a series of holes, where the length is adjusted depending on which pair of holes you place the post into. Most often, the clip has 3 to 4 control positions (for example, the iconic Citizen Promaster Pilot Radio Controlled CB5850-80E), but sometimes it has only two (Citizen Super Titanium BM7470-84L) and sometimes even more - for example, the Orient Tri Star Classic FAB00009L has all of them eight.
Micro-regulation of some Orient watch models replaces shortening by removing parts.
The advantage of this solution is a lower price because it is very widespread and simple. The slight downside is that this regulation can't be done at any time, anywhere, although moving the crossbar is easy in the core. But you always need some kind of sharp tool (a pin is enough) to poke the dowel. If you'd like a better pro tool, this is the picker.
This type of fine adjustment is also sometimes found on flip buckles that are designed for leather or silicone straps. This can be useful, for example, with silicone straps, where the adjustment is not made by turning it into a certain hole, but by cutting off parts.
This is what in practice is called absolute convenience. It's perfectly normal for your hand to expand and shrink during the day, so sometimes the watch may feel looser and sometimes tighter. However, this is no problem with the sliding micro-regulation - you can either loosen or tighten the bracelet very simply and without the use of tools.
Thanks to the sliding extension, you can adjust the size of the bracelet at any time during the day. Pictured Mido Ocean Star GMT M026.629.11.051.01.
Diving watches tend to have this solution, where this scrolling is intended to serve primarily as a diving extension. This is used when it is necessary to increase the circumference of the pull when putting the watch on neoprene. Very often, the diving extension is solved by simply flipping the buckle, but this increases the circumference by a clearly defined and relatively large piece of metal.
Micro-regulation on Certina DS Action Diver Powermatic 80 Titanium C032.607.44.051.00 and Citizen Promaster Marine Automatic Diver’s Super Titanium NB6021-68L.
But if this extension is sliding, then it will serve the common mortal perfectly as a micro-regulation. This ingenious solution can be found, for example, on the Mido Ocean Star GMT M026.629.11.051.01 and on most Mido divers. It also appears on some Certina divers, or the great new Citizen Promaster Marine Automatic Diver’s Super Titanium NB6021-68L.
A minor aesthetic drawback is that when moved, the clasp is not completely "whole", but a protruding part is visible. On the other hand, everything is from below and the practical side definitely wins.
However, sliding microregulation is not only the domain of diving models. You can find very sophisticated and highly functional sliding controls on the buckles of the prestigious Seiko Astron series, or on the GPS-controlled Citizen Satellite Wave CC9015-54E model. With these models, everything is excellently treated, even from an aesthetic point of view.
Sliding buckles have different types of regulation, by pressing the buttons on the sides, or logos on the buckle. You can also come across other gadgets, such as a built-in spring that moves automatically depending on how tight the bracelet is.
The huge advantage of this solution is obvious - you can adjust the stroke easily and without tools anywhere and anytime. A slight disadvantage is that this type of regulation is found on more expensive models. This is because it requires more advanced processing of the buckle, which would not be possible for cheaper models at the given price.
The butterfly clasp looks perfect and the smaller parts allow for a more accurate one-time adjustment of the bracelet size.
We often encounter this type of fine regulation in combination with another type of micro regulation directly on the buckle. However, with butterfly clasps, for example, further micro-regulation is often not possible due to the design. That's why it is with them that the reduced parts of the stroke can be considered as micro-regulation. They are the only option in these cases, so the stroke length can be adjusted finally, but in the vast majority of cases this is not a problem.
The disadvantage is the relatively high complexity of the adjustment compared to the micro-regulations on the buckle, because here you can't do without a pick-up tool and great caution. As an example of such a solution, I will mention Ball Engineer III Pioneer COSC NM9026C-S15CJ-BE, or Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic AI6008-SS002-430-1.
This kind of bracelet can be considered a micro-regulation practically in its entirety, if it has a sliding clasp (which in most cases it does). The buckle can be moved to any length, and therefore it is possible to adjust the length almost down to the smallest detail.
Junghans Max Bill Damen 47/4250.46
Casio Collection Vintage A1000MA-7EF
A Milanese bracelet adapts to the wrist and is lighter than classic articulated bracelets.
However, even with this method, you cannot expect to adjust the length easily in any situation. The buckle needs to be clicked out with a suitable tool (here again you can use a pry bar). This type of bracelet and clasp, due to its subtlety and subtle Milanese twist, is often found on women's models, such as the Junghans Max Bill Damen 47/4250.46, or the unisex Casio Collection Vintage models.
Whatever watch you choose, at Helveti we will adjust the length of the bracelet for you for free before shipping to ensure the best possible fit. Just write the circumference of your wrist measured with a flat scale in the order where you want to wear the watch. Of course, our services also include additional adjustment, should you discover in the future that it simply "isn't what it is" - because of course we send the remaining parts after shortening with the watch.
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