« The NATO Strap Trend »
Almost every luxury watchmaker now offers colorful textile watch straps. The so-called NATO strap is rugged, on-trend, and has become an indispensable part of countless luxury watch models.
They are comfortable to wear, come in a wide range of color combinations, and show off many models to perfection. We're talking about the NATO watch strap. The first straps of this kind appeared shortly after World War II: French divers, and later pilots and navigators of the British Army, used them to secure their service watches especially firmly. Today, even luxury watches are completed with a NATO strap, adding creativity and individuality while preserving the strap's original practicality.
The Story of a Watch Strap
As late as the 1950s, French Navy divers were issued their watches without straps and made their own from the tear-resistant webbing of parachute harnesses. The material was elastic, comfortable to wear, and held fast even over diving suits. Even earlier, during World War II, British navigators and pilots fastened their watches with canvas straps. The bars were fixed firmly to the watch, and the strap ran through them beneath the case: while other bars broke under heavy strain, these mostly soldered bars kept the watch securely on the wearer's wrist.
In the 1960s, the British Ministry of Defence developed a standard for the watch strap that would go down in history as the NATO strap. Originally made of tear-resistant nylon, this one-piece strap is threaded through the spring bars between the lugs and stays firmly on the wrist even if one spring bar breaks. A soldier who wanted to order a strap had to fill out a so-called G10 form and initially received one of the 20 mm nylon straps in "admiralty grey." Later, the straps were also produced in regimental colors. Back then, surely no one was thinking of luxury watches.
Tudor Set the Trend
Sports watch manufacturers were the first to adopt the nylon NATO strap, securing their watches firmly on the wrist so that they, too, could withstand any strain. Tudor was ultimately the first major brand to recognize and exploit the strap's design potential for luxury watches.
There is, however, certainly one famous precursor: as James Bond in "Goldfinger," Sean Connery read the time from a Rolex Submariner worn on a navy blue nylon strap with green and red stripes.
Tudor's designers created special straps, which they had made by a weaving mill specializing in trims and ribbons. Other manufacturers soon followed suit, so that at Baselworld 2016 almost every brand presented such a strap on at least one model. The strap is often designed to match the dial color or to provide an attractive contrast to it. For the Heritage Ranger, for example, Tudor offers a NATO strap with a camouflage pattern woven directly into the strap in raised relief.
The Tissot T-Sport Quickster Chronograph, for instance, can be worn on a white nylon strap with a narrow woven-in blue and red stripe or on a navy blue nylon strap with narrow white edges.
Luxury Watches on NATO Straps
Almost all luxury watchmakers fit many of their models with nylon straps that are as rugged and easy to clean as their military ancestors. They give any watch a sporty look on the wrist, are functional, and always catch the eye.
As with the original straps, most of them can be adjusted to any length for a perfect fit. Rolex, Omega, Nomos, Maurice Lacroix – there is hardly a manufacturer that does without these easily interchangeable, comfortable straps.
Made and Offered in Many Colors and Variations
The strap originally referred to as the NATO strap is made entirely of nylon, with a metal buckle and two metal keepers. Several variations exist:
Zulu Strap
This term denotes a pass-through strap made of a sturdier, thicker material than the actual NATO strap. The name is trademarked and belongs to the US company Maratac Inc. The metal rings are rounder and heavier, as is the buckle. These straps are, however, often also called Heavy-Duty or Extreme.
3- or 5-Ring Strap
This is what a Zulu strap is called when it has either three or five rings attached. The buckle ring is counted, however, so a 3-ring strap has two additional rings and a 5-ring strap has five rings.
RAF or Army Strap
These simple pass-through straps have neither a second strap nor rings. The keeper is made of the same material as the strap. The strap is used both by the RAF (the British Royal Air Force) and by US forces.
Bond Strap
Striped straps are often given this name, like the one on the watch James Bond wore on his wrist in "Goldfinger."
Bund Strap
For a long time, the German Bundeswehr used a strap with a relatively wide pad beneath the watch, which dates back to World War I: back then, officers wore leather straps with a pocket watch sewn into them.
Perlon Strap
Since the mid-1960s, there have been straps made of braided Perlon with a tang buckle that can be fastened at any point along the strap.
More Than a Trend
With the NATO strap, which some manufacturers simply call a textile strap, luxury watches are also embracing a simple yet very stylish and functional component that keeps growing in popularity. That makes us confident that this strap is not a trend horology will have forgotten in a few years, but rather a type of strap that, if it isn't already, will soon be among the established styles.
