Watchstraps

[Matthew Strongin]

A NATO is the best solution, obviously, because even if a spring bar lets loose you don't loose the watch. Cutting the keeper off to make it single pass will reduce the extra height, I do this to all of mine, and most of mine I also trim shorter so there's no fold over bit, and it just makes the whole package lighter and slimmer. I know BluShark sells some thinner straps.

Why not just buy a single pass through Zulu style strap? Is it the slimmer hardware of the NATO style?

[NYCfixie]

oh, but it looks like they come pre-loaded with wimpy looking spring bars. no go.

You can easily remove them....much easier than you think...about 15 seconds each side and use whatever spring bar you want.

[rmplum]

Erika's MN strap. Close to the wrist, some nato-esque security and the flexibility that the strap will be flexing, not adding stress to the spring bars.

This x 10000

I beat the crap out of mine this weekend with a heavy, chunky bronze diver watch on it. Hours playing and wrestling in the water with kids, tubing, moving docks, swimming with a flailing dog, etc. I have no idea what spring bars are on my watch, but the strap is worth every cent/dollar/euro I paid for it.

[dgaddis]

Why not just buy a single pass through Zulu style strap? Is it the slimmer hardware of the NATO style?

Yep. I don't like the big loops on Zulus. There's also a lot more options in the NATOs vs Zulu colors and patterns and whatnot. And it's super easy and takes just a few seconds.

[WayneJ]

Yep. I don't like the big loops on Zulus. There's also a lot more options in the NATOs vs Zulu colors and patterns and whatnot. And it's super easy and takes just a few seconds.

This is my favorite style. Single layer across the back. Devoid of any excess rings, etc. I still have a few from my military days - about 25 years old and still going strong, but mine have flat black buckle.

https://www.natozulu.com/34-207-thic...m-mil-spec.jpg

us-military-strap-usm-mil-spec.jpg

[AngryScientist]

found some spring bars in my watch stash and a 2-piece nato i had laying around. will be ordering some new spring bars shortly and getting ready to order another strap/band.

anyone familiar with crown and buckle stuff?

Watch Straps | Leather & NATO Straps | Crown & Buckle



citizen orange.JPG

[dashDustin]

I've got a couple of their Supreme NATOs. They're pretty nice, but I prefer the Toxic hardware.

Their Chevron adjustable NATO is really, really nice.

[NYCfixie]

At this point, I think I've ordered at least 15 sets of springbars from ToxicNatos (now Ute Watch Co). I've had bars pop off twice - once I was using the wrong width, and the 2nd time, I believe it was because I was using a a .8mm tip in a Seiko, which is 1.1mm. I've now pretty much converted everything to 1 or 1.1mm x 1.78 (if it'll fit...these would be considered Slim Fat by Toxic). Haven't had any issues since.

Toxic also has a nice rubber strap that I'm a fan of. Pretty much a fan of everything that guy makes. And I'm rather surprised at the differences in springbar quality. Toxics are definitely very well made. And cheap enough that you can order 1.1, 1, and .9mm bars to see which best fit those lugs.

i'm getting an error message trying to access that site? do you have a link that works per chance?

Ute Watch Co

back online.

20% off code: 1776

[chasea]

found some spring bars in my watch stash and a 2-piece nato i had laying around. will be ordering some new spring bars shortly and getting ready to order another strap/band.

anyone familiar with crown and buckle stuff?

Watch Straps | Leather & NATO Straps | Crown & Buckle



citizen orange.JPG

Just bought two from crown and Buckle. Very good quality. I got sent the wrong color for one strap. Customer service was quick to respond and put the correct strap in the mail. Let me hold onto the one they sent in error.

[AngryScientist]

Just bought two from crown and Buckle. Very good quality. I got sent the wrong color for one strap. Customer service was quick to respond and put the correct strap in the mail. Let me hold onto the one they sent in error.

thank you chase. i just ordered a leather band, some spring bars and a much overdue springbar tool. prices seem very reasonable too.

[TMB]

For any of you who may be Apple Watch wearers I have finally found a supplier of nice RAF and NATO styale watch bands.

Two piece so the HR sensor still works .

https://www.clockworksynergy.com/sho...r-apple-watch/

I had them send me an RAF style which is very comfortable and will, by the looks of it, outlast me.

[Brian E Hammer]

Picked up a Barton nato style strap for my entry level Victorinox. Quite happy with the strap as it's one of the few that work well with my slim wrist.

[Mabouya]

Help me out here guys:

I'm sick and tired of battling with the stock bracelet my my green dial Victorinox INOX (it's fiddly to open and close, and has no fine-tune adjustment on the length, so it doesn't fit me well and I'm pissed at it). I think a stainless bracelet would look best, but I don't want to spend the money to get a good one. (Would be around $70 shipped, which I don't feel like spending on this watch. I made the mistake of trying a cheap $20 one, but it turned out to be poorly made so I've decided to not use it.)

So, any ideas on material and color? (and specific brand if you want to suggest that too) I lifted this image off off the web, mostly to show that IMO if you try to match the color of the dial (which this image duplicates pretty well) I think it looks like there's too much green. Maybe a different (probably darker) green would be OK, but personally I don't like the look of this particular combo. I have no preference on material, but it's a pretty big and heavy watch (43 mm case, 13 mm thick, with a 21mm lug width) so any candidate strap has to match the "heft" of the case.

(I'm putting this out herr because often folks who have a good eye for color will come up with a combination that I would never have thought of, but on second look really is cool.)

Any ideas? TIA

[j44ke]

One of these leather straps might work. On the handmades, you can specify color of thread.

https://band.primria.com/index.php?r...tegory&path=29

I think the lighter more natural colors might work best.





Otherwise I'd just get a cloth band of some sort, like these. Maybe a gray or a more subdued green. Or desert sand. These are on sale.

[Mabouya]

Thanks for those ideas, Jorn - I'll check them out.

[dashDustin]

so i've been trying like mad to find straps i like to replace leather ones on watches that will be worked in. i picked up B & R's new sailcloth strap https://www.bandrbands.com/black-sai...ge-stitch.aspx and I love it. Except it's a CM too short, in my opinion. seems to be a common frustration, still. i really, really like the looks of the Artem straps, https://www.bandrbands.com/black-sai...ge-stitch.aspx, but at 115/ 75 it'll be annoyingly short.

in other news, picked up Richte G-Shock/ NATO adapters on Amazon. I approve.

other fun additions include a deployant from Formex. https://usd.formexwatch.com/collecti...ine-adjustment They're chunky, but great, because they integrate a fairly clean mechanism that allows for roughly 6mm of adjustment. the main body is made up of some sort of composite, making it pretty light.

[dgaddis]

other fun additions include a deployant from Formex. https://usd.formexwatch.com/collecti...ine-adjustment They're chunky, but great, because they integrate a fairly clean mechanism that allows for roughly 6mm of adjustment. the main body is made up of some sort of composite, making it pretty light.

I had one of those and didn't like it, sold it pretty much immediately. Adds too much thickness and you can't adjust the clasp while wearing it, you have to open it up, and because the pin on the buckle is so skinny it easily comes loose in some straps so then it's a PITA to put the watch on, slower than just with a normal buckle. Loved the concept, but it just didn't really work out in use in my experience. I wrote up a thing about it over on WatchUSeek - https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/f...clasp.5251722/

[dgaddis]

For simple leather straps, check out Jack-Foster. Made in SC and can be customized a decent amount, you pick the stitching color, the lengths for each side, etc. Very reasonable prices IMO.

https://www.jack-foster.com/collecti...oster-standard

[dashDustin]

I had one of those and didn't like it, sold it pretty much immediately. Adds too much thickness and you can't adjust the clasp while wearing it, you have to open it up, and because the pin on the buckle is so skinny it easily comes loose in some straps so then it's a PITA to put the watch on, slower than just with a normal buckle. Loved the concept, but it just didn't really work out in use in my experience. I wrote up a thing about it over on WatchUSeek - https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/f...clasp.5251722/

like you couldn't loosen, or you couldn't loosen nor tighten the adjustable part? i haven't had any issue loosening. Tightening it required removal.

the pin is skinny, but i have it paired up with a leather strap that his small holes, so that worked out. i'm tempted to pick up one of Formex's rubber straps.

[dgaddis]

like you couldn't loosen, or you couldn't loosen nor tighten the adjustable part? i haven't had any issue loosening. Tightening it required removal.

the pin is skinny, but i have it paired up with a leather strap that his small holes, so that worked out. i'm tempted to pick up one of Formex's rubber straps.

I couldn't move it either way, at least not easily like my other quick adjust clasps (on bracelets). One big difference is probably that I was trying it on rubber/silicone straps, which are going to stick together more than a leather strap. But I had hoped to put it on my square G Shock, which has a rubber strap. I love the idea of it, 'cause I have several bracelets with quick adjust clasps and they're awesome, but it just didn't work for me.