I've recently been wearing my Damasko DC56 on a cheap, black 'Tropic'-style strap from CNS (formerly 'Cheapest NATO Straps'), and have been enjoying the look and feel of this type of strap during the damp winter months: doesn't matter if if gets wet, it's ventilated, comfortable, and never feels cold.
This got me looking for a higher-quality version, and preferably a few different colours as well. Uncle Seiko have the most authentic designs, but I found their quality at the price underwhelming, and stock limited. ZULUDIVER's examples are nice quality, but cost between £38 and £68 now, which is frankly demented. The CNS version is very well-priced, and with that in mind, I couldn't fault its value-for-money, but you can do better...
I've heard good things about FKM ('Fluorine Kautschuk Material' or 'fluoro-rubber') as a material for watch straps - it's strong, hypoallergenic and capable of withstanding heat, abrasion, UV light, &c better than other natural and artificial rubbers. So I did a bit of online research and found a number of types on ebay at sane prices. I've ordered half a dozen different colours and styles from a couple of sellers, and will report back as they arrive.
First-in is this grey 20mm-lug example from 'alpine-watch-supply', which conforms pretty closely to the traditional 'Tropic' style, and which, once fitted is giving me exactly the look on the Damasko that I was hoping-for.
The first thing that struck me on unpacking it is that it has a really nice crisp, finely-detailed surface finish to it. The colour density and 'mattness' is also much better than the usual silicone examples, which can look pallid and slightly translucent, and thus a bit cheap and nasty. It's also superior in not seeming to be a lint-magnet in the way of silicone. It smells of exactly nothing - which is a blessing since the choice is usually either 'Arôme du Condom' or 'Cheap Vanilla Air-Freshener'.
It's longer than other examples I've owned. My wrist is 7.5" diameter (albeit I wear straps cinched-down fairly tightly - hate a wobbly watch), yet it has no less than 2.5" more adjustment left! 9-inchers (fnarr!) need have no fear of stretching anything...
It comes supplied with quick-release springbars, which do feel a little flimsier than the Hirsch spring bars I usually use, but not worryingly-so. The 18mm solid stainless steel buckle is robust, nicely brush-finished, has drilled locating holes for its spring-bar, and is classy-enough to work with any ss watch - notwithstanding that I swapped it for a matching Damasko-branded one.
Overall this is by some margin the best 'Tropic'-style strap I've owned, even versus costlier examples, and at a very fair price - they start at £10.99 for one, dropping to £8.79 if you order four or more; postage is free, and the UK seller was very quick getting the strap in the post. [Link to ebay page here.]
I'll be ordering more. Pics:
Few pics from the seller's listing:
There's a very comprehensive (and long) thread on WUS with reviews of many 'tropic' straps.
All still very subjective, but worth a trawl through if you've some time to spare.
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/t...rison.5014319/
Hard to justify some of the more expensive ones if the £10.99 does it for you!
I have found the Zulu Diver version to the the best in terms of comfort, style and originality but their prices are now far to high, especially when you consider the ability to pick them up in the sales they have.
Uncle Seiko were poor for the money. Too thin and stiff.
The cheap versions don’t quite hit the mark. Not enough taper and usually took short for me.
I will have a look at some of the others you list as I have not heard of them before
Thanks for thatOriginally Posted by ed335d
I cannot see any significant way these can be improved on - they really are very nicely made and finished, and from top-quality materials - all they lack is brag factor, which admittedly, for many of us, is the most important bit!
Cousins offer two versions but I've only tried the cheapie which is now the lofty price of £3.10. I thought it was OK, but I didn't have a lot of basis for comparison. It was however rather short.
https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/rolex-tropic-generic
That's a very keen price. I always forget to check Cousins for straps :facepalm:
The rest of the batch of FKM tropics arrived this morning, and leaves me wondering why anyone makes rubber dive straps from anything else?
The overall quality is exactly the same as the grey one that first arrived - which means great colour density, sharp surface detailing, nice heft, and soft enough to be comfortable even worn cinched as tight as I like.
They're less-tapered and about 5mm shorter than the first one, but should still be good for up to 9" wrists.
The buckles are the same 18mm type too, which is a good thing as they're much better quality than the usual generic stuff.
Presumably these are all coming from the same factory in China. I just wish grey was available in these patterns too.
As you can (just about...) see from my crappy pic, there are not huge differences between these two designs. The one without the raised ridges at the sides is generally termed 'Troffle', the other 'Tyre-tread'. I like them both, but marginally favour the Troffle, as it's a slightly more versatile look to my eye.
Both beat the more traditional grey Tropic I posted first in having much larger ventilation holes - helpful in warmer weather.
'Troffle':
'Tyre-tread':
These are all from ebay sellers - just search 'FKM straps' - and cost under £9 each thanks to buying several at a time. You can find exactly the same on Ali Express for a quid or two less if you're willing to risk dealing with them.
I've also got a couple on order from Cousins - as per gerrudd's post upthread - worth a try at their hilariously low prices.
I'm eager to hear your views on the cousins when you get it. I've had leather straps from them and the quality has been great for what they cost.
i know tropics are iconic but they always remind me of the strap i had on my 70's timex faux diver when i was a kid!
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
The Cousins straps are made from silicone, are lint magnets and I still have a moving image in my mind of my spring bar tool slicing through the end of one like a hot knife through butter.
Martin
That doesn't sound promising, but then they're hilariously cheap, so worth a try, and not much lost if they suck.
I dislike silicone a great deal - not just its love for lint, but it's got a disconcerting 'flabbiness' to it, and always seems to be slightly translucent, which makes it look super-cheap. Never managed to bust it though!
I'd forgotten that the strap was a lint magnet. It was definitely soft, but also comfortable. It reminded me of a Seiko jubilee, looked cheap, felt cheap, but comfortable on the wrist.
Just received two Tropics. Thanks for the recommendation Earl, they are great quality.
Nice one - pleased to hear they've worked out for you
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My order from Cousins arrived today, and I'm actually quite pleased with them. I did wonder if they'd be straight off to the Fundraiser...
They may be cheap to buy, but they're not cheaply-made - colour density is good, surface detail is crisp, and there's none of the limp, flabby feel of cheap silicone. They're easy to wear, comfortable, and come in enough colours and sizes to suit almost any watch. No weird smells either.
The grey is especially pleasing, as it's darker than the overly-pale FKM, and should be a better match with the Damaskos and Sinn I'll wear them with.
Their only demerits are the over-shiny if strong buckles, their shortness (only suit up to about an 8.25" wrist, tops), they don't taper much (just 2mm from lug-end to buckle), and they are a bit of a lint-magnet - though nor so bad as most silicone straps I've encountered.
I'd say quality is as good, or perhaps slightly better, than Barton straps. Which given the price is impressive.
The black version is the only 24mm Tropic I've so-far encountered, and it works well on my MWC Depthmaster, which is a real chunk of a watch -
I do still prefer the FKM straps, but these are an undoubted bargain for under £4 each.
Treat yourself
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185556813...Bk9SR6TWwZOyYQ
Blimey! That's ambitious!
Unfortunately, not really! 24mm ones aren't that popular, but fairly rare.
Original Tropics are pretty scarce now, therefore prices have become pretty ridiculous.
I think 24mm come as an option on the original Ploprof? If so that would make it wanted by some collectors
Thanks for the pointers on this! I've been looking for a decently priced FKM tropic strap (or two) to put my PRS-25 on when I'm going to be in the water and not looking to put the bracelet back on it. Saw them for cheap on Ali, but the extremely long shipping time gave me pause.The rest of the batch of FKM tropics arrived this morning, and leaves me wondering why anyone makes rubber dive straps from anything else?
The overall quality is exactly the same as the grey one that first arrived - which means great colour density, sharp surface detailing, nice heft, and soft enough to be comfortable even worn cinched as tight as I like.
They're less-tapered and about 5mm shorter than the first one, but should still be good for up to 9" wrists.
The buckles are the same 18mm type too, which is a good thing as they're much better quality than the usual generic stuff.
Presumably these are all coming from the same factory in China. I just wish grey was available in these patterns too.
As you can (just about...) see from my crappy pic, there are not huge differences between these two designs. The one without the raised ridges at the sides is generally termed 'Troffle', the other 'Tyre-tread'. I like them both, but marginally favour the Troffle, as it's a slightly more versatile look to my eye.
Both beat the more traditional grey Tropic I posted first in having much larger ventilation holes - helpful in warmer weather.
'Troffle':
'Tyre-tread':
These are all from ebay sellers - just search 'FKM straps' - and cost under £9 each thanks to buying several at a time. You can find exactly the same on Ali Express for a quid or two less if you're willing to risk dealing with them.
I've also got a couple on order from Cousins - as per gerrudd's post upthread - worth a try at their hilariously low prices.
Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk
Some follow-ups to my original posts:
I've wanted to wear my Sinn U1 on red rubber since I got it. I just couldn't get along with Sinn's in-house effort - the clasp kills it for me - and nothing else really suited the watch's modern, blocky aesthetic. Having really fallen for the 20mm 'Troffles' from the first batch, I ordered two more in both red and black in 22mm - and, great success! The look, fit and comfort is spot-on.
My only misgiving was the light colour: I've been disappointed by lighter-coloured rubbers of all kinds, and all for the same reason: staining - especially from dyes in clothing, which seem to impregnate the strap and are impossible to remove.
FKM should be better, being a dense, highly-inert rubber - aaaaand in practice it is better, but not perfect...
After some weeks' wear on the Sinn, the red strap developed some discolouration, so I gave the whole thing a good scrub in tepid water and a dash of hand-wash laundry soap. This removed 90% of the staining, but almost-inevitably some remains. It's an acceptable level, but I'll continue to monitor...
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I'm also having a bit of a 'grey strap phase', and since Stailer in Germany are firmly resisting my efforts to buy their products, I decided to try a couple more FKM designs:
NB: the shade difference is not as great as the pic makes it appear -
To my slight surprise, the 'Tropic Rallye' vintage-style strap is the hit. For a start it's really very comfortable - the considerable taper to a nicely-made 16mm vintage-style, satin-brushed stainless-steel buckle helps - as does the lack of any sharp edges. The FKM is the perfect hardness - structured but not rigid.
The style is very chronograph-friendly. My only slight criticism is a lack of 18mm and 22mm lug width options - hopefully that will be rectified before too long.
£14.95 from 'Wrist Envy' on ebay isn't bargain-bucket cheap (multi-buy offers drop the price a fair bit), but represents very fair value for money, with ample colour choices:
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The second, vented design somewhat recalls Isofrane's classic ladder strap but is much more comfortable than that overly-stiff, hard-edged and bulky 'classic'. I especially like the curved profile near the lug-end which really helps it hug the wrist.
As with all these FKM straps, the finishing and sharpness of detail is exceptional. Decent-quality quick-release springbars add to the overall excellent functionality of both of these straps.
These too are £14.95 from 'Wrist Envy', in a decent range of colours, and 22mm as well as 20mm lug width options, plus quantity discounts:
It's worth mentioning this particular seller is excellent - I've no doubt you can find these straps cheaper if you want to risk the vagaries of Al* Expr*ss &c. - but these were with me in less than 24 hours from ordering, and the quality is as good as you can get: they stand comparison with MUCH pricier OEM and high-end brands. You can also benefit from multi-buy discounts even if you want (say) 3 entirely different designs / colours / sizes.
I’ve bought a fair few FKM straps of varying styles and I’ve concluded that most if not every seller gets their stock from Aliexpress or other outlets in China. The Zuludiver/Watchgecko ones I’ve had are EXACTLY the same quality as those I got from Ali.
So I’ve not started using eBay sellers with great feedback. In fact I took delivery of a black and a blue today that I paid around £14 each for and again they’re exactly the same high quality.
I could have paid less but the feedback on this seller was excellent.
Spot-on on that watch too - one for the 'Perfect Strap' threadI’ve bought a fair few FKM straps of varying styles and I’ve concluded that most if not every seller gets their stock from Aliexpress or other outlets in China. The Zuludiver/Watchgecko ones I’ve had are EXACTLY the same quality as those I got from Ali.
So I’ve not started using eBay sellers with great feedback. In fact I took delivery of a black and a blue today that I paid around £14 each for and again they’re exactly the same high quality.
I could have paid less but the feedback on this seller was excellent.
Duplicate post,. Please disregard.
Last edited by Vorpal; 15th May 2023 at 12:10. Reason: Duplicate post
Spot-on on that watch too - one for the 'Perfect Strap' thread
Even Walter will struggle to fault that one!
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Last of the recent batch arrived today. Prior to this latest generation of FKM straps I'd almost given-up on rubber after so many disappointments [fnarr!], now I have an embarrassment-of-riches!
The shade of green of this is absolutely spot-on for my tastes -
£11.99 from Another ebay vendor I can vouch for, fwiw - and again, up to 20% off with multibuys.
I realise you've got post-count to build, but would you mind not s***ing up threads by quoting entire long posts every time? Thanks.
Apologies, I hadn't realized I had already posted about this. I'm not exactly building post count if I'm at a rate of roughly ine post a day. I'll be more careful about the quote function, cheers.
Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk
That’s the seller I use and your pics have inspired me to give the green horizontal one a go.
Even Walter will struggle to fault that one!
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Last of the recent batch arrived today. Prior to this latest generation of FKM straps I'd almost given-up on rubber after so many disappointments [fnarr!], now I have an embarrassment-of-riches!
The shade of green of this is absolutely spot-on for my tastes -
£11.99 from Another ebay vendor I can vouch for, fwiw - and again, up to 20% off with multibuys.
Thanks for responding to my silicone rubber 'burn' thread @earlofsodbury and for pointing me at FKM rubber straps.
I've had a look at the Tropical straps sold by Wrist Envy because you recommend them and the Orange doesn't look as strong as the silicone strap I have. Have you found their pictures to accurately show the colour?
Failing that it looks like the Troffle you pictured is a much stronger Orange so I might just give that a go.
Ha! Attempting to match shades of orange - you are entering a World of Pain!
I don't have the orange 'Wrist Envy' strap, but suspect that picture is close to reality - the blue gain is a bit high in their pic, but otherwise matches what I have to hand fairly closely. I think that range was deliberately toned-down to better suit the vintage styling. The 'troffles' are a good strong colour.
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