I made a "NATO" out of silk from a silk tie I thrifted. The silk has that nylon weave and substantially structured so the strap doesn't need canvas lining. The strap is thinner than nylon straps and very comfortably sitting on my wrist. It is made out of silk so it is definitely very durable (but delicate when washing). It is like "historically accurate" NATO bedore nylon was invented.
@@michaeleastham3868 ZULU use more ticker cloth and more "heavy" hardware - buckle, keepers; and ZULU too have models with two straps and 4 keepers. ZULU brand and models slight different from NATO was created because a American company register the name NATO in the US market.
I like the traditional Nato strap during the heat of the summer because it holds the watch case a bit off my skin, and helps prevent sweat from building up. The adjustable straps you reviewed have piqued my interest. It would be nice to be able to move the bulk of the strap to where it was less visible. When it’s not too warm out, I prefer single pass Zulu style straps, and especially elastic ones as they stretch and shrink with the swelling of my wrist during the day. The Rubber strap you showed on the Orient looks great. I may have to give one a try. Thanks.
Love a nato, tho use canvas 2 pieces more.. I tend to cut off the extra flap off a nato coz I really dislike the folded bit up the side rather than the bottom.... So these work splendidly for that, however these are a fail as a nato (like nearly all "nato style") coz the point of the nato is to eliminate all points of failure, ie springbars, but the buckle is held on by a springbar rather than being a one piece buckle that's sewn in. The second one, with the adjustable one piece buckle that's single pass, looks spot on tho & I'll look into that one 👌🏻 Cheers 👍🏻👍🏻
May be controversial, but for me NATOs are best for quartz and hand-winders, most automatic dive-watches are almost unwearable with them, way too bulky and top-heavy. But I like the look and the general properties, so I got myself a few 2-piece-nylon straps.
These are very nice looking straps. The angled hardware is a unique tool-like look. I'm a fan of Vario's strap variety. I've been wearing a Square G-shock with their spring bar adapters and a PVD Zulu and have no issues with the glued holes, even 2 years into daily wear.
I'm not a fan of nato straps, but I'm a huge fan of single pass woven straps of every description - nylon, canvas, perlon... Even single pass leather straps. I'm sick of the metal keepers on single pass straps though. Prefer a fabric keeper. Cheapest Nato Straps are doing some great styles - they have a great eye - but the quality just isn't there...
I've always thought that NATO straps are perfectly fine and suit my wrist very well. But one day I took scissors and cut off the bottom part of my cheap NATO strap. And, wow, this really does make sense and adds a lot of comforts. Single-layer straps are definetly worth considering
Definatly get single pass when getting Natos. I've never had an issue with the watch moving up and down the strap unless you wear it really lose. That being said I now prefer the paratrooper strap from cheapest Nato over the regular nato by far. Its similar to the (Marine Nationale strap but way easier to take on and off the watch (no tools required), The stretchy elastic material and infinte adjustment make it the most comfortable strap to wear ever made IMO. I love leather but if I'm doing something where i'm worried about damaging the strap OR the watch won't take or look goofy on leather Paratrooper all day everyday. Most of my Gshocks and Protreks are on Paratroopers. I just put my Rangeman on a deep green with red piping Paratrooper and it looks fantastic.
12:40 I own a Tissot Supersport Chrono. It came with a stainless bracelet. I received a Tissot branded nylon two piece strap in black that looks amazing paired with the large watch. It has the NATO look without the bulk. Lightweight and extremely comfortable. I do like the look of a classic NATO and, after seeing this, will try. Good informative offering. Thank you!
Cutting off the second pass is the best way to wear a nato IMO, but it's hard to better a well designed single pass strap of any fabric or weave. Even leather and 'tropic' rubber single pass straps are great if you are wanting that no BS field watch vibe. But I'm with you - Natos are an over used, over hyped and under performing trend IMO.
Amazing to see some of these watches with a different strap. The Laco looked nice and the Bulova Lunar pilot looked the business. I've not got a big enough collection to worry about Straps, but one NATO might not hurt. These did look good but the Fraying would be an issue. I might try a cheaper NATO first. I also like Sail Cloth, Tropic and Waffle straps. I can see myself buying straps, even though I had no plans to this morning lol.
Thicker Zulus all the way. Most of us do not have 12" wrists and hate having that 4 inches of useless strap to tuck away (I cut it off most of the time). Zulus for the win.
Hey Dave, I like the look of the Thacker Merali..... when can we expect the review? Checked out their Facebook page love the white dial watch. Oh and the straps review video is awesome! #keepitup lol
An advantage of NATO straps is security from spring bar failure. If one fails you don’t lose your watch as the strap is not broken. Unless there is a spring bar in the buckle which, when it fails means you can lose the watch. I notice most these have spring bars in their buckles.
I have one Crown and Buckle Chevron and the quality is top notch. I wonder what the difference in quality is across different brands with the same style straps though.
+1 C&B fanboi here. I like the chevron strap because it's adjustable, but my favorite is the single pass Nato. Great colors, outstanding build quality, love it!
@@iHaejeog I believe it's the quality of the nylon fibers, the way they're stitched and the hardware is top notch. I've tried a few other brands take on the chevron and none of them have really been able to compare. I just ordered my 4th chevron strap yesterday and I'm usually a bracelet guy.
Your Bulova Lunar looks fabulous on that leather band. I have a Nighthawk with a black leather with red stitching along each side. It is very stiff. The watch is uncomfortable as the crown bites your wrist. My favorite is a 40mm Bertucci A-2R on black Nato with dual olive stripes outlined with thin red stripes. Extremely comfortable and durable...and cheap. Bashed every day w/o distress, 2yrs.
I remember when you first started... good for you much success to you.. love those straps , of course the one I really am fond of is the one with the fraying holes... black with beige stripes- so that does have me a bit concerned -I was going to pair that up with the Seiko SRPE 61, I hope it was just a QC issue. Thanks for the review.
Yeap, for the same reason I dont like Natos; but your input resolves the issue about the look on the side , that smooths it... good option.. tuck it in under the wrist... 👍
I can’t see the point of a nato strap with a spring bar mounted buckle. The main reason I wear them is because I do a physical job and I like the security of knowing if a spring bar breaks my watch won’t fall to the concrete, get smashed, lost, or stolen. So if your nato has a spring bar buckle that breaks, you’re watch will disappear! I only use natos with solid welded buckles instead. I realise some people who work around dangerous machinery may like that the strap will break-away if your arm gets stuck. That’s just not my situation.
Hey Dave, check out Etsy for leather straps. I got three a couple or months ago. I paid 60-120 bucks and compared them to similarly priced straps from big conpanies and there’s no comparison.
For my 20mm nato straps, I take a U.S. Nickel and cut away the excess material. The Nickel gives a perfect arch to give a nice symmetrical cut. Then a few seconds over a candle to melt any potential frey. Just make sure that you put the watch on and mark the penetration needed before cutting.... too short and you messed up.
There's a technique of installing a NATO on a watch that effectively moves the tuck away to the bottom of the wrist. It's still there, but out of sight. That said, I don't like NATOs either, but for different reasons - mainly because it accumulates dirt and sweat easily, smells, and isn't nowhere near as rugged as a steel bracelet. NATOs are very comfortable, though.
I'd say a genuine NATO (no springbars) is far more rugged than a bracelet with its dozens of potential points of failure. The only weak point on the real NATOs is the pin for the buckle.
I had been testing it for a couple of weeks, before the review. I try to give everything a review some actual wrist time before reviewing it so I get a good feel for it.
Because you're all spec ops and your missions in the jungle and desert will stop you from changing that buckle if you decide to put that Nato on a different watch, perhaps different brush style or even color? Ok
The perfect strap for me is a 1 piece nylon with a nylon keeper like the old military watch style. The nato's hardware makes them too bulky for my taste.
The Nautical seems right up my alley, as I love single pass straps, but according to their website, USA delivery is 30-60 days. That's a hard pass. Dave (or anybody else), do you have any further info on shipping time to the US? The straps look great, but there's so many other options out there that I can have delivered within a week etc.
I don’t like nato straps because of the way they scuff up the back of the watch. Now, maybe if I was still in the military I’d use such a strap for the security aspect.
I quite like Luff's elastic straps, although they're looking overpriced as more competitors appear. But these don't do much for me - the tapering taupe is tipped to be my least favourite 8^o
How would I wash a used fabric type strap? I don’t want scabies 😂 those rubber straps are great compared to resin type the resin types always tear and break
Great Video. I've hated NATO's for such a long time because of all the extra bulk on the outside of the wrists. I just can't stand that look. Single pass NATO's are the only style I like. On all of my personal NATO's, I've cut the small part (that sits under watch case) completely off, pretty much turning them into single pass. This helps in keeping all the excess strap underneath the wrist.
I sort of like perlon straps, but completely stay away from nato's. TGV convinced me to try some a couple of years ago, I wasn't impressed. These days I'm not impressed with him either...
It's a new watch that's about to launch on KickStarter, I think towards the end of next month. Not sure what they're naming it, but the brand is Thacker Merali.
Yeah, I think full NATO is jusr an annoyance. Single pass gets the same looks with all the fuss. Single pass canvas straps and Marine nationale are generally all I use. So much more practical than a bracelet and two spring bars must fail.
Really dislike NATO’s .. you mention the bulk I think the look is cumbersome and ungainly.The metal keepers can be really uncomfortable. Often the nylon isn’t strong enough to hold the head of the watch and causes roll . Will never be for me but some do like them so fair play ...
Blah, blah, blah...why doesn't somebody just make NATO straps shorter? I won't wear NATOs because the "dingleberry" hanging off of the end looks ridiculous.
Plz when u make vedios don't put anything on background. That's focus problem out there again n again. That's irritated mostly. Next time i will unsubscribe ur channel. Thanks buddy.