Spyderco Forums

Whats your favorite material? What are some good watchband websites/makers?

I love the woven nylon bands, like this Zulu from NatoStrapCo.

Light, comfortable, durable, quiet, affordable, and you can change them in seconds.

I prefer rubber as they tend to stay put on my wrist...My Tissots have rubber straps and do the job for me, likewise my G-shocks.

Maratac Mil-Series is all I use on any of my watches anymore. I've come to love the feel so much I stopped wearing G-Shocks because they don't accept this kind of band without some funky adapters that I hate the looks of.

About half way down the page.
http://www.broadarrow.net/maratac.htm


I prefer them over any traditional NATO/Zulu strap because they use a nylon loop instead of the steel rings. This lays flatter and doesn't clank on things all the time, like when you're typing, etc.

I like leather straps best. Panatime.com is usually where I buy straps but it depends.

I prefer a good oyster-style bracelet and most of my watches are on bracelets. I have 2 watches on ZULU straps and 2 on rubber, and one watch on leather.

A good bracelet that fits me well is most comfortable for me. A ZULU is comfortable and easy to wear, and I like the look on some of my watches, but the one little problem I have with ZULU straps is that they don't hold the watch completely in position on my wrist. They let it rotate away from me a little bit.

I had a spare rubber strap and recently put it on a new large diver that I bought. This is a thin, rubbery, stretchy strap that I can wear a little tight and it will hold my watch in position without being uncomfortable. Trying to buy another strap I discover that it is hard to find good rubber straps, and good ones can be expensive. I did find one good brand and bought one. It works but is not as comfortable as my original strap.

My one remaining leather strap is a thick strap on a large aviator watch. It fits me reasonably well and is comfortable, and holds my watch in position better than most of my past leather straps. I think what makes it work is that it keeps a curve that fits my wrist.

I do have a NATO strap on my utility Luminox. It is a very light strap and goes well with the light watch. It fits well and I don't even feel it when I'm wearing it. I wear it while working on my car or whatever. It's not pretty and it is hard to put on.

Here is an example of a good oyster bracelet:




This is the ZULU that I wear the most:




My newest rubber strap:




My remaining leather strap:




My utility watch with NATO strap:

Great topic SG, I got a Lum-Tec Combat B32 for Christmas this year and absolutely love the watch, it came with a Black Nato and a leather Nato, been using the Black Nato and really like. I would like to pick up a nice custom leather band for it, not Nato. Anyone have any suggestions or sites I can check out?

If you like the Rubber/neoprene style, consider upgrading to Silicone.
Much the same price and comfy to wear. Theoretically, they will not degrade/perish like rubber/neo.

I have been using one since having battery changed 1x year ago and strap loop was U/S.
Watchmaker who is a friend, suggested I consider Silicone replacement. More stretchy and comfortable. No worries about spilling petrol/diesel anymore. Done.
Won't go back to older fabrics now.

The downside of this style of course, is that if you break a spring bar, the watch will be lost.
This is one of the advantages of the Nato style strap. If one spring bar collapses, the watch will be retained by the 2nd one..

I like stainless steel bands...



... and silicone bands.

I like metal watch bands for their looks and durability. I’ve been a longtime fan of Speidel metal expansion watch bands for their ease of use and adjustability. Then I purchased a TAG Heuer automatic, which came with a metal, three-row bracelet. Up until then I wasn’t a fan of metal bracelets for watches, but since the TAG Heuer automatic was too heavy for a Speidel expansion band, I decided to give their three-row bracelet a try... and, I liked what they provided! :) The big selling point for me on the TAG Heuer watch bracelet was its comfortable design and the locking clasp.

TALON52 wrote:I like stainless steel bands...

****, thats a thick watch....
How far does it stand off your wrist ?
Makes my Ecozilla look tiny.


I am wearing my Apple watch most days now - switching between the apple woven nylon, and original rubber straps.
rubber at the office (because it looks neater, in my opinion) and Nylon everywhere else

I use my watches on a regular basis. They are a lot more than a collector's item...they are a regular part of my wardrobe, like my shirts.Tend toward the affordable ($1000 and less, usually much less http://jonsguide.org/best-top-watches-u ... 0-reviews/), though I do have a few Omegas that are worth more. I also have too many watches, and that seems to be the one common thread in my collecting. I like Seiko and Orient, and especially vintage Seikos. To me, they are great values.

I like OROBAY Milanese loop band for Sports best for apple watch band. looking Apple’s original the same version, just only for $17.99 and free shipping,Easy to Remove and Replace,18-Month Warranty 100%, Even if you are playing game it will not loosing your watch. And more information read this thread.

I've come to find the "rubber" (actually some kind of carbon fiber in polymer thing) found in G's work best for me



I tried to like NATO/Zulu straps but just couldn't.

That Apple strap looks very nice though. If I ever wanted an Apple Watch I'd give that a go.

Ken

I recently got a Fitbit and whatever the band material is with it is what I now like best. Next would be whatever rubber/plastic/whatever they use on G-Shock and similar.

I have found Barton Bands to have a great selection of colors and materials, and all their bands use their quick release spring bars so it’s really easy to swap.

I prefer leather, then steel. Right now I’m rocking a black silicon band. It’s waterproof. Plus, my wrists are too big around for standard sized bands. This one fits, barely.

Doc Dan wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 5:43 am

I prefer leather, then steel. Right now I’m rocking a black silicon band. It’s waterproof. Plus, my wrists are too big around for standard sized bands. This one fits, barely.

I have large wrists too.

Barton Bands, Wrist Candy or Blue Shark have NATO bands etc.

They all have longer lengths available.

Ankerson wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 6:12 am

Doc Dan wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 5:43 am

I prefer leather, then steel. Right now I’m rocking a black silicon band. It’s waterproof. Plus, my wrists are too big around for standard sized bands. This one fits, barely.

I have large wrists too.

Barton Bands, Wrist Candy or Blue Shark have NATO bands etc.

They all have longer lengths available.

Thanks. I’ll look into them.

Eulit "Panama" nylon weave is a great material that's rugged and breathable. But I like leather even better... Rios 1931's Russian leather" or "Juchten" is an affordable alternative to the even better Cordovan (vintage self type cordovan straps are amazing!), shark skin is also a nice durable, but interesting material and for less durable, but more stylish leather Ostrich is pretty cool.

I'll try to remember to post some pics of a few of the *dozens* of bands I have.