Is it a DIY job, or one for the professionals? The jury is out, but if you have the right tools and follow our lead, you could save yourself a lot of time and money by doing it yourself

Picture this. You get your hands on a new watch, but it's on a bracelet so straight away you have the problem of how to remove watch links – because it's too loose so some links definitely need to be removed.

Do you have to take it to a jeweller? Nah, surely not – no one can be bothered with that. Besides, you want to wear the watch right away, so you can just attempt to do it yourself… right?

Not an easy task. “I bought a watch repair kit so that I could adjust bands at home and I use it...never,” says Bill Adler, a watch collector and writer in Tokyo. “I'm too nervous or frightened or uncoordinated to adjust bands myself.

"I have two strategies for adjusting bands. If it's an uncomplicated band, I bring it to Mister Minit, a fix-it chain shop that adjusts watch bands and replaces batteries, as well as repairing luggage and shoes. There's a Mister Minit across the street from me, so it's super convenient. They've always done a great job and it's not too expensive. Once, Mister Minit declined to adjust a carbon band because they were worried they might break it, and I was grateful for their frankness. If the metal band is complex or the watch extra-valuable, I bring it to an authorised dealer or a specialty watch repair shop. I enjoy any excuse to visit a watch shop.”