I’m looking for 2 watch straps that won’t make my wrist sweaty in summer. Currently wearing the following watches on a regular basis so would like something blue or grey (or other?) to match the watches. Would you guys recommend a Nato, or a leather strap, and why? Is there anything I need to be aware of when looking for a strap? They vary in price from £10-£150+. Are the official Omega straps worth the extra money? Finally, are there any recommended retailers (I’m based in UK) that I should be looking at? Presumably I don’t want to be buying a cheapo from eBay that will break unnoticed and lose my watch. Thanks in advance. Rob
When I had the same question regarding my Speedy I popped into an Omega Boutique for a chat and to have a look. IMHO the OEM natos are expensive but good, worth having a look at to get a feel. Came away that day with a black / grey one. Currently have this solid black OEM nato on.
Thanks Wivac I’ll try Omega when I next head into town. Any other recommendations for where to buy one?
A fabric NATO will be a lot more comfortable in humid conditions (trust me, I live in Florida). If you can’t take a bracelet in the Summer, a leather strap will be even worse. Besides the Omega NATO straps (which are excellent), I also like those from BluShark, in particular their AlphaShark line which has a “seatbelt” weave similar to Omega’s, but they are a LOT cheaper. They usually have a “buy two, get one free” promotion going on. The only downside to them is that they are a little on the short side for a NATO. If your wrist is much bigger than 7.5 inches, you might have problems folding the ends into the keepers.
Check crownandbuckle.com I have a couple of their NATO Supremes at the $35US range and I find them quite nice/comfy. They can also be ordered in a single layer.
The omega NATO’s are worth every penny. I’ve wasted money on others from £10 to £35 and they are poor by comparison. Some may disagree, but the polyamide ones are awesome and so comfy. If you are near a boutique ask them to get one out and you will see what I mean (think soft seat belt).
Thanks for all the replies. I’ve looked at Perlon but prefer the NATO style. I’ve also looked at BluShark and Crown&Buckle and really like the look of both. I’m thinking I might order one strap from each and see which I prefer. Just a couple more questions if I may? I watched a video on Crown&Buckle showing how to swap watch straps and I think I need a spring bar removal tool, is this correct? I’m also assuming that these are pretty low cost and I can just get a cheap one off amazon? Thanks again.
Update - just typed “spring bar removal tool” into google and the first page had examples from 99p to £115 Advice required please
I have the Omega NATO it is super nice but I still got it sweaty and now it stinks and I can't get ride of it. I have now moved onto rubber stamps. Zuludiver make amazing ones.