How to Adjust a Fossil Metal Watchband with Smart Link or Adjust-O-Link

You're trying to adjust a Fossil metal watchband with an Adjust-O-Link watchband, also known as a Smart-Link watchband, but you're finding out even though the tag on the band says "Sizing Made Simple," it's not so easy. You're not alone. Most persons in your shoes don't find this watchband as easy to adjust as Fossil implies it is. However, if you want the watch to fit, especially if it is a Fossil watch that needs to fit snugly for it to wind correctly, then you're either going to have to learn how to adjust it, or spend the five to fifteen dollars somewhere to have this somewhat troublesome Fossil watchband adjusted, or find one of the few and far between Fossil stores and have them adjust it for free.

How to Adjust a Fossil Metal Watchband With Smart Link or Adjust-O-Link ( Watchband Pin Removing Tool and Precision Tip Needle Nose Pliers)

While the tag on a new Fossil watch with an Adjust-O-Link watchband, also known as a Smart Link watchband, says "Sizing Made Simple," unless you're ready to improvise in all manner or you're already adept at removing metal watchband pins, you'll benefit greatly by using a watchband pin removal tool, also known as a watchband pin press. You can cheaply purchase one of any number of watchband pin removal tools that work just fine. A Tech Swiss Watchband Pin Remover Tool on Amazon.com will cost you about the same it would to have the Fossil metal watchband adjusted by a professional. Plus, you get to use the watchband pin remover tool on watchband adjustments in the future.

Klein Tools is a very reputable tool manufacturer and makes a number of Precision Tip Needle Nose Pliers, sold at Tessco.com. However, these linked examples are only just that; examples of many more makes of the same tools.

How to Adjust a Fossil Metal Watchband With Smart Link or Adjust-O-Link ( Sizing the Watchstrap)

Put on the watch, and then...
Snugly squeeeze the watchband around your wrist, and then...
Count the links that aren't wrapped around your wrist, and then...
Take off the watch.

How to Adjust a Fossil Metal Watchband With Smart Link or Adjust-O-Link (Removing the Friction Pins)

Read the instructions to how to use the watchband pin removing tool (watchband pin press), and then...
Place the watch band pin remover on a flat and steady surface, and then...
Loosen the set screw that secures the vise pin in the watchband tool, and then...
Insert a vise pin into the watch band pin press, and then...
Place the watch band on the spring-loaded up and down pad in the tray of the watchband tool, and then...
Line up the vise pin so that it will push straight into the pin hole in the link. You want to make sure the vise pin lines up perfectly straight to the pin hole in the metal link, both up and down and left and right, and then...
Slowly turn the knob on the watch band pin press so that you slowly push the friction pin out of the metal watch band link or metal links, and then...
Get your handy-dandy precion tip needle nose pliers and pull the friction pin out of the Fossil (Smart Link) metal watchband, and then...
Remove the metal link and repeat the process if you need to remove more than one link from the "Sizing Made Easy" Fossil watchband, and then...

How to Adjust a Fossil Metal Watchband With Smart Link or Adjust-O-Link (Re-Inserting the Friction Pins)

Re-align the friction pin holes to the two inter-locking metal links that you will now fit together, minus the link(s) you just removed, and then...
Carefully push the friction pin straight into the two inter-locking metal link pin holes as far as you can by hand, without bending the friction pin, and then...
Finish pushing the friction pin by using the watchband pin press.

How to Adjust a Fossil Metal Watchband With Smart Link or Adjust-O-Link (Conclusion)

Knowing how to adjust a Fossil watch with an Adjust-O-Link or Smart Link watchband is important, particularly if the watch itself is a Fossil watch that has to fit snug for it to work correctly. That's well and good, however...

Unless you're experienced at pushing and pulling small metal pins in and out of small link holes, or you have a set of watch or jewelry repair tools laying around, adjusting a Fossil metal watchband is going to take some time and patience. The, so-called, Smart Link or Adjust-O-Link watchband on Fossil watches is supposed to make sizing simple; that's a misnomer, or misleading, for sure.

In fact, department stores, such as Macy's, no longer adjusts Fossil "Smart-Link" watches, since they've damaged too many while trying to adjust them for customers who purchased a Fossil watch from its watch counters. (Discussion of such on Howard Forums)

It's a "Smart-Link" watchband in that the pins are removable or insertable to and from both sides of the watchband, while most other watchbands are designed for pin removal and insertion from one side of the watchband.

The friction on the Fossil Smart Link watchband pins is in the middle of the pin, as opposed to at the end of pins in other watchbands. This, turns out, to make it more difficult to get the pin out, since you have to work through the friction from the middle of the metal watchband link rather than the end of a metal watchband link.

While adjusting a (Smart Link) Fossil metal watchband is doable without a watchband pin remover tool (watchband pin press), it's certainly exponentially easier to adjust it with one compared to the difference in difficulty in having or not having a watchband pin removing tool when adjusting other watchbands.

Be careful not to scratch your Fossil Smart Link (Adjust-O-Link) metal watchband while removing and inserting watchband pins, when not using a watchband pin removing tool.