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Replace the strap on your Pebble smartwatch
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With more than 300,000 units sold, the Pebble is one of the most popular smartwatches around. Customers love having the ability to view notifications and silence calls without having to take out their phones, not to mention customizing the watch face is addicting in itself.
Eric Migicovsky, the CEO of Pebble, unveiled a brand-new version of the watch at CES in Las Vegas last week. The Pebble Steel has the same internals as the original (although it does include a new RGB LED), but it now sports a fancier and more expensive look. The CEO also announced a new app store that will include apps from partners ESPN, Yelp, and Foursquare, among many others.
While the Pebble Steel is a thing of beauty, you don’t have to run out and spend $250 on it. The rubber band on the Pebble (and also the straps on the Pebble Steel) can be swapped out and changed to your liking. The process is relatively quick, here’s what you need to know:
The tools Both the Pebble and Pebble Steel use 22mm wrist straps, which are held in place with a spring bar. The spring can be dislodged from its socket with a spring bar tool — I purchased mine from Amazon for $7. You can also use household items such as a small knife, although I wouldn’t recommend it.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Depending on the look and feel you prefer, the replacement watch band can cost anywhere from $15 to over a $100. I settled for a basic white strap, which cost me $19 on Amazon, to go with my Arctic White Pebble. Obviously higher-end leather, fabric straps, or even a steel band will not come as cheap.
The method It won’t take long for your Pebble to have a new look. Take the spring bar tool and gently slide it in between the base of the watch and the strap. Move the tool toward the center of the watch after you make contact with the spring to dislodge it from the socket. Once it’s out, place it aside and do the same with the other band. Next, remove the spring bar from your old straps and insert them into your new ones.
Sarah Tew/CNET
That was the easy part; things get a little more difficult from here. Getting the new straps into the socket can take multiple attempts, but keep at it. I found the easiest way to do this was to have one end of the spring in the socket and then use the tool to snap the other end into place.
Sarah Tew/CNET
It shouldn’t take long, but after a couple of attempts your Pebble should look and feel like a completely different device.
Replacing Pebble’s wrist band (pictures)
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