I bought a new 8900 last week and so far couldn't be happier. I'm curious though about any rubber options. I know there's the embossed gator strap but it can't get wet so that's a no go for me since I'm in Florida and live in my pool and the beach. I have a Bonetto rubber deployant strap but I'm not crazy about the gap between the case so I want to try out a curved OEM rubber strap. I've searched and can't find the answer. Will the curved ends of a 98000145 sit flush with the 8900's case? I read a post from several years ago where someone said different model POs have different lug hole positions so I thought I would ask here before I start spending money. Thanks for any help coming my way!
You should get to an Omega boutique. They can answer for sure and order a rubber strap if there is one that fits.
I doubt they will since technically it doesn't fit and they won't want to be liable if anything were to get damaged.
All the PO’s have different lug profiles, and cannot share bracelets. Leads me to think they cannot share fitted straps.
After speaking with my OB this morning I ended up ordering a Ploprof clasp for my BC rubber strap...I'll just deal with the case gap. Too bad Omega doesn't make a curved strap like I had on my 300m.
The embossed alligator strap with rubber inner is made for water immersion, so no problem if you decide to opt for that model. The 98000145 is a 22mm strap so it wouldn't fit correctly with the 21mm lug widths of the 8900 models. And yes, the case and lug profiles are the same but the different case thicknesses and lug hole positions lead to different strap specifications and therefore slightly different fits. The straps made for the thicker cases (GMT, Chrono) will generally have more material at the lug ends and the extra material will slightly spill out of the bottom of the lugs. Will still fit tight to case, but won't be as streamlined of a fit. And the reverse is true as well (ie smaller strap will fit slightly inboard on thicker cases). The PloProf clasp is very nice and the adjustment is great. Just keep in mind that it's very large and the strap ends will have to be pretty short to account for the length, that is unless your wrist is over 8".
I picked up the clasp last night. While it is a beast of a clasp, size wise it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Paired with the BC strap, it compliments the 8900 nicely. The case gap isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm so glad I didn't go with the factory curved strap because I'll take a little case gap with a straight strap and deployant clasp vs. a deployant buckle any day. Happy 4th of July everyone!