Some of you might recognize this: for years, you have been admiring a certain watch, and when you finally get it, you are very excited only to realize after a couple of weeks that you are not wearing it as much as you should. This might have nothing to do with the watch itself but more with the wearing comfort provided. If the watch has a strap, this is often an easy fix, yet it is a whole different ball game when fitted with a bracelet.

I feel that some brands still underestimate the strength of a well-designed bracelet, both aesthetically and for wearing comfort. To some extent, this is a commercial decision. Developing a new kind of bracelet is quite expensive and relatively challenging. Such cost will mean that either the price of the watch will go up, which might make it less competitive in the market, or cut into the brands’ margins. After all, the watch industry is still a competitive and commercial endeavor. For some smaller brands, developing a bracelet of their own is so costly that it is simply unwise to dedicate a large number of resources to it. This makes it that, in particular, the classic three-link bracelet remains prevalent.
Of course, we as consumers also have something to do with this, and we always say that we like new stuff, but the reality is that we don’t want it to be too different from what we already know either. So being conservative pays off for the brands. That being said, when they do invest in a new bracelet design, ...