Change a Watch Strap

A simple guide to changing a watch Strap

Not just for smart watches either

You will need a spring bar tool to do this, but if you shop around for a new strap you can usually find some that come with the tool and new spring bars
You will also need to know the size of the strap before you buy it, measured in mm.

Set your area up before you start, a towel is a good idea as it stops things rolling and it also protects you watch from hard surfaces (you will notice that I was in too much a hurry to get my new bracelet on my watch to follow my own advice!)

Working from the back, remove the old strap.

Wiggle the pronged end of your spring bar tool in between the strap and the watch lug. The spring bar has a ridge that the tool will grab

Gently apply press inwards towards the strap and away from the watch to depress the spring bar. At the same time, apply some downward pressure so the bar will pop out. 

Pressing too hard and/or fast, and the tool may slip damaging the watch or the strap

Now attach your new strap/bracelet


Make sure the pin bar is central positioned in the at either end of the new strap or link bracelet


Again working from the back insert one end of the spring bar into the hole in the lug

Then using the spring bar tool, depress the other end of the pin bar allowing it to slide into the lug. 

Repeat on other side

Encourage the pin bar into the hole and make sure both sides are secure (you don't want it to fall off)

These photos were taken just over a month ago and since then I have upgraded from the 360 to a Huawei. It's worth noting that the Huawei has easy pin bars, they have a small little posts that you can move (and therefore release the pin bar) with a fingernail, thus removing the need of a fiddly spring bar tool

Just so you know I am no expert just a normal bloke finding things out for himself and trying to share so if you like this or think you know someone who might like it then please share it

And if you like to buy me a coffee, I have no objections !
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Getting a better glow

I have been experimenting with the look of my lumes by adding a glow effect, and have talked about this before.

I think I'm getting better at it now. Massive thanks to +Ashley Hansgen  for his help, and I have learned a lot from his contribution here Ashley Dims

So to begin
If the watch has been made entirely in WatchMaker I turn all hand layers to never show and then hit export/share
If the watch is photoshop or cookie cut the watchface image already exists, just export/share

How do you know if its Watchmaker or Photoshop ? Have a look in customise if you see one image of the watchface it's photoshop/cookie cut. A watchmaker watch is usually lots of shapes and shadows and parts expertly put together to recreate the watch.

Now in your phone explorer find the folder and rename it from .watch to .zip
now open it with and an unzip app, and then rename the individual images you intend to lume (you have to take the dot from the beginning of the name. i.e img1234 instead of .img1234)

The image can now be found by the phone/tablet.

I use an app called eraser - open the image and carefully remove everything that you don't want to lume or glow. Save

Then I open it in another app image editor - top of the screen is a edit button from here tap focus and choose blur and then fog. Save

Now go back to watchmaker, add the dim layer (a 512x512 circle coloured black with a level of opacity between 50 and 70 percent).
Add new images, first the one edited in eraser and then the one with a blur effect, pick a colour.

Edit the hands in the same way as the main face. When adding the new lumed hand layers, it is best to copy the existing hand then change image (sometimes the size needs adjusting - but the rotation code will be correct)

If you like this or think someone you know will like then please share it

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New Luming

It's been a few weeks since my last post, but the reason for that is I have been delving into new a new code for my dims and perfecting a glow to go with it.

I have for some time been looking for a way to make the lume gradually brighten, and had experimented with a few codes I had found, but was never completely happy with the results.

Then the very talented +Ken Van Vliet , advised me check out the even more talented +Sean Grondin who had recently added a very good gradually brightening lume to his complex setup. He in turn told me the code came from +Klaus Koehler - I am eternally grateful to all three of you 

Sean has put an excellent tutorial together here

https://plus.google.com/+SeanGrondin/posts/dye6ibF8o2y

Here is my breakdown of the way I implement the code (just so you know I'm not a coder, but learn through trail and error, and the generosity of others)

1

copy and paste text between the lines into the main script 

________________________

--! VARIABLE DEFAULTS

var_face = 1

var_ambT = 2

var_ambL = 60

var_zoom = 1

var_theme = 2

--/ VARIABLE DEFAULTS

--! AMBIENT ACTIVATION TIME

function on_millisecond(dt)

tweens.ambM = 

not {abright} and var_ambT == 1  and ({dtp}>{wssp} or {dtp}<{wsrp}) and 100 or

var_ambT == 2 and 

({wsrp}>={dtp} and 100 or

({wssp}+0.0417)<={dtp} and 100 or

({wsrp}+0.0417)>{dtp} and (100-({dtp}-{wsrp})*2000) or

{wssp}<{dtp} and ({dtp}-{wssp})*2000 or 0) or

not {abright} and var_ambT == 3 and 100 or

var_ambT == 4 and 100

tweens.ambL = 

not {abright} and var_ambT == 1 and ({dtp}>{wssp} or {dtp}<{wsrp}) and var_ambL or

var_ambT == 2 and

({wsrp}>={dtp} and var_ambL or

({wssp}+0.0417)<={dtp} and var_ambL or

({wsrp}+0.0417)>{dtp} and (var_ambL-({dtp}-{wsrp})*(2000*(var_ambL*.01))) or

{wssp}<{dtp} and ({dtp}-{wssp})*(2000*(var_ambL*.01)) or 0) or

not {abright} and var_ambT == 3 and var_ambL or

var_ambT == 4 and var_ambL

end

--/ AMBIENT ACTIVATION TIME

--! TAP ACTIONS

function tap_ambT()

if var_ambT == 4 then

   var_ambT =  0 else

   var_ambT =  var_ambT + 1

end end

--! TEXT FADE

function tap_fade_text()

wm_schedule { 

action='tween', 

tween='fade_text', 

from=0, 

to=100, 

duration=2, 

easing=linear 

}

wm_schedule { 

action='tween', 

tween='fade_text',

start_offset=1, 

from=100, 

to=0, 

duration=2, 

easing=linear 

}

end

--/ TEXT FADE

________________________

2

the dim layer - that is to say the layer which is normally a 512x512 black circle set to an opacity level of 25 - 75 (you don't need this circle - but it does help your lume colours pop)

put this code into the opacity level
_________

tweens.ambL

_________

the level of opacity is controlled in the main script under VARIABLE DEFAULTS

3

the other dim layers that glow or lume, put this code into their opacity

_________

tweens.ambM

_________

4

now add a circle shape and add the following code to the run script in tap actions, once the code is added set the opacity of this circle to 0

________

tap_ambT()
tap_fade_text()
_______

5

and finally add text and paste in this text

__________

var_ambT == 0 and "no lume" or

var_ambT == 1 and "auto lume at sunset" or

var_ambT == 2 and "always lume after sunset" or

var_ambT == 3 and "normal ambient lume" or

var_ambT == 4 and "lume all day and all night"

__________

You can change the wording between the "quote marks" to your own preference

Test it, the only thing really to adjust will be the level of opacity on the dim layer (in Variable Defaults)

And make sure all the dim and lume layers are displayed Always

You will be able to cycle through 5 dim modes, Normal, Never Lume, Always Lumed Day & Night, Auto Normal Lume and Auto Always Lume

The Auto modes will take an hour to brighten at sunset and gradually unbrighten (is that a word ?)  at sunrise.


If you like this or think someone you know might like it, please share it

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