Right guys,
Never been a huge NATO fan, but bought a watch which came on this brand new NATO strap and the size is absolutely superb for me, no messing around having to tuck the end under etc.
I asked the seller and I think he just bought a few a while back and cannot remember where they came from.
Specific details:
Grey NATO with polished steel furniture and no branding.
255mm length excluding the buckle.
80mm from the 2nd to 3rd keeper - although I think this bit is pretty much standard.
30mm from the last (or first) hole to the end of the strap.
I have had a look around and been on Amazon and e-bay but haven't been able to find anything identical.
20mm width with stitching either side of the keepers and buckle - as opposed to being glued.
Let's see how good you are...please
Thanks,
Ken
Looks like an absolutely generic, bog-standard, Chinese-made NATO (let's pause for a moment to admire the irony in that last bit). I have a drawer full of them and I swear to god no two of them are the same length - some I could use to hold my trousers up, others would make an excellent pinky ring...
I bought some cheap "U" shaped leather-cutters to shorten the silly-long ones, and then weld the ends with a soldering iron to stop 'em fraying.
Thanks, you are probably right. A lot of sellers of random straps just don't provide the measurements. I checked a few of the ones I have that I don't really like and they are about 290mm in length, so maybe the shorter length makes the difference.Originally Posted by earlofsodbury
Just need to find a dealer selling 255mm length straps, 265mm to 270mm seem to be a popular sizes.
Last edited by Wallasey Runner; 11th May 2021 at 19:28.
All I can say is that this strap is NOT from cheapestnatostraps.com. Those are 275 mm in length not including the buckle.
Buy a Haveston, nylon or canvas. Single pass through so no bulk under the watch, and although 275mm in length no tuck in needed due to the sliding keeper. Superb quality, as with most things you get what you pay for.
F.T.F.A.
Watchobsession? They are the only NATO’s too short for me - the strap doesn’t even get near the ‘extra keeper’
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Thanks, I am considering alternatives. I did buy a Rios 1931 clip on strap for fixed bars and that works well. Saves having anything under the Watch case and makes a difference.
I checked their website and they are 265mm, so bigger than I want.
The Newmark single pass Nato straps are excellent - cheap, soft with good brushed hardware
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I also hate tucking in the extra bit of strap. I’ve mentioned them in a similar thread but I do like adjustable single pass NATOs. Worth a look at if you want something shorter.
Phoenix? Available from Silvermans or ebay. It'll be on the buckle if it is a Phoenix.
Are you an engineer by any chance? You can do the same thing with two pennies, scissors and a lighter, but your solution sounds much more like one dreamt up by an engineer :-)
- - - Updated - - -
Phoenix are heat welded, not stitched
I saw those on the Silvermans site, but they claim they are prone to stretching and fraying etc which didn't sound too good.
I've got one on my CWC RN diver so I'll have to watch out for that. Not that I wear it a lot lately.
I thought the whole point of a NATO was to fold the strap back under the keeper :-)
It probably is, but I have a disability of the right hand, no fingers, so it is awkward and having a shorter length and not having to engage in the reverse tuck and fold manoeuvre is so much easier.
I've got a few and never had problems, no two are exactly the same size though and the holes are never quite in the same place.
Ken....Try this method of fitting very comfortable and neat..
https://youtu.be/FI7Wo12mfDU?t=149
I thought one of the benefits of a NATO is you can just cut it to size and melt the end to finish where you cut it?
Sure, I could bodge 'em with scissors and a fag-lighter if I want them to look like something that lived too close to Chernobyl
I already have the soldering iron, the cutters were bought with the intention of actually scratch-making some leather straps, which will probably happen around the same time as Satan starts skating to work...
Eulit Perlon = perfect fit every time
I have had the same problems with Phoenix. I gave a try to CWC’s vintage NATO’s also in the silvermans website and haven’t looked back since. Amazing quality
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Rios 1931 leather clip on straps for fixed bars are a damn fine product and saves the messing around with the strap going under Watch case. Certainly with the Fatboys it helps them sink into the back of the wrist giving them a much lower profile.
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