It’s late and we’re sorry – this is being posted from the back seat of an Uber as James’ schedule has been a beast. Nevertheless, episode 215 is all about our favorite straps. We haven’t done a strap-specific chat since episode 79 so we figured it was time to tame our strap drawers and take a look at some of our preferred options for NATOs, leather, canvas, rubber, sailcloth, and even metal. If you’re trying to keep yourself from buying new straps – maybe skip this one.
The all grey, no stripe, Erikas Original MN strap is absolutely incredible. I have it on the Tudor BB58 925 Silver Grey/Taupe and it is arguably the ultimate TGN watch. Incredibly comfortable on wrist with a beautiful monochromatic grey vibe with a unique fully brushed silver case. Cannot recommend this strap and watch highly enough. Thanks for another fantastic episode. So many great recommendations and a really fun enthusiastic discussion.
i'm a Rochester NY local. Just wanted to give a shout out and reference for David Lane Design. Anytime i need a leather strap he's my go to. personable and has great taste. if i could upload photos to the comments I would.
i love love love Erika’s and do not mind supporting her at the costs. that said, i feel like she adjusted her fabric a bit and the material is different —it’s still comfortable but the matte/shine is altered and lees to my liking 😬. i could be in the minority on this one
Another lovely episode and timely as I’ve been going back and forth about getting an Everest band and this was the last little bit I needed to pull the trigger (plus a holiday sale). The rubber is more malleable than I had imagined it would be but I love it and am free of worry of scratching up my bracelet
James, I’m a bit late to the party but in case anyone hasn’t mentioned it, I have a couple of the elastic natos from Monstraps that I’ve been pretty happy with. Can’t compare them to Erika’s, but they seem to do the job as far as I’m concerned. They’re the loop-style with the sliding buckle you hook onto.
Loved this show but agree with others that the notes could be hard on the wallet!
Great show gents! Straps have certainly been my go-to favorite part of the watch industry.
On your recommendation, I picked up a few CNS Ribbed NATOs. The look and price are fantastic, but I’ve found them not the most comfortable straps yet. I’ve confident wear breaks them in, but my wrist is starting to take too much of a beating to bear.
Do you or anyone in the crew have recommendations on breaking in NATOs?
Another fun episode. Straps are definitely one way where I can still get the novelty rush without whacking my bank account too much. A couple of notes and suggestions:
If you have a Speedy Pro, you *have* to get a short NASA watchband from Luna Replicas. Just a super cool recreationof the short Velcro band that NASA astronauts used on Skylab and early Shuttle missions inside the cabin. It's a great strap and the packaging is fun, too!
Great shout-out to Myron Erickson over at Rover Haven. I have an 18mm Bund strap in natural shell cordovan - it's an awesome strap.
Speaking of 18mm... There are a TON of vintage watches from all brands with 18mm lugs, but there is a real lack of support in the strap aftermarket for 18mm lug widths. Why is this? No demand? Inquiring minds want to know.
On the even-smaller-than-18mm side, Marathon makes great 16mm straps in multiple colors. These fit vintage military watches (e.g., the various Hamilton "Confusing Fall Warblers" that Myron Erickson and others collect). Given the general lack of good sports straps in smaller sizes, these straps really stand out for their robust quality.
I forgot to mention before: Jason, you can take the QR bars out of the Barton straps pretty easily - they just slide out once you know the trick. I believe they have a video on their site somewhere. I always do that for Seikos and my Scurfa which need thicker bars.
The interesting thing about using Kangaroo is that it is used quite a lot in Motorcycle Race Suits and Gloves for the very reason that James mentioned. Light weight, strong, holds up against a lot of pressure points. But a negative ironically, is that Kangaroo leather is not allowed to be sold in New York and California....
The Hodinkee goat leather strap in espresso is phenomenal. I have it on a 41.5 'Spectre' Aqua Terra right now and it looks so good. Previously had it on a Hamilton Khaki Mechanical and it looked great with that too.
For the 14mm strap, I was able to find this NATO on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DLMXM77 . Its a woman's NATO, but they have it in a longer version that supports up to a 7.5" wrist. Nothing special (especially for $15), but it will do the job until you can get a custom strap made.
The all grey, no stripe, Erikas Original MN strap is absolutely incredible. I have it on the Tudor BB58 925 Silver Grey/Taupe and it is arguably the ultimate TGN watch. Incredibly comfortable on wrist with a beautiful monochromatic grey vibe with a unique fully brushed silver case. Cannot recommend this strap and watch highly enough. Thanks for another fantastic episode. So many great recommendations and a really fun enthusiastic discussion.
i'm a Rochester NY local. Just wanted to give a shout out and reference for David Lane Design. Anytime i need a leather strap he's my go to. personable and has great taste. if i could upload photos to the comments I would.
i love love love Erika’s and do not mind supporting her at the costs. that said, i feel like she adjusted her fabric a bit and the material is different —it’s still comfortable but the matte/shine is altered and lees to my liking 😬. i could be in the minority on this one
For the Isofrane style Borealis is great! Shipping is a slow boat from Portugal though.
Bonetto centurini from Holbens is excellent for cheap rubber. (Leaving that joke alone)
Another lovely episode and timely as I’ve been going back and forth about getting an Everest band and this was the last little bit I needed to pull the trigger (plus a holiday sale). The rubber is more malleable than I had imagined it would be but I love it and am free of worry of scratching up my bracelet
James, I’m a bit late to the party but in case anyone hasn’t mentioned it, I have a couple of the elastic natos from Monstraps that I’ve been pretty happy with. Can’t compare them to Erika’s, but they seem to do the job as far as I’m concerned. They’re the loop-style with the sliding buckle you hook onto.
Loved this show but agree with others that the notes could be hard on the wallet!
Great show gents! Straps have certainly been my go-to favorite part of the watch industry.
On your recommendation, I picked up a few CNS Ribbed NATOs. The look and price are fantastic, but I’ve found them not the most comfortable straps yet. I’ve confident wear breaks them in, but my wrist is starting to take too much of a beating to bear.
Do you or anyone in the crew have recommendations on breaking in NATOs?
Another fun episode. Straps are definitely one way where I can still get the novelty rush without whacking my bank account too much. A couple of notes and suggestions:
If you have a Speedy Pro, you *have* to get a short NASA watchband from Luna Replicas. Just a super cool recreationof the short Velcro band that NASA astronauts used on Skylab and early Shuttle missions inside the cabin. It's a great strap and the packaging is fun, too!
Great shout-out to Myron Erickson over at Rover Haven. I have an 18mm Bund strap in natural shell cordovan - it's an awesome strap.
Speaking of 18mm... There are a TON of vintage watches from all brands with 18mm lugs, but there is a real lack of support in the strap aftermarket for 18mm lug widths. Why is this? No demand? Inquiring minds want to know.
On the even-smaller-than-18mm side, Marathon makes great 16mm straps in multiple colors. These fit vintage military watches (e.g., the various Hamilton "Confusing Fall Warblers" that Myron Erickson and others collect). Given the general lack of good sports straps in smaller sizes, these straps really stand out for their robust quality.
I forgot to mention before: Jason, you can take the QR bars out of the Barton straps pretty easily - they just slide out once you know the trick. I believe they have a video on their site somewhere. I always do that for Seikos and my Scurfa which need thicker bars.
Not a good show for my wallet!
No October Q&A this month?
I've been enjoying my Grey Nato grey nato.
Wow the notes are the definitive source for straps. Thanks guys
The interesting thing about using Kangaroo is that it is used quite a lot in Motorcycle Race Suits and Gloves for the very reason that James mentioned. Light weight, strong, holds up against a lot of pressure points. But a negative ironically, is that Kangaroo leather is not allowed to be sold in New York and California....
The Hodinkee goat leather strap in espresso is phenomenal. I have it on a 41.5 'Spectre' Aqua Terra right now and it looks so good. Previously had it on a Hamilton Khaki Mechanical and it looked great with that too.
https://shop.hodinkee.com/products/the-reid-watch-strap-in-dark-brown
Hey James. Apologies if someone already mentioned it but you can order an Erika’s Mirage in plain grey no stripe.
https://erikasoriginals.com/mn-straps/
For the 14mm strap, I was able to find this NATO on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DLMXM77 . Its a woman's NATO, but they have it in a longer version that supports up to a 7.5" wrist. Nothing special (especially for $15), but it will do the job until you can get a custom strap made.