The Mooring sailcloth watch band with a butterfly clasp for 18 to 22 mm lugs

A butterfly clasp instead of a buckle

The Mooring is a two-piece sailcloth watch band that closes with a butterfly clasp rather than a pin buckle. A butterfly clasp, also called a deployant or deployment clasp, is the folding type you know from steel bracelets: two metal wings fold flat under your wrist, and they open when you press the buttons on either side.

You set the size once and leave it. From then on you never thread the band through a buckle: put the watch on, fold the clasp shut and that's it. While the clasp is open, the band stays in one loop, so the watch doesn't drop when you take it off. And since the sailcloth no longer gets pulled through a buckle every morning, there is less wear at the holes.

That makes The Mooring a natural second band for a watch that came on a steel bracelet. You keep the closing action you're used to, on a band that is lighter and softer and wears more casually. It suits dive and sports watches and anything you wear near the water, and it still looks neat with a shirt.

Ten colors, 18 to 22 mm

Choose black, navy, gray, olive or beige, each with tonal stitching that matches the band or with white stitching that traces the edges. A single color name, like Navy, means tonal stitching; Navy/White is a navy band with white stitching. The clasp is silver-tone on every color.

Order the width that matches the gap between your watch's lugs: 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22 mm, so odd sizes like 19 and 21 mm are covered. Olive is the one color not available in 20 mm; the other nine come in all five widths. Measure from one inside edge of the lugs to the other, or look up your watch in the lug width chart on our watch bands page. Our fit guide shows how to measure with a ruler.

The Mooring fits watches with standard straight lugs and spring bars. It won't fit a watch with an integrated bracelet or a smartwatch that uses its own connectors.

Fitting the band and setting the clasp

Both pieces come with quick-release spring bars fitted and the clasp already attached, so the band goes on by hand. Pull back the small lever on a bar, set the bar between the lugs and let go, then give the band a light tug to check that both ends have clicked in. If your current band or bracelet uses plain spring bars, you need a spring-bar tool once to take it off.

Next, size the clasp. Try the band on, pick the hole in the long piece that sits snug without pinching, fix the clasp at that hole and slide the spare length under the keeper. Close the clasp and check the fit: if the watch slides around your wrist, go one hole tighter. Once the fit is right, you only use the two buttons. Press them and the wings unfold; fold the wings back together until they latch.

Sailcloth that copes with sweat and rain

The top is nylon sailcloth with a fine woven texture, stitched along the edges over a smooth lining. It feels flexible from the first wear, handles sweat, rain and splashes, and dries quickly.

After salt water or chlorine, rinse the band and the clasp in fresh water, pat them dry with a towel and let the band dry flat, away from a heater. Rinse the clasp every time: salt left in the hinge and the buttons can make them stiff. For everyday grime, use a soft brush with a drop of mild soap, then rinse. Beige shows marks sooner than black or navy, so give it a rinse more often. A band never changes your watch's water resistance, so go by the rating on the case before you swim. Still choosing a material? Our guide on which watch strap to choose walks through the options.

Delivery and returns

Delivery is $6.95, or free on orders over $49. The delivery time for your country shows on each product page and at checkout.

You can return an unworn band in its original packaging within 30 days of delivery. Return shipping is paid by you, unless the item arrived faulty or incorrect. The full policy is on our delivery and returns page.