Where to buy watch straps

Cheapest NATO Straps

• Cheap but high quality
  
• Have lots and lots of choices
  
• I’d recommend their textile ones instead of leather
  
• You can also like their FB page and get another 10% and they often run coupon codes which apply in addition to what discounts you already have.
  
• Ships worldwide, free if order is above 26 USD
  
• Ships from Sweden, fast delivery in Europe.
  

Clockwork Synergy

• A wide selection of NATO straps and traditional leather straps.
  
• They also offer handmade straps made in the USA
  

Crown & Buckle

• Good variety of styles, sizes and lengths
  
• Fantastic customer service (example: disliked the pre-V buckles and they sent a small thumbnail buckle for free)
  
• You might get a 15% discount if you are a WUS member, use the code “watchuseek”
  
• Some of the straps I liked were a bit thick for my watches
  

F and B Buckles&Bands

• Straps are on the cheaper side
  
• Some straps come with quick release spring bars. I even got a free spring bar tool with one of my orders.
• Quality is about what you expect for the price. Some look cheap.
  
• Variety is rather limited.
  

Lake House Leathers

• They carry the popular ‘Hodinkee’, vintage or side-stitch strap style.
  
• Seem to use good leathers
  
• Limited variety and stock.
  

sandtuhr on eBay

• Carries factory seconds of rebranded and unbranded Nomos cordovan straps. I ordered one and it’s what I expected. Nomos quality with slight imperfections.
• Wide variety of straps
• Cosmetic defects will vary since they’re seconds.
• Seller is in Germany so it may take a while to get the strap depending on where you are
• Fair shipping costs
  

Europelli

• American producer who works with a variety of leathers, including a number of Horween products; also has nylon and rubber straps. No exotic hides (eg. Crocodile, lizard, etc.).
  
• Offers custom and pre-made straps (all handmade).
  
• Uses high quality materials.
  
• Relatively expensive. Other custom makers may be cheaper.
  
• The strap I have is durable and has aged well. It’s also fairly comfortable and flexible despite its thickness.
  

form.function.form

• Very small collection of button-stud watchbands in a range of cowhide leathers. Cordovan available but currently sold out with unknown restock date
  
• They make interesting button stud wristbands
  

Hirsch Straps

• Wide range of straps including rubber, leather, and exotic hide. Some options for curved end straps and ridged designs as well.
  
• Good quality and are well made
  
• Certainly aren’t the best quality leather straps that you can buy, but for the price, Hirsch would be my top choice.
  
• Hirsch straps come from the UK, so expect shipping charges and time.
  

Martu Straps

• Great value for cost
  
• They ship international
  

Nato Strap Co

• Wide selection of nylon NATO and small selection of leather NATO straps.
  
• Free shipping
  
• Only complaint is there isn’t much consistency with thickness, some of the traps i ordered don’t fit on my submariner but they do fit on other watches so I kept them
  

Panatime.com

• Wide selection of leather, NATO, shell cordovan, and exotic hide straps.
  
• Special attention paid to Panerai, Breitling, IWC, TAG Heuer, Bell & Ross

Stone Creek Straps

• Stone Creek specializes in more exotic types of leather.
  

The Strap Smith

• Large selection of leather/nylon NATO, 2 piece leather straps including numerous custom options and wide range of exotic hides.
  
• They have interesting and unique selection.
  
• Very expensive.
  

Know your straps and bands

Leather

The most common Straps are Leather straps. They come in many shapes and colours, and materials - usually calf leather, but other, more exotic animal skins are used as well (horse, lizard, snake, stingray, crocodile, alligator, ostrich are common). Many include stitching to add some ornament/colour/character to the strap.

• Textured leather: cattle skin that has been treated to look like other, more exotic animal skin
  
• Shell Cordovan leather: a specially procured type of horse leather famed for it’s toughness and longevity
  
• Other types of leather are a bit beyond scope of this guide, but Wikipedia has more
  

Here also, quality can vary a lot, from $2 GENIUNE LEATHER to four-figure hand-crafted pieces of art. A $20-$60 genuine leather strap appears to suit most people and watches though, $100-$300 for fine specimen.

Exotic Leathers is a matter of personal choice, but yours truly would like to submit that except in rare cases, printed textured leather should be preferred to genuine exotics. You don’t have to be a vegan or PETA member to show some respect for animals and their treatment and, like with shoes, jackets, or handbags, genuine exotic animal skins are problematic.

Synthetic (Rubber, plastic, caoutchouc, silicone…)

Most often seen with dive or other tool watches, but also common on more stylish designs and even high-end luxury sometimes come on rubber. 

Advantages include resistance to elements, easy cleaning and durability. Rubber is also cheaper than bracelets or leather, so if you intend to change the strap anyway, get it on rubber.

Other than that there’s not much difference to leather straps.

Canvas, Nato, Zulu

Straps made from woven fabric (originally, leather variants exist) . They are more durable than leather, can be used with fixed lugs, and are available in a variety of colours. Water resistance of course, making them popular with divers. They will also keep the watch on the wrist even if one of the springbars fails, and can be exchanged rather quickly which has lead to their popularity with people who like to vary the appearance of their watch.

• Basic canvas strap: functions much like normal leather straps.
  
• RAF or Perlon slip-through strap: the most basic military attachment, it’s a simple nylon strap with a buckle.
  
• 3-ring “NATO” strap: the modernized version of the slip-through, it attaches in a special way.
  
• 5-ring “Zulu” strap: a more hefty variant of the NATO, it attaches a bit differently. 
  

Keep an eye on quality when shopping, lower-grade ones tend to be rather thin (not always a drawback) and may fray easily. The buckle can also be quite horrible, especially on the Perlon type.

One of the reasons the NATO strap has become so popular recently is the way James bond wore his watch in the movie Goldfinger. The real James Bond strap has 9 strips and Navy blue, olive green and bordeaux (there are black-and-gray straps often marketed as “Bond”).

It’s also not a NATO strap - the NATO was introduced in the 80s, much later than the movie. It’s rather a slip-through perlon strap, and it’s not narrower than the lugs would allow on purpose, rather there were no straps of that width available at the time.

About Attachment and Endlinks

Sizing and Swapping

Here’s a good guide on how to attach and detach watch bands.

The most important measurement here is the lug width: the space between the lugs that must fit the spring bar and the band or bracelet endlinks. This is measured in millimetres and standard sizes are even numbers. Odd-sized are out there but rarer.

As a rule of thumb, odd-sized lug widths can accommodate one size larger strapsif they’re soft enough (leather, rubber, canvas), or the strap can be cut to size. Bracelet endlinks must fit exactly though.

For bands which taper towards the buckle, a second measurement is given which must match the buckle or clasp width.

Spring bars

Spring bars are by far the most common method of fixing both bands and bracelets to watch cases. They come in many shapes, and more importantly many sizes.

To remove and replace a spring bar a Spring bar tool is the preferred way of working with these (it’s not required though, for one-off jobs small screwdrivers or knives can be used). If you intend to change straps often, get a tool though, they’re cheap and handy.

Make sure the springbar fits as firmly as possible (size up the bar if in doubt), dropping mechanical watches is not fun.

Endlinks and shaped strap ends

If you want your bracelet to fit snugly around the case, you will have to find the correct endlinks. This is an example of a generic attachment without endlinks fitted to the case. It does fit, but there is a gap between the end of the bracelet and the case. Curved endlinks will bridge that gap and it will look like this.

• hollow endlink: The cheap and common version, it’s a piece of sheet metal in the right shape to hug the case, accept the spring bar and attach to the last link of the bracelet. The main advantage is the price, as it is much cheaper than the solid version. The drawback is generally a more loose connection, and rattling can occur.
  
• solid endlink: The more desirable version, usually found in more expensive watches and bracelets, and custom pieces. A bit heavier, but also longer lasting.
  

Finding the correct endlink for a random bracelet and watch can be a challenge, so endlinks should be bought together with the bracelet and must fit the case and lug shape.

Rubber or leather straps also sometimes are shaped to hug the case or lugs. This is a form of “proprietary” attachment and has the same problems, as mentioned below.

Fixed/soldered lugs

These are usually found on older (pre-1950s) watches, often military style but also many dress or trench watches. They consist of a simple loop of wire soldered to the case or between the lugs.

There are special leather straps available which can be fixed to these watches. They come either as an open loop that’s slipped around the wire and then glued, or have a clip of metal inside to fix the loop ends together.

Slip-through straps like NATO/ZULU, canvas slip-through or Bund style can also be used with these.

Non-standard/proprietary/integrated band attachments

Some watch models and brands do not have a standard way of attaching their straps and bracelets. This is most common with fashion watches, but almost all manufacturers have models which do this.

• Swatch band
  
• Skagen band
  
• Citizen bracelet
  
• Royal Oak
  

These straps can be problematic because replacement depends on availability. For some versions, straps can be cut to size or adapters are available. For others, one must buy from the original manufacturer.

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