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Jones in LA
··Not in LA anymore.Like many Speedmaster owners, I’d always wanted to wear my shiny new watch on each of the band alternatives that were included with the purchase of a new watch: the stainless steel bracelet (or black croc. leather strap), the NATO strap, and the long NASA replica velcro strap. And like many Speedmaster owners have found, it was that last strap – the long velcro strap – that was so hard to figure out how to use in a practical way.
Fortunately, others have already found a solution to this conundrum, which is described in excellent detail by Forum member @Mad Dog in this thread on the Forum.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/wearing-the-nasa-velcro-strap-with-omega-speedmaster.55710/
For discussion purposes, I’ll call this strap utilisation method the “Rusty-Mad Dog” method.
If followed carefully in every detail, the Rusty-Mad Dog method works exactly as shown and described, even for folks like me with rather narrow wrists. What you end up with, aesthetically speaking, is a strap arrangement that looks pretty much like any traditional watch strap. But in my opinion, this method has its drawbacks. Firstly, it requires some rather awkward finger and hand gymnastics if you do this by yourself (difficult to describe, but if you try it you’ll understand). No doubt the awkwardness would diminish with practice. And, secondly, when you’re done the watch is actually sitting on top of three layers of velcro tape, which can lead to some sloppiness/floppiness if repeated adjustments are not made.
I have had this photo hanging above my desk for the past three years or so. I don’t know how many times I’d stared at it without paying attention to how the watch is actually strapped to Buzz Aldrin’s wrist.
And then one day I did take notice, and figured that the watch must be on the long velcro strap that would be used to strap the Speedmaster on the outside a spacesuit for an EVA. Omega’s replica strap is meant to mimic this strap. Then I began to wonder: ‘How exactly did Aldrin arrange that strap, while wearing it as seen in the photo?’
So I began to experiment with the Omega replica strap, trying to achieve the result that is seen in the photo. I was genuinely surprised at how difficult this endeavour turned out to be. Suffice it to say, I went through many, many iterations before arriving at what I think is a satisfactory result. And even then, as I’ll describe momentarily, I doubt this is an exact duplication of what Aldrin did when he was famously photographed inside the LEM.
This is the final result of what I’ll call the Aldrin-wrap.
It is not a single strap-width in appearance like the result of the Rusty-Mad Dog method, but it does have its own pleasing aesthetic. It does not appear haphazard at all, but purposeful and sporty, maybe a little Bund-like.
What I like best about this result is that it is very comfortable and feels very secure. The wrist profile is vastly improved (compared to the Rusty-Mad Dog result) as the back of the watch rests directly on the skin of the wrist.
Now I’ll do my best to show and describe how to do your own Aldrin-wrap. Be aware that the end result is not exactly as shown in the LEM photo: in the photo the strap’s steel ring appears to be on the outward side of the wrist, whereas after the following procedure, the steel ring ends up on the inward side of the wrist. I imagine that if one were to do Step 1 beginning on the top (12 o’clock) set of lugs, the steel ring would end up on the outward side of the wrist, but personally I prefer the arrangement described here.
Step 0
This photo just shows that we’re going to use a long velcro strap for this procedure and that the Kizzi replica strap (which I’ll be using in the description) is the same length as the Omega OEM replica strap.
Step 1
Insert the strap, lettering end first, between the bottom (6 o'clock) spring bar and the watch case, with the lettering side facing the watch case.
Step 2
Pull the strap all the way through until the tacking stitches (adjacent to the steel ring) reach the bottom spring bar.
Step 3
Insert the lettering end of the strap through the steel ring, with the hook-section of the velcro facing down and the lettering side of the strap facing up. In other words, insert the strap through the ring such that no twist will be put into the strap.
Step 4
Pull the strap all the way through the ring until it stops without pulling the tacking stitches past the bottom spring bar. The strap is now securely attached to the watch.
Step 5
Bring the strap under the watch toward the top lugs and insert the free end of the strap between the top spring bar and watch case, with the lettering facing away from the watch case. This forms an un-twisted loop with the pile side of the velcro on the inside of the loop.
Step 6
Now the watch+ strap are ready to be placed on the wrist. This is done by simply slipping your hand through the loop you formed in Step 5 and then continuing to pull the strap between the stop spring bar and watch case until all the slack in the loop is taken up. This is how the watch will be strapped to your wrist, with the back of the watch case in contact with the skin on the top of your wrist, and the pile side of the strap surrounding your wrist in the remainder of the loop. It is never necessary to pull this loop very tight, and in fact, for comfort it’s important not to over-tighten any portion of this strap arrangement.
Step 7
This is a less intuitive, but crucial step. Bring the strap back under the wrist and insert it through the steel ring for a second time, with the lettered side of the strap facing the watch.
Step 8
Continue to pull the strap through the steel ring until all the slack is taken up. Again, for comfort’s sake, it’s not necessary or advisable to pull the strap very tight.
Step 9
This is another crucial step. Take the free end of the strap under the wrist, at an angle. Going at an angle will leave a triangular patch of velcro pile exposed that you will ultimately attach the hook part of the strap to.
Step 10
Continue wrapping the loose end of the strap around the wrist. When the top of the wrist is reached, be sure to tuck the strap under the crown-side of the watch case until the side of the strap comes in contact with the main wrist-loop; this helps keep things neat and tidy. Almost done!
Step 11
Continue wrapping the loose end of the strap around your wrist until it reaches the triangular patch of velcro pile you left exposed in Step 9. Now you can finally press the velcro hooks into the velcro pile. The Aldrin-wrap is complete. Congratulations!
Once you’ve reached this point in making the Aldrin-wrap, it’s always possible to step backward and adjust things to make the overall assembly tighter or looser. And it’s not difficult to imagine that there are improvements or modifications that can be made to make this strap arrangement even better. I’m especially curious about how this approach will work for individuals with larger wrists – it might be that this won’t work at all for those with larger-than-average wrists.
If you do find better ways to do this, find that this just doesn't work for you, or have any questions or comments please share them here.
Good luck, and have fun!
Fortunately, others have already found a solution to this conundrum, which is described in excellent detail by Forum member @Mad Dog in this thread on the Forum.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/wearing-the-nasa-velcro-strap-with-omega-speedmaster.55710/
For discussion purposes, I’ll call this strap utilisation method the “Rusty-Mad Dog” method.
If followed carefully in every detail, the Rusty-Mad Dog method works exactly as shown and described, even for folks like me with rather narrow wrists. What you end up with, aesthetically speaking, is a strap arrangement that looks pretty much like any traditional watch strap. But in my opinion, this method has its drawbacks. Firstly, it requires some rather awkward finger and hand gymnastics if you do this by yourself (difficult to describe, but if you try it you’ll understand). No doubt the awkwardness would diminish with practice. And, secondly, when you’re done the watch is actually sitting on top of three layers of velcro tape, which can lead to some sloppiness/floppiness if repeated adjustments are not made.
I have had this photo hanging above my desk for the past three years or so. I don’t know how many times I’d stared at it without paying attention to how the watch is actually strapped to Buzz Aldrin’s wrist.
And then one day I did take notice, and figured that the watch must be on the long velcro strap that would be used to strap the Speedmaster on the outside a spacesuit for an EVA. Omega’s replica strap is meant to mimic this strap. Then I began to wonder: ‘How exactly did Aldrin arrange that strap, while wearing it as seen in the photo?’
So I began to experiment with the Omega replica strap, trying to achieve the result that is seen in the photo. I was genuinely surprised at how difficult this endeavour turned out to be. Suffice it to say, I went through many, many iterations before arriving at what I think is a satisfactory result. And even then, as I’ll describe momentarily, I doubt this is an exact duplication of what Aldrin did when he was famously photographed inside the LEM.
This is the final result of what I’ll call the Aldrin-wrap.
It is not a single strap-width in appearance like the result of the Rusty-Mad Dog method, but it does have its own pleasing aesthetic. It does not appear haphazard at all, but purposeful and sporty, maybe a little Bund-like.
What I like best about this result is that it is very comfortable and feels very secure. The wrist profile is vastly improved (compared to the Rusty-Mad Dog result) as the back of the watch rests directly on the skin of the wrist.
Now I’ll do my best to show and describe how to do your own Aldrin-wrap. Be aware that the end result is not exactly as shown in the LEM photo: in the photo the strap’s steel ring appears to be on the outward side of the wrist, whereas after the following procedure, the steel ring ends up on the inward side of the wrist. I imagine that if one were to do Step 1 beginning on the top (12 o’clock) set of lugs, the steel ring would end up on the outward side of the wrist, but personally I prefer the arrangement described here.
Step 0
This photo just shows that we’re going to use a long velcro strap for this procedure and that the Kizzi replica strap (which I’ll be using in the description) is the same length as the Omega OEM replica strap.
Step 1
Insert the strap, lettering end first, between the bottom (6 o'clock) spring bar and the watch case, with the lettering side facing the watch case.
Step 2
Pull the strap all the way through until the tacking stitches (adjacent to the steel ring) reach the bottom spring bar.
Step 3
Insert the lettering end of the strap through the steel ring, with the hook-section of the velcro facing down and the lettering side of the strap facing up. In other words, insert the strap through the ring such that no twist will be put into the strap.
Step 4
Pull the strap all the way through the ring until it stops without pulling the tacking stitches past the bottom spring bar. The strap is now securely attached to the watch.
Step 5
Bring the strap under the watch toward the top lugs and insert the free end of the strap between the top spring bar and watch case, with the lettering facing away from the watch case. This forms an un-twisted loop with the pile side of the velcro on the inside of the loop.
Step 6
Now the watch+ strap are ready to be placed on the wrist. This is done by simply slipping your hand through the loop you formed in Step 5 and then continuing to pull the strap between the stop spring bar and watch case until all the slack in the loop is taken up. This is how the watch will be strapped to your wrist, with the back of the watch case in contact with the skin on the top of your wrist, and the pile side of the strap surrounding your wrist in the remainder of the loop. It is never necessary to pull this loop very tight, and in fact, for comfort it’s important not to over-tighten any portion of this strap arrangement.
Step 7
This is a less intuitive, but crucial step. Bring the strap back under the wrist and insert it through the steel ring for a second time, with the lettered side of the strap facing the watch.
Step 8
Continue to pull the strap through the steel ring until all the slack is taken up. Again, for comfort’s sake, it’s not necessary or advisable to pull the strap very tight.
Step 9
This is another crucial step. Take the free end of the strap under the wrist, at an angle. Going at an angle will leave a triangular patch of velcro pile exposed that you will ultimately attach the hook part of the strap to.
Step 10
Continue wrapping the loose end of the strap around the wrist. When the top of the wrist is reached, be sure to tuck the strap under the crown-side of the watch case until the side of the strap comes in contact with the main wrist-loop; this helps keep things neat and tidy. Almost done!
Step 11
Continue wrapping the loose end of the strap around your wrist until it reaches the triangular patch of velcro pile you left exposed in Step 9. Now you can finally press the velcro hooks into the velcro pile. The Aldrin-wrap is complete. Congratulations!
Once you’ve reached this point in making the Aldrin-wrap, it’s always possible to step backward and adjust things to make the overall assembly tighter or looser. And it’s not difficult to imagine that there are improvements or modifications that can be made to make this strap arrangement even better. I’m especially curious about how this approach will work for individuals with larger wrists – it might be that this won’t work at all for those with larger-than-average wrists.
If you do find better ways to do this, find that this just doesn't work for you, or have any questions or comments please share them here.
Good luck, and have fun!
Edited:
