Nylon (military) watch straps

From left to right:

• An unnamed cheap 20 mm strap.
  I don't think this is military in any way, but it's here for comparision purposes.
  Quite comfortable and well made with good holes. Where it looks cheap is especially the buckle, which isn't fixed, and prong which feels loose, but on the other hand this, and the fact that the loop isn't fixed, means that you can arrange the end of the strap to fit just right into the loop.
  Used it day around for a couple of weeks on vacation in and out of water and wouldn't hesitate to bring it again (if I didn't have something better).
• A 20 mm US military strap.
  Interesting weave in that it looks different on each side. I like the solid construction of the buckle and that the loop is fixed. Unfortunately the loop is a bit tight, so it's not easy to fold the end of the strap double into it. Comfortable otherwise, which the 6.0-6.5 mm hole spacing helps with.
  Good quality buckle and prong, well made holes.
  Probably won't use it much, but I'll try to find a watch which matches it.
• A 18 mm tropical strap of the UK MoD type.
  Similar to the regular straps in design, but has a loose braided weave which helps ventilation when it's humid.
  Comfortable, too bad it's only available in 18 mm.
  The hardware is noticably different from what is on the 20 mm straps in that it's much shiner to begin with and doesn't go dull when you wear it. My guess is that it's solid alpaca rather than chrome plated brass which the military specification calls for.
• A 20 mm black UK MoD type.
  As the grey, just a different colour.
• A 20 mm UK MoD issue strap.
  This is the kind of nylon strap I've got most of, and not only because it's available in so many different widths.
  Very good and solid construction and although the metal fittings goes dull quickly I think it looks very good in addition to being comfortable.
  Note that on this strap I've removed the chrome plating, so this isn't how it looks originally. I did it partially chemically, so I'm not sure if the underlying brass is this dark bronze colour if you just file away the plating.
  Hole spacing is 9.0-9.5 mm.
  It's probably closest to what I'd call my "default" nylon strap.
• A 24 mm Waterborne strap.
  I actually got this one only because I wanted something in 24 mm width. But after trying it out on a 20 mm lug width watch (yes, I had no problem fitting it on it) and finding it comfortable because of the width and the fact that the double rings on the non-buckle side makes it so stable that it won't twist on your wrist, just like watches with large lug to lug distances, I think I need one more.
  Overall rather well made, but the area around the holes may feel a bit rough and I think the logo on my is placed wrong as the double rings partially hides it.

Discussion: Which one to choose

In case you've got a 24 mm lug width, the choice between the mentioned ones is easy, since only the Waterborne comes in 24 mm width. But it won't fit all watches, as it can't handle a too large lug to lug distance. (The one I had didn't fit on a KMU 48 with a 52 mm distance, for example.)

In some cases the wide Waterborne with two rings on the 6 o'clock side can be used on watches normally taking narrower straps, and the reason then would mainly be that the two rings allow for a very positive locking, which may feel better with heavy watches.

The US military strap might be preferable if you want to be able to position the loop which holds the end of the strap wherever you want. And you might with this strap, as the loop itself is rather stiff. The drawback is that to get the strap end well out of the way is a bit fiddly.

Probably the neatest way to get the end safely tucked away is to fold the end double when bringing it through the buckle (with the end on the inside agains the wrist), so that the prong goes through two wholes and you put the folded strap into the loop.

I think the UK MoD strap is the most comfortable for regular wear, both actual wearing and putting it on the wrist.

For most watches, the extra part which secures it to the strap even when the strap isn't put through the buckle (when you don't wear it, that is), isn't really needed as they don't slide that easily along the strap. For heavier watches, it's a really good feature and it's absolutely no significant extra bother when fitting or removing watches from the straps.

I think the two loops which holds the end is a really good feature, as they're easy to use and works well. Some people think they're bulky and don't want them on the 12 o'clock side and reverse the strap, but even during office work I'm never bothered by them on that side.

I also think this strap is the most comfortable, at least out of water. My very unscientific testing indicates the US military straps holds less water, but I'm not sure it actually dries faster. The winner there seems to be the looser weave of the "tropical UK MoD" strap. Whichever is most comfortable in hot and humid climate I've had no chance to test.

Sources

You can get Waterborne and US military straps from here and NATO/G10 straps from here.

Document created 2001 Aug 29, last modified 2001 Oct 04 by Urban

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