In case you 
were wondering, we’re still deep in the throes of our unhinged adoration of vintage watches. And beyond the serial numbers, specific dial and hand configurations and rare bezels that mark out the market and its obsessive collectors lies yet another, more accessible, aspect of vintage watch collecting: NATO straps.
It turns out that your vintage timepiece – Rolex being the predominant brand here – can be infinitely customisable thanks to a nylon strap that collectors call the NATO. It is based upon the standard watch strap issued by the British Ministry of Defense and acquired its NATO moniker due to the NATO Stock Number which identifies this type of strap.
So, what’s so interesting about a piece of nylon strap, you ask? Everything, it turns out.
Suddenly, your timepiece becomes infinitely adaptable
in order to suit your dress and mood. A NATO strap’s ability to highlight specific dial/hand/bezel colours, patinas and even the sheen of the metal on the watch case is spectacular. We cannot tell you what a difference this makes to even the most mundane of timepieces and what an important part of an overall watch’s look this can play.
Despite the two featured rather conservative strap variations on our own 1665 Maxi-Dial Sea-Dweller, the choice of straps you can buy is mind-boggling. What’s more, the added safety of the additional piece of nylon that runs under the watch means it will survive a broken spring bar, should your taste run to jumping our of fast-moving cars or off of cliffs.
And there’s more. We can categorically state that a NATO strap is the most comfortable watch strap we have ever worn. Ever. In fact, the original metal bracelets that came with Straight-Six’s Sea-Dweller and Submariner have been laying in his watch box gathering dust. The NATO strap is light, perfect-fitting, breathable and tough. And the nylon piece that runs under the caseback has another advantage: it keeps the metal from touching your wrist – a boon in both hot and cold weather.
In other words, a NATO strap is the tie you wear with your horological suit and we simply cannot get enough of them…
The Prodigal Fool
Straight-Six
Patito
Lady B
Matt
25 January 2010
God. That black and white, and pure black nato strap looks STUNNING. It transforms the watch from the common place into something altogether more special. For the first time ever…. I would consider getting a sub.
Not sure I agree with the matching of the patina Straight-Six. Much better in pure black.
The Prodigal Fool
25 January 2010
I actually think the sand-coloured strap is the most interesting. The black and white ones leave the watch a little flat to my eyes.
But I think what this illustrates perfectly is how a simple strap can transform the look of an otherwise fairly ubiquitous watch.
Me? I’d seek out the ‘James Bond’ NATO. There’s a guy in the States who makes perfect replicas of the strap Connery wore on his Submariner in the opening sequence of Goldfinger.
Now that’s what Straight-Six should do next…
Straight-Six
25 January 2010
Matt, the sand-coloured strap really is quite spectacular – the photos don’t do it justice. But The Fool raises an important point: you can mix n’ match at will. It literally takes 20 seconds to switch from one NATO strap to the next.
And as for the excellent suggestion of tracking down a replica of Connery’s strap, well, consider it done, Ms. Moneypenny…
The Prodigal Fool
25 January 2010
In that case dear boy, let me point you to:
http://rolexblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/real-james-bond-watchstrap-comes-to.html
I think you’ll find that everything you need to know is right there.
Good luck, 007.
Ben
26 January 2010
A great post, and couldn’t agree more, at least with diving watches from Rolex. In fact, I think the Sub/SD/GMT are all ideally suited for a NATO, but the Daytona is meant for leather, and the Explorer I, steel. Before I bought my Blackout Explorer I, I purchased three different NATO straps for it (black, James Bond, tan), thinking I would end up wearing the tan one. I spent an afternoon with them all and found none of them suited the Explorer better than the stock Rolex stainless steel bracelet. Haven’t removed it once since that day.
DRSD on tan nato though? Will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.
The Prodigal Fool
9 April 2010
Just wondering whether you’d say the same about the new Explorer I just unveiled at BaselWorld.
I’m thinking the increase in size has given it the presence it needs to pull of a NATO.
What do you think?
Straight-Six
27 January 2010
Ben,
I know we’re starting to sound like a horological love-fest here, but I think you’re spot on about the standard stainless bracelet being a must for the Explorer I. Try as others might, it doesn’t have the visual heft to accommodate NATO or leather straps.
This is why the Sub/GMT/SD are so well suited to the width and brawn of a NATO; their dial, habitually larger case size and bezels balance things out nicely. I have recently been experimenting with a lovely black leather strap on my Rolex 6536-1 (which has just had a NOS Tropic 16 put in, to stunning effect – post to follow) and am genuinely torn about whether the NATO does it better. Though this may just be down to being used to the latter and the leather replacement not being exactly what I was looking for.
Now, where we perhaps differ is the Daytona. I agree that leather is lovely, but it depends a great deal on which Daytona we’re talking about. Any pre-Zenith Daytona would go down a treat with a little cow skin, but look equally spectacular on the standard stainless bracelet.
Given I am now intent on acquiring a 1988/89 R- or L-series Daytona with the floating Cosmograph dial, I find that the brushed stainless bracelets that accompanied these models were absolutely spot on in holding back the polished bezel and increased “brightness” of the piece. And although I am actually partial to the polished centre-link bracelets that followed, Rolex utterly destroyed any exclusivity by rolling it out to every other damned line they have.
This leads me to conclude that modern Daytonas once again need some leather to ensure we can look at them without going blind…
Boris
4 March 2010
Great article! Could not agree more… Btw, great blog as well on different topics!