Hello guys!
I recently modded a stardust (see review
http://www.thewatchsite.com/index.php/topic,18126.0.html) and I`m still very happy with this mod. I also like the stainless steel bracelet, wich comes with the watch.
But it's springtime and it's getting hot and I was thinking about something more lightweighted. I browsed the usual fora for alternatives and came over the Isofrane strap. It is the the rubber strap, that was applied with the Omega PloProf. It can be purchased again for a quite big price.
I also came over a comparative review of PloProf-style straps (see
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f74/comparative-review-new-isofrane-strap-370805.html). I highly recommend to read this. Before I assumed that rubber straps are stiff, but after reading this I checked for sources.
And yes, again I stopped at Harold (
http://www.yobokies.com). His strap is not reviewed there. Optically it has the biggest square holes, just like the TimeFactor-Strap. I ordered a 20mm and 22mm strap.
The fixing is easy, the stargate has drilled lugs. The strap takes the fat Seiko spring bars (see the previous post in this section
http://www.thewatchsite.com/index.php/topic,18899.0.html).
I was extremly surprised, how handsome the watch wears now. The strap is extremely flexible (strechable).
I like to wear watches very loose on my wrist. During physical activities watches "quake" on my wrist. This strap fixes the watch extremely well.
This is also because the strap has a smooth but rough surface. It really feels like a rubber for a pencil!
Thus it sucks dust. That can be seen here:
There's an easy fix: Let water run over it, when you wash hands.
So this is the first strap that can optically compete against steel straps but wears much more comfortable.
Thx for reading this post.
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Important Update after some weeks of wearing. It happened that I lost the watch. Springbars flipped off the holes during some fun fighting with my son at the beach. The rubber is so soft that the springbars can be squeezed. This could have also happened in the sea due to strong wave impact.
That's why a similar strap from timefactors.com is equipped with a tube. So strap squeezing does not affect the springbars. But timefactors-tubes don't take Seikos fat spring bars.
I solved this problem with a ballpoint pen. I took the small empty tube for the ink reservoir and cutted 2 small tubes with 22mm length. They were too narrow to take the fat spring bar. Thus I made a cut at the length side. Then I squeezed them over the spring bars and then into the rubberstrap holes. This fixes the problem.
I never had realized, that this could be a problem with soft material straps in general. But I'd highly recommend to proof this circumstand, when wearing a strap made of soft leather or rubber!
