Drilled lugs are watch case lugs with a hole bored into each side, so the spring bar can be pushed in from outside the case. A simple pointed tool presses the end of the bar and frees the strap or bracelet very quickly. The feature is now rare and is found mainly on vintage watches.
Why did brands stop drilling lugs?
Brands moved away from drilled lugs for two reasons. They wanted a cleaner look, without holes showing on the sides of the case. Quick-release levers were also introduced, which gave another quick way to change a strap. As a result, drilled lugs are mostly no longer used in present-day watchmaking. Today the feature turns up mainly on vintage watches. It also appears from time to time on retro-styled models.
Which watches have drilled lugs?
Lug holes were found on most Rolex sports watches made before about 2003 or 2004. Rolex stopped using drilled-lug cases on its Professional models around that time. So the holes are a visible feature of older Rolex sports watches. More widely, look for drilled lugs on vintage pieces, and on the odd modern watch with a retro style.
Where it comes from
Drilled lugs depend on the spring bar, the part that sits in the lug holes. Early wristwatches often had fixed wire lugs. During the 1920s, these were replaced by pairs of lugs that held the strap with spring bars. The modern spring bar was patented by Isidor Dinstmann in 1929. Boring the spring bar holes right through the lug made the bar reachable from outside the case.
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