Reply With QuoteI cut off unnecessary part and have a single pass strap.
I hate having all the hardware showing near the watch head. This solution works for me.
I cut off unnecessary part and have a single pass strap.
Ditto,Originally Posted by Normunds
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
because of the question was: How do you wear your NATO?
:))
Prefer single pass - for me Haveston Natos and Canvas are the best. I don't like tucking in due to the added bulk and their floating keeper is so nice.
I did try that a couple of years ago, when someone suggested it. I find the watch head a bit too floppy on the wrist that way. I have a strap that just loops through the lugs in a single piece (I think these are known as "RAF style"?) and for the same reason I don't use it. I'm quite happy with the traditional method.
Thanks for that insight. I have always worn mine with the hardware showing but since seeing how you have it I have swapped mine and found a whole new way of wearing it round the back. I like the fact that there are now not 2 layers of nylon behind the watch head so it sits a bit flatter on the wrist.
This is how I have always worn NATO's
I do love how all the hardware is now on the under side of the wrist.
Thanks
I do the same as Normunds. I find that the metalwork on 3 ring zulus is too heavy looking for a lot of watches.
I can’t quite see how the NATO is mounted in the original post. Is the extra flap somehow still there?
That's how I roll.
Missed the link!
Just gave that a quick try with a watch with an unmolested NATO. Fun to try but think it’s not for me - didn’t like the 4 layers of material I ended up with under my wrist.
Can see the benefits though to preserve decent NATOs - I only buy cheap ones so not too bothered by some surgery!
Three ring or cut the offending appendage off i will always buy a three ring zulu over a five ring nato if possible
I FEEL LIKE I'M DIAGONALLY PARKED IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE
I’ve been doing it exactly like this for a few years now. Much neater and more comfortable.
I was just mulling thios over, but actually it sits pretty flat and certainly flatter than the average delpoyant.
Same here, but it seems to be getting harder and harder to source decent 3-ring Zulus for some reason. The colour and pattern options are also much greater for NATOs.
I wear it properly with the surplus strap doubled back through the keepers, I like it that way.
My wrist is so large ( 8 inches ) I never have enough strap left to turn under.
+1
i always find that natos and zulus look great on other peoples wrists, but on my 8 inch fat bloke wrists they just make my wrist look.....fat! really must clear out my strap box.
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
I really like the hardware visible on the strap, to the point i cannot get on with RAF straps as they look half finished to me.
Putting it on this way would make me feel I was missing all the bits. Or perhaps would balance it out & it’s the lack of that causing me an issue. Off to experiment later.
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I hate the massive bulk on a nato. I've tried...and can't get on with them. I have a few USM natos instead (from watch gecko). No metal hardware, stitched keepers instead and a single pass.
The "tuck in" of a normal two piece Nato is an ugly, bulky thing. Once converted to the RAF style the hardware can be slid to a suitable position under the wrist and is much less obtrusive. I've now started to shorten my Natos as well, as I always use them in one of two holes depending on wrist swelling/contraction, which gets rid of the "tuck in" altogether. I did it first on my Timefactors De Luxe, and depending on the exact length to be left I'll be doing them all as I come to wear them. It's not as good as a pass through Haveston with sliding keeper, but it's still neat and tidy. The shortening is done in the time honoured way with the strap clamped between two suitably sized coins, then cut with sharp scissors and sealed with a Turboflame lighter.
I also experimented with removing the fixed keeper on a standard thickness Nato and putting it on as a sliding keeper as per Haveston, but although the Havestons can slide they are fixed to the strap, and I found that with my version the keeper could easily slide off when changing or not in use, so I reversed the procedure.
Haveston is the best solution, be it nylon or canvas. (the picture makes the strap look far thicker than it actually is)
Last edited by magirus; 10th August 2020 at 15:51.
F.T.F.A.
Cheers for this Tony,
I've never been a big fan of NATO's but always end up trying them on various watches.
Certainly an improvement in fit/look for me, I definitely prefer this to the regular way
Still not convinced it's the right strap for my GMT but definitely better for now....still searching
That looks great - I think GMTs look really nice on NATOs.Cheers for this Tony,
I've never been a big fan of NATO's but always end up trying them on various watches.
Certainly an improvement in fit/look for me, I definitely prefer this to the regular way
Still not convinced it's the right strap for my GMT but definitely better for now....still searching
I prefer single pass, so it’s that or regular NATO that I cut off. Far more wrist friendly and less thick
That's a good tip - I was going to attack mine with a pair if scissors 'free hand style' but the coins is a great idea!
Why would you put a decent watch on something that looks like my cats collar?
Asking for a friend
Simon
Safer to have a NATO than a Haagen bracelet lockWhy would you put a decent watch on something that looks like my cats collar?
Asking for a friend
Simon
Why do you put your cat on a NATO??Why would you put a decent watch on something that looks like my cats collar?
Asking for a friend
Simon
Can't abide them, either cut off the bulky bits or buy 3 ring RAF style.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I wear mine the traditional, god-fearing way.
Maybe because I tend to be at a desk typing a lot, but I dislike anything on the underside of my wrist. Even excessively chunky buckles tend to bother me. The hardware sticking out the sides doesn't bother me at all. It's a Nato and that's how it's supposed to look. I dislike heavy rings though, other than an MM300 on a Rhino. That seems to work, because the head is so chunky, it balances out - and the extra strap weight helps keep it from sliding around, which it can tend to do on a lighter Nato.
Speaking of Rhino, does anyone know what happened to those? Eddie's been out of stock of everything except 24mm for ages. I'm not sure if they're his own brand of if anyone else sells them. I've only ever seen them on timefactors.
I got my first NATO on the G10 I was issued as a young Rifleman, this no doubt shaped my thinking. I like the doubled back extra material, so much so that I dislike Omega NATOs because, despite being beautifully made, they don't fit in the way I prefer.
Boom! Excellent response!
Doesn't change my intense dislike of NATOs, though...
Simon
Single pass nato:
Is that method (OP's link and post above), not a bit awkward each time you put it on / take it off?
(I will try it but don't have anything on a nato at present!)
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Not especially.
It puzzles me why someone would choose a NATO over a 3 ring Zulu, although for the latter, less bulky hardware would be nice
D
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Me too, but I think there are a few reasons...
1) Not everyone even knows about 3-ring Zulus, and they're rarely - if ever - specifically marketed
2) A lot of people seem to think that a NATO offers safety/protection that a single-pass Zulu doesn't (which, of course, is untrue)
3) The limited availability of Zulus makes them hard to find, and in any event the range of colours and patterns is far more limited
Shame, because in terms of nylon they're by far the best of the bunch IMO.
Excellent!!That's how I roll.
Good way to protect the crystal. :-)
Indeed. Of course it could be worse, I saw a 36mm Everest on a Bonklip recently.Why would you put a decent watch on something that looks like my cats collar?
Asking for a friend
Simon
My eyes, my eyes . . . ;-)
Thanks Tony and Calumets.
Will give it a try when I can find my Nato jiffy-bag in the moving boxes!Sent from my SM-G973F using TZ-UK mobile app
I used to wear NATOs (Eddies only, I never found any better) with the spare flap cut off and the hardware under my wrist but am a total convert to Erika's Originals. The fit is adjustable, the material slightly elastic and they hold even the heaviest of watches in place. I find both my SLA023 and Explorer 2 too heavy on their bracelets (and the crowns dug into the back of my hand) and not quite right on NATOs but on Erika's they're perfect. I've worn little else but these two since lockdown began.
"A man of little significance"
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
I find NATOs are very variable.
I try them on in the traditional manner, and some are fine, perfectly comfy. I wear those as God and the MoD intended.
Others have the second keeper and the back flap hardwear perfectly in place to annoy me, on both of the top corners of my wrist bones.
Those get the chop, and are converted to single pass straps, removing the back flap and allowing the other keepers to centralise underneath the wrist.
I have tried to OP method, I found it a bit annoying to do, and certainly didn't work (in terms of spacing) with every NATO. Some rucked up under the buckle section.
And yes, I do have 3 ring Zulus too, but the wider hardware is not the same, it is much bulkier, so it is perfectly sensible to chop a NATO if you prefer skinnier hardware.
I have aso converted 5 ring Zulus into 3 ring, for the same reason.
And also used found US style slip through versions with a wide fabric keeper to be quite comfy.
As well as the Barton version with a back flap and a wide fabric keeper.
It's all good, provided it suits what you want.
D
I tend to wear leather Nato's if any and cut it to make it single pass, although I do have one that I just wear normally but it seems shorter than the others ive had so doesn't need to be tucked as sits well.
generally I just wear Erika's though as much prefer the fit and finish.
I hate the bulky hardware on rhino straps.
I like to wear it simple like single pass. Prince Charles wore his RAF chrono like that.
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Tried this today, it worked pretty well!
D
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Thanks to sleepless night in the unbearable heat I picked up this thread and managed to try out the “new” way of wearing NATO on a couple of recently acquired Straps from Georges Straps.
One was the elastic NATO which I have fitted to a mini turtle because the colour match is near spot on. It’s brilliant with the strap worn this way. The key is that it is a really thin and stretchy material. The watch sits flush on the wrist and with a sculpted watch like the mini turtle that is important. I have been wearing an Erika’s strap a lot of the summer on another watch and this one is just as comfortable with a similar elastic but secure feel (though a bit more fiddly to put on). The folded over sections with the hardware under the wrist are fine too because the material is so thin.
The second strap was the thick seatbelt NATO. This was very different and when worn this way, it was a big improvement on the traditional way (which made the thin Oris Divers 65 sit too high from my wrist), but the under wrist bulk of 4 layers of seatbelt material was not great. So that one ended up with scissors cutting off the extra flap and is now a thick single pass NATO and much better for it on that particular watch. No photos yet but will try to post later.
Thanks to all who posted on this thread for the late night insomnia inspiration!
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Last edited by bmpf; 13th August 2020 at 10:40.
I’ve just bought three Nato style straps for £6 including six springbars (which won’t be used) and a strap changing tool.
I tried them the same as in the original video and much prefer them this way.
I’m loving the deep red on the Seepmaster.
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