Reply With Quotethis is close ish but double striped - https://barkandjack.com/collections/...ttd-nato-strap
My endless history with Tudor continues. I have another BB58 inbound and would like to wear it on a nato. I don’t fancy spending crazy Tudor money for OEM, so what are the close alternatives to the black and gold Tudor version? Crown & buckle look good but it a pain ordering from the states.
https://www.crownandbuckle.com/supre...ck-desert.html
this is close ish but double striped - https://barkandjack.com/collections/...ttd-nato-strap
I've had a couple of those straps from Crown and Buckle and they came fast enough. Decent quality as well. Didn't feel quite so easy to adjust as the real deal from Tudor but for the money they were excellent.
I could never find anywhere else with similar quality/price ratio so just went with them a couple of times now - worth the wait.
Never got hit by customs either.
I ended up buying a couple of single pass straps from CNS but there have been some positive comments on these https://www.zuludiver.com/collections/octopod in the last few weeks. I'm tempted to try one on my BB58.
I have these and am very happy, I got them on sale for £12 delivered but they’re great value at full price!
https://www.watchgecko.com/products/...ap-black-beige
https://www.watchgecko.com/products/...ap-black-beige
Thanks all will have a look at those suggestions.
Just found this ( another c&b). But that looks pretty close https://www.crownandbuckle.com/chevr...noir-gilt.html
I've baulked at paying £340 for the genuine Tudor NATO for my BB58 so have a £20 one from Watchgecko
It looks quite meaty in the photo but in reality it's a bit thinner than I'd like. My Bremont NATO is better (and costlier, but not Tudor money), but I think I'll experiment further.
I did go in to check out the Tudor NATO yesterday and while it was nice, it wasn't £340 nice
That 925 is ace, I miss mine. The taupe dial and bezel in steel would be ace. I agree the Bremont NATOs are very good, as the leather ones.
Last edited by Middo; 21st February 2023 at 17:35.
That's the one I have. Also got a flat blue one (I think, I'm colourblind).Originally Posted by Middo
OT: I'm gobsmacked the OEM one is £340, I had to take a deep breath buying my Omega NATO at £160!
That BB looks ace, I hadn’t realised the hands were blue, is it only this version?
The hands are silver/ steel. It’s the light, that said you should try one on the case metal has a lovely warm hue.
I think they are silver... polished and reflecting the sky.
THIN is the new BLACK
the best alternative to a Nato is a NOT nato, far better choice
Any pics of it fitted Nick?
And yes that’s crazy money for a nato.
I have that C&B Chevron that I wear on my BB58 - works very well.
These are great straps, not found anything better for the money - I have collected quite a few now in various colours!
Correct
The "justification" for the price of the OEM one is that it's made in France by the same people that weave garments for the pope, and the buckle and other metal bits are 925 silver to match the watch case.
Now, if the pope was delivering it...
Ignoring the price, a frustration of the OEM strap is that, rather than your straightforward double NATO, it's single pass with eyelets for the spring bars (that likely makes it more expensive as well). A consequence of this is that you can't slip the NATO off to look at the display back but have to remove at least one spring bar
Just ordered a couple. Took me 2 mins.
Dead easy,
$7 shipping international. Pay with PayPal or Apple Pay and you don’t even need to add your address.
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£340 why so dear? Mine was £160 pre Christmas surely they cant have doubled?I've baulked at paying £340 for the genuine Tudor NATO for my BB58 so have a £20 one from Watchgecko
It looks quite meaty in the photo but in reality it's a bit thinner than I'd like. My Bremont NATO is better (and costlier, but not Tudor money), but I think I'll experiment further.
I did go in to check out the Tudor NATO yesterday and while it was nice, it wasn't £340 nice
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Is that the one for the 925?
I've not got a Tudor price list, but there are a lot of Tudor fabric straps listed on ebay for north of £200, so £160 seems like a (relative) bargain
I really like the texture of Phoenix NATOs and would rather like to see a black BB58 on a grey one…
Not for the 925, just the OG BB58. But can’t imagine the silver strap being more than double the price.
Mine was bought as a Christmas gift, and the prices on eBay were above £200 then.
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Can I ask where you got it from so I could try there?
Goldsmiths Bluewater - was quoted £160 back in June/ July. Then decided not to go ahead, November I placed the order as the other half wanted to get me it for Christmas, think it was meant to be £170, but I was invoiced £160.
Great strap especially the way it fits (spring bar holes, single pass) yes the marketing behind the historic technique plays a part in the price, but better than any other natos I've tried. Omegas are in the same price bracket I believe, but not single pass, but definitely softer.
If you do get one, make sure you have a good strap changing tool, I had some heavy duty type tweezers which worked getting the bracelet off, but the tolerances with the nato and new spring bars meant I had to use my Bergeon
One of these worked for me https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334739018...mis&media=COPY.
I got mine from a different seller but you get the idea
Hopefully my C&B straps won’t be long.
Last edited by Middo; 24th February 2023 at 15:15.
My C&B straps have arrived.
I also ordered a couple for comparison from David at The Strap Tailor.
I will do more write-up later.
Long story short - if you want the Tudor style nato, go to The Strap Tailor. £28 or something, and as close as you like to the original Tudor version.
(I have had a number of both, so can say that fairly confidently)
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If will look forward to your write up as I’m looking for new nato style straps for my Blackbay ETA that are similar to the OE ones . I rang a Tudor boutique and got quoted just over £200 and they would only let me order if I came in and gave them my details and had a chat. I shall shop elsewhere as I am not playing their stupid little Rolex wannabe games.
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Last edited by Stilgoe1972; 10th March 2023 at 22:07.
Do you use the original spring bars that came with the bracelet? I don’t like to use flanged bars as it’s so easy for a nato to grip the flanges and for the watch to pop off - with no lug holes on the BB58 I’m at a bit of a loss. Does anyone make a nato like the original with holes for the spring bars?
Currently using them on a GS diver - which has drilled lugs, so no probs using the spring bars as they are already shoulderless.
I actually don’t recall with regards to the Tudors I had.
Pretty confident that I used the bars they came with (and all were bracelet originally)
You can buy some decent shoulderless ones if you really want, and just snip them off if you need to revert to bracelet, go back to gen bars.
I have also done that before.
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Interesting- I am waiting for mine to arrive. I went for
The fancy version with the higher grade hardware.
I wear mine on an Erika's Original, usually black with sand stripe. Very comfortable. My photo kind of washes out the sand stripe, in real life it matches the color of the photo on the EO site.
On an EO Havana with Mokka stripe (I wear this strap on a different watch now but really like it).
Yeh, I got 2 - a Matte Supreme (top?) single pass and a Premium NATO.
The Supreme has a stitched end, assume over the cut and heat sealed - which is a nice touch:
And the hardware seems better (nowt wrong with the Premium though):
The Supreme is soft-ish, with a broad weave.
My TST nato is tighter weave and much stiffer - but looks and feels a touch higher in quality when wearing (IMO)
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I rang my local AD about getting a NATO and it was about £140 but the watch had to go to Tudor to have it fitted….
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Yeap it was £140 for the nato strap without the buckle. I said it was a nato and the metalwork was incorporated and she then added the buckle and it came to £210. I gave up at that point .
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I like that stitched end , as you say that’s a nice detail.
I went for the chevron noble gilt. The material is a different weave and similar keepers with brushed and polished finish. I will bang some pics up when it arrives
The Seiko NATOs are silly money too. The only one that are OEM and reasonable I have come across we’re Bremont, they shave a nice stamped propeller on them too.
Honestly, if the Tudor ones are £210, I have no idea where the £185 extra goes.
This was just under £30 delivered from The Strap Tailor.
It is very well made, lovely soft material, good hardware and stitching, and has the same clasp system.
It might not have been weaved by French artisan eunuchs on Palaeolithic looms, but I tell you - I think you need your head seeing to if you pay that money.
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Last edited by notenoughwrists; 12th March 2023 at 10:57.
Here the top spec C&B. Noble strap, the hardware is similar to OEM with brushed finish and polished bevels.
The fabric is has a sheen to it, hopefully that will dull down a bit.
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Last edited by Middo; 12th March 2023 at 14:25.
Here’’s what my 58 is currently on. A khaki with barley stripe single pass from CNS. I’’m tempted to try a black with gold but really love this combo:
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Last edited by Shakespeare; 12th March 2023 at 12:21.
The Strap Tailor ones look very good - and as I’m in the UK much easier/cheaper to obtain than the C&B version. Am I missing something or is there not a black/barley striped version available from The Strap Tailor? The closest seems to be a black and blue weave with the single stripe but not really sure what to make of that combo? - seems odd they have lots of colourways but not the obvious coloured one for the OG 58?Honestly, if the Tudor ones are £210, I have no idea where the £185 extra goes.
This was just under £30 delivered from The Strap Tailor.
It is very well made, lovely soft material, good hardware and stitching, and has the same clasp system.
It might not have been weaved by French artisan eunuchs on Palaeolithic looms, but I tell you - I think you need your head seeing to if you pay that money.
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That’s the issue not many do a black weave with a gold stripe
That’s a good pairingHere’’s what my 58 is currently on. A khaki with barley stripe single pass from CNS. I’’m tempted to try a black with gold but really love this combo:
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As the Tudor one for mine is £340 rather than a mere £210, I've messaged them to ask how close they could get to the taupe Tudor original
That’s interesting mine was including the metal work
Also the same for leather strap
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Some pics for those interested of the too spec C&B
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What about one with bronze hardware? Quality bronze hardware, a copper aluminium bronze, not just a redish pvd coating.
I have yet to try a bronze watch. Probably should at some point.
They do a black / barley one - it is the one I bought.
Let me check exact product code and confirm.
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It had the classic NATO keeper but I just cut it neatly, sealed it with a hot knife, and it works a treat.
The - woven nylon single pass - is closer to the Tudor original, but as you say they don’t do a black black. It has a blue weave
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