Make a Paracord Watchband or Bracelet
A paracord watchband makes a great gift or can be used as a survival tool. Unraveled, it provides about 10 feet of handy paracord for fixing tent lines or tying together broken gear. You can even use the line inside the cord for fishing line.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- About 10′ of 550 paracord (If you’re working on a smaller watch, you can use a smaller buckle and 325 paracord.)
- Watch
- Tape measure
- Scissors
- Lighter
- 5/8″ side-release buckle
- Felt-tipped marker
- Hemostat
WHAT YOU’LL DO
1. Melt both ends of the paracord with the lighter. While they are still hot, carefully flatten both ends with the bottom of the lighter. This will make it easier to pass the cord through the watch or bracelet. The best size watch has about 5/8″ between the lugs (where the pins go).
2. Wrap the paracord around a wrist comfortably and mark it. This will be the length of the watchband.
3. Loop the cord through the female end of the buckle and draw tight. You should have 20″ of cord on the short end. The long end is your working end.
4. Pass both cords though the pins and under the watch. Loop both ends twice around the male end of the buckle. Make any adjustments in the length of the band to match the wrist measurement. The band will stretch about another inch after completion because of the tightening and pulling on the wrapped cord, making for a comfortable fit.
5. Pass the long and short codes back through the pins and under the watch.
6. Begin to wrap the long end of the cord as shown. Push and tighten the wraps as you go along.
7. When you reach the watch and your wraps are tight, pass the cord through the pins and under the watch. Continue wrapping and tightening the paracord until you reach the male end of the buckle.
8. Using the hemostat, reach under three loops of cord, grab the end of the remaining cord and pull the cord underneath the three loops. The cord that you just pulled through should then be cut close and melted flat. Leave enough cord to hide it under the fourth loop. Do this for both the male and female ends.
9. Your paracord watchband is now complete.
PHOTOS OF COMPLETED PROJECT
Check out these photos of the completed project sent to us by Boys’ Life readers. If you have a photos of a BL Workshop project, please use the form below to send them to us.
But then how do you change the battery when it runs dead?
Take it apart
LOL, that’s a great question!
To change the battery, simply remove one of the watch pins and fold the paracord watchband out of the way. Then you can remove the cover & change the battery.
would really like to make multiples of these as watches for the boys in the troop- where can I get multiple watch faces?
You can get some on eBay or you can by new watches
it looks cool for camping
My son really wants to make this but doesn’t know where to get the watch. Do you just use any ol’ watch and remove the band, or did you find a bandless watch and where? Hoping to find all the parts to give him for his birthday!
just get a watch and take the band off.
I know I am being picky. In fig. 2 it should be “circumference” not “diameter” of the wrist.
no it meant diameter because its just the length through the circle
Yes, it should definitely be circumference.
The graphics for steps 2 and 4 reference diameter when in fact the measurement being taken/used is actually the circumference of the wrist
This is easier than I thought. Might try it.
I made one like this 2 years ago and it is still going strong. The last watch band you will ever need.
“Measure the diameter if the wrist…”? Perhaps the author meant “circumference”.
This looks cool. I might make it, as my watch band recently broke