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A Strap Predicament for Speedy

M
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Hello and thanks for your time.

I bought my first watch. The Omega Speedmaster Hesalite with bracelet. I really like the bracelet and after owning it for 2 days now I'm curious to see how nato straps look. As I bought the watch new, it came with the omega black nato strap and its currently unopened in the box. I'm unsure that I will like either the colour of the black strap or how it feels on the wrist. The style of a nato strap I do like as it tones the watch down a little from just being quite shinny and eye catching when with the bracelet. What I need help with is...

That unopened black nato strap is worth a bit if I was to sell it and if I were to open it put it on and think, "I don't like it, or how it feels" and the automaticly losing some value on it.

Would there be any of you who could offer your experience with nato straps, their comfort, any photos of and in particular with the original black strap that comes in the box? That would be great.
Also what do think of selling the omega nato and purchasing say a few different natos from watchbandit or similar place. Are the omega originals really worth that much money or can there be had nato straps at 1/5 the price but are even worth putting on a 4k watch.
Thanks.
Mike
Morning watch. I really am liking this first watch of mine.
20210509_074435.jpg
 
hronists
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Buy any strap for tenner and try it. It’s not that they cost fortune.
 
marcn
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Speedy on a nato is an insanely comfortable proposition. You should be able to find tons of photos in the what are you wearing thread. I found it takes a day or so to break one in, and maybe a few more days to really get into the feel of a nato when you first start wearing them. I hated the idea of them for ages, and avoided them, until I tried and fell in love.

It gets super hot where I live and while it sounds a bit gross, there's a lot to be said for the nato being able to wick away sweat while also letting you easily slide the watch around. Metal on sweaty skin makes me crazy, and leather is even worse, IMO.

From my experience there's little benefit to spending more than like $20 on a nato, and it generally comes down to the hardware it comes with that determines if I like the strap or not. So pick up a cheap one and see for yourself, before cracking out the official one that came with the watch.
 
M
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marcn marcn
Speedy on a nato is an insanely comfortable proposition. You should be able to find tons of photos in the what are you wearing thread. I found it takes a day or so to break one in, and maybe a few more days to really get into the feel of a nato when you first start wearing them. I hated the idea of them for ages, and avoided them, until I tried and fell in love.

It gets super hot where I live and while it sounds a bit gross, there's a lot to be said for the nato being able to wick away sweat while also letting you easily slide the watch around. Metal on sweaty skin makes me crazy, and leather is even worse, IMO.

From my experience there's little benefit to spending more than like $20 on a nato, and it generally comes down to the hardware it comes with that determines if I like the strap or not. So pick up a cheap one and see for yourself, before cracking out the official one that came with the watch.
Yes. That's good advice. I'll buy a cheaper one. I really like the look in the photos I have seen.
Thanks for your time.
 
stevec14
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M mikeyinstant
Yes. That's good advice. I'll buy a cheaper one. I really like the look in the photos I have seen.
Thanks for your time.
Honestly, the cheap one will feel nothing like the good one. It’s worth 100 bucks second hand. I’d just crack it out and put it on.
 
Glederz
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You already own the Omega NATO. My vote is just to use that and not sell it to then settle for a strap which likely, won’t be as good.
 
rootbeer7
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The omega NATO’s are a large step above many others. But, there nothing like putting it on a Phoenix (original supplier) for a tenner!!
 
M
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stevec14 stevec14
Honestly, the cheap one will feel nothing like the good one. It’s worth 100 bucks second hand. I’d just crack it out and put it on.
That's exactly what I wanted to know.
I was not keen on buying a cheap strap of £10 to go with a £4000 watch.
 
M
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I've heard that I must change out the pins for fatter pins when the Nato straps are put on. Is this correct?
 
madjestikmoose
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M mikeyinstant
I've heard that I must change out the pins for fatter pins when the Nato straps are put on. Is this correct?
You don’t have to, but it’s advisable. The fatter ones are 1mm longer, hence are more secure. It’s worth mentioning that only the shorter/slimmer ones will work with the bracelet.
 
stevec14
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madjestikmoose madjestikmoose
You don’t have to, but it’s advisable. The fatter ones are 1mm longer, hence are more secure. It’s worth mentioning that only the shorter/slimmer ones will work with the bracelet.
Yes. The last part is most important. I’ve spent ages trying to get a bracelet with the wrong springbars out
 
C
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madjestikmoose madjestikmoose
You don’t have to, but it’s advisable. The fatter ones are 1mm longer, hence are more secure. It’s worth mentioning that only the shorter/slimmer ones will work with the bracelet.
I didn't know this. Where can I order them?
 
YY77
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C cezar
I didn't know this. Where can I order them?
You need partsno. 068ST2208 for NATO and strap (could be additional springbars in the box/Hidden in springbar tool) AD and OB wil be able to supply;

image.jpeg
 
avidmark
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Why would you sell an amazingly made OEM nato, and replace it with a cheaply made one for $20?
 
Alfista88
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While I can't debate the quality and the luxuriously comfortable feel of the Omega NATO strap material, I've never liked how Omega exposes the strap minder on the 6 o'clock side.

That's my only reason for preferring aftermarket NATO's to Omega OEM design. With my wrist shape, the sharp corners of the rectangular strap minder box on the Omega NATO is always digging into my wrist.

I see some of Omega's more recent NATO designs have replaced that metal box with a strap minder made of the same material as the strap itself. I hope they introduce them in more colorways.
 
Evitzee
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You bought a watch for $5k, don't fret over the potential value of an unopened Omega NATO strap. Put it on and try it, if you don't like it it's not the end of the world.
 
Amg786s
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Definitely consider the seatbelt type natos with that smooth sheen finish.
 
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