Watch straps are a far more in depth piece of equipment than I originally thought. They are a product that should be straight forward in both their conception and their use; they are a piece or pieces of material that are designed and manufactured to do one thing, keep a watch on the wearers wrist.
I have been surprised, though, with how difficult it can be to find a watch strap that is not only well designed but comfortable, durable, and aesthetically pleasing without sacrificing its over all function. In the past, fulfilling each of these requirements often meant that one needed to buy multiple straps, but this is becoming less of a reality as more manufactures start to push the envelope on watch strap design.
NATO straps have offered a seemingly adequate solution for people such as myself who really do not like to wear, or would destroy, a two piece leather or canvas strap. What was originally intended for military use has now sufficiently addressed the problem of creating one strap that does it all for many different wearers. They are an accepted strap no matter what one’s profession is, and they can be seen on the wrists of soldiers and of businessmen with complete acceptance by many, if not most, watch people.
My first venture into NATO straps was with a cheap version I found online. It was uncomfortable and bulky and I threw it away within a week. I liked the idea of the NATO so after this initial disappointment, I stepped up a little and bought an Omega OEM NATO. The quality was far better and I wore it a lot for a few months until the leather lining started to disintegrate from sweat and dirt.
I purchased an all nylon Omega NATO from a boutique next and I didn’t particularly care for it. The strap was either too tight or too loose, necessitating me to punch a hole in an “in between” position in order to get it to fit well. The added bulk due to the extra material that passes under the watch head hurt its wearing comfort as well, and ultimately, I took it off my watch and never went back to it. I gave up on NATO straps for the time being, waiting hopefully for another interpretation of the design to come along that solved these issues.
Like many, I read about and lusted over the Tudor straps as the possible answer to my strap dreams. They looked to be perfectly designed, very well made, and really comfortable. The only problem was that I could not find any for sale. So when I discovered the Crown and Buckle Chevron straps, I immediately felt that I had found the next best alternative.
They looked to be well made, were reasonably priced, and came in colors that I thought were novel and a break from the norm. It was nice that they added only a little height to the watch due to their single pass design and I liked that I had the ability to adjust the strap to fit perfectly. I ordered one for my Tudor and it arrived three days later.
Inside was a really well packed strap, instruction card, and a hand signed thank you note from the people at Crown and Buckle. It is the little things in presentation that make a difference and it made my day to see that note.
I installed the strap on my watch and struggled for about fifteen minutes to get it sized right. It was always either too tight or too loose. This may be due to my own ineptitude, but it was sufficiently frustrating enough for me to put the strap and watch down and take a moment to watch a few videos on how to fit it.
After a few more minutes of trying I was able to figure out a system that worked; I would incrementally pull a very small section of the strap through the top part of the buckle with my spring bar removal tool, feed this through the next stage of the buckle, adjust the strap as to not lose any of the length I had changes, and then pull the remainder of the strap through the final stage of the buckle.
Eventually I was able to get it to fit well enough and I wore it around the house for the evening. By the morning, though, I took it off my watch and placed it in my watch drawer; it was just not conformable. It flopped around on my wrist a little, but more than that I let the frustration get to me and decided I needed to give it a little time so that I could approach it with an open mind.
I waited a day and tried it again. After wrestling with the sizing for another ten minutes, I got it to fit well and found that it was indeed comfortable to wear.
I like the weave of the material and the way that the red center stripe looks with the bezel of the Tudor. The hardware seems to be really well made and other than the difficulties I had sizing it, works well.
I plan on taking it hiking with me very soon, and I will see how it feels to wear while getting sweaty and dirty.
My initial problems with sizing aside, I am really looking forward to see how this strap handles life.
An update to come. To help with sizing and other questions I have attached the links to the videos I watched. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.
Here are some more photos of the strap as well:
EscapementSV 