Snake Chain

Snake chain care: how to keep it smooth and straight

A snake chain is the smoothest chain there is: small plates joined edge to edge, with no visible links. That same construction is why it needs a little more attention than a rope or a Cuban. It can kink if folded hard, and a kink is easier to prevent than to undo. This page covers how to wear, store and clean a steel snake chain so it stays like new.

To compare snake chain widths and lengths, see the main men's snake chains page.

Our snake chains

Preventing kinks

• Never fold it tight. Not in a pocket, not wrapped around a finger. Coil it in a loose circle instead.
• Hang it or lay it flat. A hook or a flat tray is ideal. Store it apart from other chains so nothing knots around it.
• Take it off by the clasp. Pulling it over your head bends the chain at one point.
• Pick a width that matches your day. A 4 or 5 mm flat snake is stiffer and resists bending better than a 2 mm one.

If a light kink appears

Lay the chain flat on a soft cloth and press the bend gently with your thumb, little by little, from both sides. Do not use pliers or force it, which can crack the plates. A deep crease will not fully disappear; if a chain has a defect rather than wear, our 1-year warranty against defects covers it.

Water and cleaning

Steel snake chains can go in the shower, the sea and the pool. Rinse them in clean water after salt or chlorine, then dry with a soft cloth, wiping along the chain rather than across it. Perfume and chlorine wear a gold-tone plating over time, so put cologne on before the chain. Bare silver-tone steel has no plating to wear.