Reply With QuoteNot owned an Erikas,I prefer not to have material behind the watch but I’ve owned Nick Manky and the watch steward straps,both were very good value.Iirc both were about £35.00
Are Erikas worth the dosh? There seem to be a few cheaper alternatives.
Not owned an Erikas,I prefer not to have material behind the watch but I’ve owned Nick Manky and the watch steward straps,both were very good value.Iirc both were about £35.00
I cannot comment on the Erika straps, but I do have a Nick Manky which is very good imo.
I have an NDC strap on my PRS-50. I particularly like the NDC one because it’s actually made from military parachute webbing, unlike the Erika’s which are a facsimile.
https://ndcstraps.com
I like the look and it’s very comfortable now I’ve got the adjustment right for me. It’s comfortable for swimming, dries off quickly and doesn’t lose it’s shape.
That said, I can see that these straps are good fun, a good look if you like that sort of thing, but in practice aren’t the most practical for everyday use. A great solution for special forces divers looking for a readily available strap to go over their wetsuits, but a bit of a palaver to actually use all the time.
Is there a good quality UK made strap?
I have a few Erica's and they're great. I never liked wearing my 42mm Explorer 2 on its bracelet, I couldn't get it to sit right on my wrist with the very limited adjustment on the clasp and the crown dug into the back of my hand. On an Erica's the watch head sits perfectly and I don't notice it's there. Since lockdown started I've been wearing the watch every day, so over two months, and I find myself adjusting the strap a couple of times per day.
"A man of little significance"
"My patented Vintage khaki and green MN™ straps are made from the now rare original, - new old stock - Marine Nationale elastic webbing"Originally Posted by alfat33
My Snowflake is on one of her early straps made from the original parachute material and with the original parachute clip as clasp (unsigned) it’s the most comfortable strap I own by far. (I have an original MN issued strap and the material is the same - they were a simple loop of material without the clasp)
I have bought 2 more from her, one went to the fundraiser and the other sits in the watch box. She has improved the quality of the material, added new colours and signed clasps but they don’t have the same appeal to me - they are almost too refined now.
As to value... the quality is very good and in my opinion they are better than most of the copies of have I have tried although they are bloody expensive for a bit of elastic and steel. I will be trying a Zuludiver version soon as every strap I have had from them has been great.
Fair enough, I was going by this:
‘My patented MNStraps are made from in-house woven elastic nylon webbing ‘
https://erikasoriginals.com/mn-straps/original.php
I hadn’t realised Erika’s did another version.
Not that it makes any difference; all of these straps are modern interpretations in one way or another. The Erikas ones come in different colours which is nice.
I don't think (but maybe wrong, I haven't checked) that the Marine Nationale would patent "MN" because unlike a broad arrow it means nothing out of context. My guess would be that Erika trademarked those 2 letters precisely because she ran out of original material, found a good (some say better) substitute and didn't want anyone else to use it and claim lineage.Fair enough, I was going by this:
‘My patented MN
https://erikasoriginals.com/mn-straps/original.php
I hadn’t realised Erika’s did another version.
Not that it makes any difference; all of these straps are modern interpretations in one way or another. The Erikas ones come in different colours which is nice.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I've got an Erika's one and one of the Watchgecko ones. The Erika's is much more substantial, and therefore more secure on the wrist, the material on the Watchgecko is much lighter. I wouldn't want to use the Watchgecko one with a heavy watch. The other bonus with the Erika's is that it's made to a size for your wrist, the Watchgecko is one size fits all so it's not as easy to get a fit you like. I fine the Watchgecko one OK, the Erika's is very nice. However, I'm not so sure the Erika's are nice enough for the price they now are.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
She still has the vintage ones available (for 10 euros less). Just going through the checkout process, and it is 10 euros postage, for a damned strap. Think I'll just stick with my perlon for now!
I saw some debate about registering’ MN’ on this forum or MWR, I don’t recall which. It does seem a bit cheeky, like that guy in the US who has patented NATO for his straps. Not really a problem though. Fair play to Erika’s for popularising the look.
Last edited by alfat33; 25th May 2020 at 13:40.
A bit of old thread revival (sorry!), but had some experience recently of these. I have a couple of Erika's straps.....and to be honest I actually prefer the Aliexpress ones.
The Erika's ones are nice enough, but (a) very expensive, especially with price rises and converted into GBP, and (b) they're a bit shiny, and quite stiff to use.
I've bought quite a few from Aliexpress, and they're fantastic. Really soft and comfortable to wear, excellent hardware which is unbranded, and at 8 quid each I can buy multiple colour options for the price of one Erika's.
I had really hoped for the price that the Erika's would be streets ahead - and if the price can be accepted they are nice for colour options you can't get on Aliexpress like the 'Limited Edition' - but in all honesty the ones I bought on Aliexpress are superb, and couldn't be happier with them.
Have you got a link the the exact ones that were good?
They were all from a store called “NATOBELT Store”
Edit - example link
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000452107298.html
Great, thanks.
These are a cheap way in to "Erika's". Good value for the money imo.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124082149623
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