Everest Strap for Tudor Heritage Black Bay Review

Even in the expensive world of luxury watches, being expected to spend $230 for a rubber strap is rather ridiculous.  How can a company justify, with any serious validity, a price such as this on two simple pieces of rubber and a couple pieces of stainless steel? Is the strap really of such a high quality as to justify this price? Or is it a marketing ploy; one which uses the price and reputation of the watches the straps are designed to fit in order to make the consumer believe the strap is worth spending this amount of money on?

Rubber straps great for many reasons: they are waterproof, easy to replace, and resistant to many types of chemicals and hard use. They work very well in hot and humid environments, are flexible, and weigh less than a bracelet. They will not fall apart when they get wet like leather straps do, and they are more durable than canvas or nylon.

My experience with rubber straps has been mixed; I have bought a few $30 rubber straps over the years and they were horrible, and I have purchased a few more expensive ones which worked okay. I have even owned a few Omega OEM rubber straps that were exceptionally expensive and exceptionally disappointing in performance and comfort. I never found a rubber strap I really liked and went years without wearing them for more than a few days at a time.

It wasn’t until I upgraded to the Hirsch Arne strap for my Omega that I was able to realize there were rubber straps of good quality and performance on the market.  The Hirsch did have some flaws, but overall I was happy with it.

       I discovered Everest straps when I was looking for a rubber strap to review on my Tudor Black Bay. There were some mixed reviews about them on Watch U Seek and a few other platforms but these reviews were very subjective and did not completely turn me off to the idea of owning one. I browsed through what Everest offered on their website and they seemed to make a high quality product, even if the cost made my eyes water. 

I looked at Rubber B Straps as well, but they were even more expensive and do not come with a buckle.  I tried for a few more weeks to find a strap which offered the quality of the Everest for less money, but was unable to.  So, in the end I bought the Everest. And I was a little concerned I had wasted my hard earned money.

The strap arrived three days after I placed my order.  I was, and still am, very impressed with their shipping speed.  It was shipped in a really well designed and made green envelope with the Everest logo printed in gold on the outside. Again, this was impressive.

Inside, the strap was packaged in a two part rubber sleeve; one part for each part of the strap. It was in perfect shape, and after some photographs, I set about installing it on the Tudor. 

The strap already had spring bars loaded in each end, and the first part of the strap I installed was so easy I thought I had made a mistake and missed the hole in the side of the watch case. After verifying that it was indeed in place, I smiled and continued to install the other section of the strap. Unfortunately, this did not install as easily; the tip of the spring bar was just a hair too wide on one side and it would not fit into the hole in the lugs. This problem was easily rectified by using on of the OEM spin bars from my watch. Disappointing, but not the end of the world. 

The strap fits the lugs perfectly with no gaps at any point.  I appreciate how the sides of the strap flare out after they leave the case as it gives my wrist some extra ventilation.  The rubber is very comfortable and soft, unlike other rubber straps I have owned, and it remains conformable throughout the ENTIRE day. The way the strap makes the watch head sit on my wrist does not allow it to move or flop around at all.

I really like how the strap has nine different sizing holes in it, and this is the first strap I have ever owned that I did not need to punch an extra hole in to make it fit correctly.  This feature alone is enough for me to say this is the best strap I have ever worn.

The taper of the strap from 22mm at the lugs to 18mm at the buckle is great, although it does look a little strange at first.  I find it is far more comfortable to have the least amount of strap material possible making contact with my wrist, and I can deal with the odd look for the increased comfort it offers.

One concern I had when I ordered the Everest strap is how it would work when I was hot and sweaty.  Would it allow my arm to breath, or would it turn into the slippery mess that my previous rubber straps became when I was working outside in the summer?  I have been wearing it for three weeks now while working construction as well as hiking and exercising outside, and it does perform better than the cheap straps I owned before. It expands and contracts enough to remain comfortable on my wrist as I work or exercise, and does not cause any irritation to my wrist.

It still traps the sweat and moisture under the strap, but because the strap is more comfortable to begin with I find it is less irritating.  So much so, in fact, I forgot I was wearing yesterday when I was hauling around metal siding (something I always remove my watch for as it scratches the hell out of it). I only remembered I was wearing my watch because it saved my wrist from being cut when I lost my grip on one of the metal pieces and it slid down my arm. The piece of metal slid across the Everest strap, scratched the buckle and sliced open my glove, but it didn’t make a mark on the rubber.  I am favorably impressed.

Is there anything I would change? At this point I have to say no. I can’t really find any faults with this Everest strap and it is going to be my go to option on the Tudor the rest of the summer.  As of right now, I believe that this is the best strap, rubber or otherwise, I have ever owned.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a rubber strap for their Tudor or Rolex. I will update this review as time progresses.

The sting of spending $230 on a strap is still with me, but nevertheless, this strap was worth every penny.

Visit Everest straps online. https://www.everestbands.com

I was not compensated by Everest Straps in anyway for the creation and publication of this article.  The strap was purchased with my money without any discounts or special offers from Everest Straps.  Everest Straps was not notified of my intention to use the strap in a review.