Reply With QuoteGreat buy that - thanks very much and order placed.
One of the things that attracted me to the original blue FXD was the lovely striped fabric strap that came with it. Whilst it’s not the easiest to use, once on the wrist it melts away and looks the nuts - unique, sporty and purposeful.
But like many owners I’’ve noticed the Velcro losing more and more grip to the point that I resorted to using a 22mm keeper from a cheap NATO strap to stop it releasing. Not great considering I bought mine mid-2022 and I only really wear it on the weekends. It also bothered me that the strap is a fraction short so there was a fair bit of unsightly black Velcro on show at 6.
When I spoke to couple of ADs they stated that it was a wear and tear issue and agreed that it was disappointing given the asking price of the watch. They offered to send the whole watch away to be analysed by Tudor (why do they need to send the whole watch?!), but that in similar cases they have not accepted any warranty responsibility. I was then quoted ‘about £200’ for a replacement (I understand that they have made some marginal improvements with the 2023 version).
All in all I was a bit miffed and resorted to using some cool elastic Marine Nationale style parachute straps. Until, that is,I found a very good replacement on AliExpress https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJlnNpL
The strap landed today and I have to say it is superb - quite frankly amazing quality for the asking price and loads of grip on the Velcro. I’d go as far as to say it is hard to tell much of a difference from the original - perhaps a fraction ‘bluer’ which actually matches the bezel and dial a little better. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking to get the look of the original strap for a fraction of the replacement price.
Here’s the original looking a little tired…
And next to the fitted AliX replacement…
And with the added bonus that it’s a perfect length for my 7.5” wrist ;-)
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Last edited by pjsayer; 7th February 2024 at 15:48.
Great buy that - thanks very much and order placed.
It’ll be the fluffy loop side. Get the sewing machine out and sew in a new fluffy bit!
Tudor should read this thread and hang their heads in shame
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Ordered a couple
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Not sure my sewing skills are up to the challenge! And you shouldn’t have to do that 18 months after purchase with minimal wear. Just as well I love the watch ;-)Originally Posted by matt74
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True indeed but a 200 quid strap still only has 10p worth of velcro on it.
Never bothered with using the Velcro strap after reading the forum threads, however I must say their rubber nato with the Fxd is incredible. So much that I’m using it on my Tudor gmt as well
Mine arrived from aliexpress. Sadly, on my 7.5inch wrist, it’s massive and unwearable. Real shame, as it feels very decent quality wise.
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Could you post a picture of the GMT on the rubber nato? I'm intrigued.
TIA
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Try tucking the end of the strap back under the second keeper. Would that help as it's a good looking strap?Mine arrived from aliexpress. Sadly, on my 7.5inch wrist, it’s massive and unwearable. Real shame, as it feels very decent quality wise.
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Stumbled across this on eBay - bit more expensive but less than the Tudor. Not seen one in person but looks like nato webbing which will be different to the Tudor webbing.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126242434...mis&media=COPY
Will take a punt on the AliExpress one, might be a good holiday backup.
There’s no second keeper. It’s a really good looking strap, but the sizing is bizarre. To get it to a sensible fit, only about 3mm of the Velcro is actually being used, so it works loose within ten minutes.
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I’ve ordered one and it’ll no doubt be too big for me so will see how easy to shorten it and post the results.
CNS have a small selection of one piece velcro fastening straps-
https://cnswatchbands.com/search.php...h_query=velcro
What about the watch geko luna series? I was thinking of getting one for my GMT?
https://www.watchgecko.com/collections/lunar-moonwatch
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This thread prompted me to order a few Tudor style NATO straps for a few £s each.
I have to say they are pretty good…
z
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Unless they’ve changed them in the last couple of years, the ones I tried from CNS were very short - I think you’d be lucky to get a good fit if your wrist is any bigger than about 6in diameter!
I think these are two piece so wouldn’t work with the FXD.
According to the website-
"The strap measures 25,5 cm including the steel ring."
That's a pity.
If I can find the ones I bought I'll measure it and report back...
Last edited by andy100; 16th February 2024 at 22:55.
With that sort of response from Tudor I would not be surprised if they void your warranty for using a non-OEM strap……
But like many owners I’’ve noticed the Velcro losing more and more grip to the point that I resorted to using a 22mm keeper from a cheap NATO strap to stop it releasing. Not great considering I bought mine mid-2022 and I only really wear it on the weekends. It also bothered me that the strap is a fraction short so there was a fair bit of unsightly black Velcro on show at 6.
Haha I’ve given up trying to get anything out of them. Shame as I love the watch and the original strap.
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I purchased the same black/grey version from AliExpress as well for some variety. Probably closer in colour to the original…
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The material is very soft and pliable unlike the Tactical Frog version which is stiffer and less comfortable on the wrist.
The strap is absolutely the perfect length for my 7.5” wrist…
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I have seen stories of people being told that a paid for at full price watch service will not be performed unless the owner produces the OEM strap or bracelet for the watch. If they can’t or won’t, a new OEM strap or bracelet is a mandatory line item on the service.
When I asked if they would furnish me with the short version of the OEM velcro for my FXD that I just spent £3500 on, I was told that would be another nearly £200. I was not impressed.
When I try to purchase one of these on AliExpress it says they are not available to ship to the UK?
I managed to order ok from the OPs link.
I've just measure the CNS velcro strap and I'd say that measurement is correct. However the strap is too way short for my approx 7.25in wrist as you can see in the below pic. You can see how tightly I've had to tighten the strap to get it to secure - any less and there's not enough velcro to hold in place (plus there's a bit of a weirdly slightly thicker bit of the hook side of the velcro at the inner end which means that whole section doesn't bend and as such is unusable to fold over). Perhaps if your wrist is <7" then you might be ok?
Oddly the 22mm version on a different watch fits very well
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Here’s the AliExpress one next to the Tudor.
AE - around 30.3cm for the whole thing, 29cm for the fabric part excluding buckle
T - 29.5 whole thing, 28.1 excluding buckle.
Not much in it but the Tudor fits perfectly for me meaning this is a bit long so I’ll adjust it.
One of our customers has had problems with two straps which went "as fluffy as a bushman's beard".
Tudor replaced the first one with the help of our local Tudor area manager and we replaced the second one as a goodwill gesture as the second strap had worn as badly as the first.
Third strap so far so good so hopefully problem has been addressed.....
My Tudor and Rolex warranty booklets state the substitution of components with, or the addition of, components or accessories not manufactured by Tudor/Rolex will invalidate the guarantee.
Literally that means straps too.
Last edited by markbannister; 7th March 2024 at 19:01.
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