Hello Steve,
I know nothing about watch repair, but here’s a naive thought.
Mount the watch on a leather cuff - these were popular in the late
60’s. Only the leather and buckle touch skin.
If that’s too casual, I’d suggest creating a plate of sterling or
gold that fits under the watch, and is held in place by the spring
bars. The plate would have rising extensions with small holes that
match the spring bar ends. The spring bar holds everything in place
when inserted into the ends of the watch band. This could be
disassembled for watch repairs.
Hope these thoughts give you some alternatives - I’m interested to
see what others have to say,
Judy in Kansas