How to buy a nato strap?

Posts

187

Likes

64

Yehoshua

·Dec 15, 2021

Hi. I have no experience with nato straps. Are 3rd party straps basically just as good as Omega's?
What should I look for to get something of quality?
And nato lasts a lot longer than rubber, right?

 

Posts

2,999

Likes

7,869

blufinz52

·Dec 15, 2021·Hears dead people, not watch rotors.

Lots of companies make nato straps. Just google nato straps and you'll get quite a few results. Here's one:

https://barkandjack.com/collections/straps

 

Posts

1,430

Likes

2,936

Marsimaxam

·Dec 15, 2021

Most of my watches I wear with a NATO strap. I like the look of leather NATO and BandRBands sells an excellent example, just search for leather NATO.
Pictures of examples

link: https://www.bandrbands.com/

Edited: Dec 15, 2021

 

Posts

16,675

Likes

47,177

STANDY

·Dec 15, 2021·schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector

Yehoshua

Hi. I have no experience with nato straps. Are 3rd party straps basically just as good as Omega's?
What should I look for to get something of quality?
And nato lasts a lot longer than rubber, right?

There are good and bad NATO straps. Some cheap are good and some expensive are bad..
I won’t pay the price of Omega NATOs as have found some good ones I like at
https://www.watchgecko.com/nato-zulu-watch-straps

Trial and error has helped me over time.

These are my latest find and are great

 

Posts

808

Likes

1,361

8100_RPM

·Dec 15, 2021

Start with a cheaper NATO strap to see if you really like it first. If you do, then go ahead and splurge on some nicer straps..

 

Posts

5,636

Likes

5,791

SkunkPrince

·Dec 15, 2021

Though I rarely/never wear them anymore, when I did, Maratac was, for me, the best quality around. Good construction and the rings were in the right place.

 

Posts

16,214

Likes

44,642

JwRosenthal

·Dec 15, 2021

There are several “variants” of the nato with different hardware and fabrics, patterns etc (although technically there should really only be ONE design to be called a NATO).
I own a gross ton of them and hate them all, the bulk, the clunky hardware, the wart on the back of my wrist. I have found that the single pass (some call them RAF style) are actually nice to wear. They fit and buckle like a regular strap but as the name implies, it’s just a single piece of fabric. The US military nylon straps were single pass for the longest time and I find them perfect.

 

Posts

404

Likes

462

dstfno

·Dec 15, 2021

The biggest relevant difference (for me) between Omega NATOs and most third party ones are the proportions. On the Omega the 12 o'clock side is longer so when you wear the strap the keeper will sit more comfortably on your wrist, right on the opposite side of your watch.

The only company I know that makes NATOs the same way is Phenomenato. Although their straps are either shorter or longer in total length. But the quality is similar to Omega and they also come with matte hardware which I prefer.

 

M

Posts

136

Likes

125

mrmike585

·Dec 15, 2021

Been loving these stretchy fabric straps from a company called Nick Mankey Designs

He calls it “the hook strap”

Long lead time but very customizable and extremely well made and supremely comfortable.

Easily the most comfortable fabric type strap I’ve ever worn and unlike natos they are very streamlined and don’t have any excess strap/keepers/clutter

 

Posts

251

Likes

231

avidmark

·Dec 15, 2021

I always recommend Phenom nato. Very close to Omega OEM but much less expensive. The good thing about Phenom is the 12 o'clock end is much longer than a traditional nato, which makes the buckle sit in the middle of your wrist, like the OEM Omega ones.

 

M

Posts

136

Likes

125

mrmike585

·Dec 15, 2021

 

A

Posts

21

Likes

37

Asharus

·Dec 15, 2021

Check out Haveston . Their parade strap is nice. Feels almost as nice as the omega straps.

 

Posts

16,214

Likes

44,642

JwRosenthal

·Dec 15, 2021

M mrmike585

These, I will check out. I love the colors and fun fabric concept of the modern nato but the bulk and shit is my issue. This looks like a nice alternative

 

M

Posts

136

Likes

125

mrmike585

·Dec 16, 2021

You will like them. They have been described as yoga pants for watches. I’ve never worn yoga pants but I think we can appreciate the analogy lol. They are comfy!

They take awhile to arrive after you place an order, I think it was right around 10 weeks. I ordered one to try and when I received it and realized how much I enjoyed wearing it, I placed another order and made sure to pick all the color combos I thought I might want to have so that I wouldn’t be waiting 2 months every time I longed for a new strap

 

M

Posts

136

Likes

125

mrmike585

·Dec 16, 2021

 

M

Posts

136

Likes

125

mrmike585

·Dec 16, 2021

Cool packaging with a small personal touch. I am not affiliated in any way, I do enjoy promoting a quality product and small business owner whenever possible.

 

M

Posts

136

Likes

125

mrmike585

·Dec 16, 2021

 

P

Posts

105

Likes

122

pete26

·Dec 16, 2021

I got a couple today from the Sydney watch company, and I like it. This is the 22mm 007 strap on my Tuna.

 

Posts

187

Likes

64

Yehoshua

·Dec 18, 2021

A nato should be preferable to a rubber strap in that it's much more durable, right?

 

Posts

833

Likes

1,571

madjestikmoose

·Dec 18, 2021

Yehoshua

A nato should be preferable to a rubber strap in that it's much more durable, right?

How long is a piece of string?

Rubber will perish in the long term for sure, esp if used in salt water without being rinsed. But any NATO fabric will fray and eventually start to look shabby around the buckle holes over time. Hence why I employ a strict rotation policy!