Does the Fenix 7s have removable spring pins?

Just purchased the 7s and looking to buy a hook strap to replace the band. I can't figure out if the watch has removable spring pins. There seems to be a bit of give to the bars, but I can't seem to remove them. I understand that the pins of the 6s were removable. Can anyone confirm if they are fixed or removable, and if the latter, let me know how to remove them?

Thanks!

  • Well actually he didn't although I apriciate his post. The pins are different. I guess you saw that on the pictures right.

    The pins of my Fenix 7S are NON removable. Or I have to cut them out. And you started like "I provided detailed answer

    but not good enough" Like I'm stupid or something. And "Try using a search engine"  that sounds pretty arogant to me

    Mr SmartAss.

    Have a nice day anyway. 

  • Dear Mr SmartAss,

    Did you see the pictures of my watch? There is no space available. 

    In this forum are also posts of people who contacted Garmin about the pins. 

    Garmin confirmed that the pins can't be removed. 

    Sincerely,

    Mr Even More SmartAss (-:

  • More space can be found by using a finger slide the outer sleeve of the spring bar then use a blade or spring bar removal tool to retract the inner spring bar. Also approaching from the underside (watch face down) will provide better access. 

    I am done with your rudeness and have been trying to assist you during moment of frustration. This is my last response. Since you are having this much difficulty maybe consider paying someone with tools and ability to achieve this task for you so you don’t damage your gizmo. 

  • Dear Mr Splat Matt,

    Ok let's make up. I apologize for being "rude" I think you also made yourself quilty of communicating in a way that is not very nice. But that's

    up to you. Thx for trying to help me out on this. The point is that it can't be done. You don't seem to believe me. It's done on purpose by Garmin

    to protect there business. They don't want you to use wristband of other brands then Garmin. So believe me, it can't be done. The only way is to

    cut them out with a wristband and then replace them with new pins. 

    Even new pins have led to trouble with the compass of the watch. 

    So I guess it's better not to do it at all

    Kind regards

    Have a nice day

    J

  • The pins can be removed. They are just a typical flangeless springbar. Enough people have done it that it’s not debatable at this point. However your success, and lack of damage to your watch depends on your familiarity with flangeless spring bars and your skill with springbar removal tools. For most, the squeeze is not worth the juice, so it’s easier (ie. Less risky) to just cut them. 

    The replacement bars is the trick.  I’ve posted previously that there are several important measurement considerations to achieve a proper fit.  Most obvious and easiest to figure out is the tube length and diameter, but the pins are also critical.  The pins have to be the proper diameter and length to fit in the pin holes of the watch.  And of course, you want to be able to remove them again, so you’d want to get a flanged springbar.

    Regarding the perception that Garmin is doing this for their own purposes is true in a way. My understanding by reading between the lines, is that Garmin got a lot of complaints regarding springbar failures with the F6.  So now that they’ve developed their own strap system that doesn’t require springbar removal, I can see why they’d go to a flangeless spring bar. All springbars can fail, but it virtually eliminates failures, which more/less takes care of the previous F6 complaints.  Going this route is also cheaper for Garmin than fixed springbars or the screw-in style, which would require a design/lug change. 

    As for the bars affecting the compass…all springbars I’m aware of are made from steel and thus may affect compass function, but not any more so than in a g-shock, Sunnto, or any other ABC digital watch. 

  • Number 9076318

    Thank you so much for your extended reply. I do appreciate that. 

    In the meantime I did contact Garmin Support in a chat session. See the attached print screens.

    Just to make sure for everybody.

    Those pins are by design not removable!!!!

    For some reason I can't attach the printscreens, don't know why. 

    If anybody intrested I can send it to you via mail.

    Kind regards

    Johan

  • This was known Wink and ones who tried (like myself.. See the link I attached earlier with also a video) realized that. Somebody decided to replace them with Fenix 6's, I just put the 7's back (in the post I explained why).

    So I won't use anymore some loops and straps and using now nylon straps from amazon. 

  • With all due respect to Garmin, their reps don’t know what they’re talking about.  They’re passing along what they’ve been told to say.  One thing I’ve noticed here and with comments Garmin has made, is that many at Garmin and here are not “watch nerds”.  I am kind of a watch nerd. The “mystery” behind these springbars is pretty common knowledge within the watch community.  

    These flangeless spring bars were originally designed for watches with drill-through lugs. On those lugs, a simple toothpick, or other pokey instrument, would compress the pin from outside the lug toward the inside of lug and release the springbar.  Back in the day it was most commonly found on dive watches.  Many people have made the mistake of using these kinds of springbars on watches without a drill-through lug (like what Garmin has done on purpose) and guess what…it’s a PIA to remove without cutting them because there isn’t a hole on the outside of the lug to compress/release the pin.  People make the mistake because unless you’re into watches, springbars for most people are all the same, right?…just get the bar that fits your lugs (ie 22mm, 24mm, etc…) and you’re golden ;-)  Unfortunately, not that easy if you want to do it right.

    Im not 100% certain but AFAIK, flangeless spring bars were designed to give more flexibility from fixed/welded bars. Fixed bars were literally a bar that was part of the lugs…most often times welded onto the lugs.  With this design, your only option was a one-piece NATO style strap that you threaded between the fixed bars and your watch. Back in ‘50’s-‘60’s (pre-dive computer days), you literally depended on your dive watch for your life to calculate, bottom time, DECO stops, etc…so security was paramount. However, moving to a flangeless design allowed for two-piece straps to be used but with most of the security of a fixed bar.  A compromise for security but allowed for more design choices like straps and bracelets for the end user. 

    Sorry for the rant. Just trying to show that these bars are not a mystery and the history behind them. Again, the trick is finding the correct pin dimensions with a set of flanged bars once you remove the Garmin ones.  I’m OK with the Garmin straps, so I haven’t gone down the rabbit hole.  If I’m being totally honest, I’d prefer a one-piece NATO strap but losing the HR/POX is a non-starter.  

  • Yeppp perfect explanation!

    I will add... Garmin also already used these bars afaik on the instinct series (which have the passing through hole for removal) in addition to instinct 2 series (NO passing hole) and Fenix 7 / Epix gen 2 (obviously NO passing through hole as well...).

    Unsure of course if on the latest generations the missing hole for removal is due to some robustness consideration for the lug structure, or for making it difficult to unmount the bars, which would actually be a bit sad from Garmin... But yeah, they invented nothing here, the flange less bars already have their long history before Fenix 7, or the whole Fenix series for that matter, was even existing