Watchstraps

[funcrusher]

I am OCD...I keep it on 12 o'clock position of the bezel on the 10 to mark my wife's bday...and I usually have to adjust it to the right spot a few times a day

Nope...Deepseas are fine on nylon/nato/etc. But either he lacks any sort of OCD with a watch that has the wrong date and the bezel randomly rotated, or that's a recycled photo from the interwebs.

[funcrusher]

Maybe he was tracking his dive time in that....what looks to be a really comfortable leather sofa?

It is a comfy couch...and the strap makes the watch MUCH lighter which is nice for the summer...this is only a seasonal change...and I nearly died the last time I went scuba diving

[NYCfixie]

Hey dude...go play with your Seiko mods...

That is just a side dalliance...I'm OG.

Purchased new in 1994 Explorer II Polar before it was trendy (with a side of new in 2009 DateJust 36mm for classic and a new in 2018 Sub Date ceramic maxi for modern).

All metal, all the time.

Attachment 112582

[72gmc]

do what you need to do, funcrusher.

I rode past a group of people unloading their post-dive gear in the sun the other day. I don't miss diving, and I certainly don't miss the sensory experience of post-dive gear in the sun.

[e-RICHIE]

Have these been mentioned here?

Hirsch ANDY Alligator Embossed Performance Watch Strap in BLACK/RED — HS by WatchObsession

I have this on my North Pointer, love it, and wear it 24/7 - even ride and race with it on.

[boots2000]

I love it on the MN strap.
In fact I am trying to get a 1983-84 GMT out of a buddy to do the exact same look.
I want it for a "gamer" Rolex. One I don't feel bad about knocking around.

[QUOTE=NYCfixie;964025]Heresy...that Sea Dweller should be on the original metal bracelet!

Or at least go for one of these (they both come in SD4000 or SD43 sizes and with or without original Rolex clasp):

[cash]

Has anyone used a BluShark strap? They look nice but are a little expensive for a NATO strap.

[dashDustin]

Has anyone used a BluShark strap? They look nice but are a little expensive for a NATO strap.

I’ve got 4 or 5 of them. I like ‘em a lot.

I have 3 AlphaSharks and 1 AlphaPremier. The Premier is quite soft and supple. The AlphaSkarks are quite stout.

One of these days Flickr will make sharing photos easier via mobile device.

0D00915B-1755-43DD-B9AE-D49439B680BB.jpg

[dgaddis]

Has anyone used a BluShark strap? They look nice but are a little expensive for a NATO strap.

I have quite a few. The AlphaSharks and the 'original'. The Originals are no different than any other cheap NATO IMO. The AlphaSharks are nice. A bit thick, but soft and comfy, and durability seems to be good. Tip: They constantly run a buy 2 get 1, or buy 3 get 2. So don't buy just one strap, get three or five.

Also, sign up for the newsletter. Then put some straps in your cart. Then leave. They'll send you some e-mails with discount codes to get you to come back after a few days...wait a few days longer, they'll send another higher discount. Highest I've seen is 25% off in addition to the buy 2 get 1. With that deal you can get three of the $32 AlphaShark straps for ~$48.

The 'premier' straps are thinner, but there's some reports of the holes not holding up on them. I don't have any person experience with them tho.

[deano]

Bump for getting tired of NATOs, which, while cool, were mainly a functional choice for me with a view toward security and not losing watches. Been bitten by a broken spring bar while swimming once and I am now twice shy.

I want to use rubber, leather, & other two piece nylon straps but without worrying about losing my watch in the swimming hole...("wear a Casio to swim/surf" is solid advice, but losing a watch is a pain whether it costs $60 or $600).

Can you take extra measures to secure two piece straps? What can be done?

Edit: the watch I lost was the cheapest Seiko out there, with cheap spring bars, installed by a cheap hack (me), & I have heard that spring bars shouldn't fail ... so I am all ears in this department as well.

[dgaddis]

There are some NATO style silicone straps - Silicone Sport - BluShark



Other than that...maybe find a watch where the 'spring bars' are bolted in place.

[AngryScientist]

they do make heavy duty spring bars, and if you look at them side/side with standard cheapo spring bars the difference is night and day. i lost a watch (also a cheap seiko...) years ago riding on a rough gravel descent and watched the thing bounce off my wrist. took 1/2 hour to find the watch in the woods, replaced the spring bars with heavy duty bars and have not had an issue since.

[dashDustin]

Nylon Watch Straps and Online Watch Repair – ToxicNATOs has a ton of spring bars. and some decent straps. i really like the hardware they use.

[NYCfixie]

Just got one of these. Feels good but I am still new to straps (only wore bracelets up until about 6 months ago) so I do not have a vast frame of reference.

MKS (aka Monkey Swag Straps) Black Sailcloth Strap w/ Black Stitching

[deano]

Just got one of these. Feels good but I am still new to straps (only wore bracelets up until about 6 months ago) so I do not have a vast frame of reference.

MKS (aka Monkey Swag Straps) Black Sailcloth Strap w/ Black Stitching

How do you like it, Fixie? I might actually be close to a new watch, depending on how my ebay auction goes :) ... if so, this strap is just about at the top of the list. Only thing is the watch has 19mm lugs and will need a 20mm band to either squeeze in, or I'll trim it with an exacto knife, but I have heard of people doing both no problem.

[NYCfixie]

How do you like it, Fixie? I might actually be close to a new watch, depending on how my ebay auction goes :) ... if so, this strap is just about at the top of the list. Only thing is the watch has 19mm lugs and will need a 20mm band to either squeeze in, or I'll trim it with an exacto knife, but I have heard of people doing both no problem.

I really liked it because it is nylon (or whatever material it is) on both sides so it will be waterproof. Unfortunately it was too small for my (larger than average) 7.25 wrists so I gave it to my younger brother. I ended up purchasing this one because it is longer. The outer side is textured nylon but the underside is leather so while it fits, it will not be waterproof:
Black Original Sailcloth Straps


(photo credit bradystraps.com)

[dashDustin]

too small for my (larger than average) 7.25 wrists

i never realized that i had larger than average wrists until buying watch straps. i'm now most self-conscious about my wrist size.

not really. but it's kind of annoying that a lot of the straps i bought ended up being too small.

[NYCfixie]

i never realized that i had larger than average wrists until buying watch straps. i'm now most self-conscious about my wrist size.

not really. but it's kind of annoying that a lot of the straps i bought ended up being too small.

The issue I realized is that many strap manufacturers consider the buckle as part of the overall length they advertise or they measure in some inexplicable way. It has been hit or miss for me so two of my brothers have ended up with lots of straps that were too small for me.

The MKS states 120mm x 80mm but even with the buckle that is not accurate.
The Bradystrap is a true 120mm x 80mm not including the buckle so it worked for me.

Other Examples:
- My 2009 36mm DateJust uses all the links to the max setting.
- My 2018 40mm Submariner had 2 links removed.
- I recently tried on a Rolex Cellini dress watch and the strap was too short (they offered to sell me the longer one).
- I recently tried on a JLC Reverso and the strap was way too short (they offered to swap the longer one for free).
- I recently tried on a Oris Big Crown ProPilot Big Date and the strap with deployant buckle worked for me. It has a great deal of length and works by friction fit rather than pin and buckle.

The Oris (this type deployant not available on all of their strap watches) appears to be a smart design.

[dgaddis]

Just received a Barton Elite Silicone strap. First impressions are really good! It's soft and comfortable and seems well made. Has a few nice features ::
1 - it comes with two no-buckle pieces of the strap, a short and a long. For my skinny wrist the short works best.
2 - the free end has a window cut into it, and one of the keepers has a matching 'tooth' that fits in the window to lock the keeper in place right on the end of the strap, meaning no extra flappy bit hanging out.

Due to the short option being the best length for me, and the last keeper locking in place, I removed the other keeper as I don't need it.

There's lotsa colors to pick from, I went with the two-tone yellow/black to match the 2nd hand on my watch.

Durability and whatnot is TBD. But for only $20, seems good! Will be interesting to see how much lint/dirt/etc it picks up.

[NYCfixie]

Need some advice on strap(s) for my Collins Hyperion watch (see below). IMHO the leather strap it came with is kind of cheap looking/feeling. The dial is a very dark "warm blue" matte finish. Hour markers and hands are white. I was thinking a tan strap, chocolate brown, or something else but no matter what no black. It needs to be thick because the watch is sporty and not svelte at 13mm.

I like the idea of the Hirsch straps because they are leather on top and rubber on the bottom (which touches your skin) so no worries about smelly leather straps but think the tan might be too light and the brown too dark. The Bradystraps in honey is a good color option and I think the rivets go with the pilot vibe but all leather means it will get stinky. Thoughts? Other options?

Hirsch Performance James Gold-Brown Watch Strap


Hirsch Performance James Brown Watch Strap


BradyStraps Honey Brown Pilot Strap


BradyStraps Dark Brown Pilot Strap

[snip]...I could not resist this one. I learned about Collins Watch Company via a YouTube video created by Marc the owner of Long Island Watch. I liked the overall design but was not crazy about the dial and hand choices. At the show I stopped by the Collins Watch booth and was talking with the owner Jimmy Collins. I mentioned that whenever he gets around to making a blue dial version I might be interested. About 5 seconds later he showed me this which is 1 of 5 currently made until he officially launches the new colorway in a few weeks. He asked, "If you want it today, you will be the second owner of the new blue dial because I just sold the first at the Chicago watch show last week". I of course said, "Yes, please."