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Does anyone know what to call this kind of Nato Strap ?

711 Views 24 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  peterrizzo, 
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Hi Everybody,

I am looking for an extra-long Nato strap so that i can use a nato and still
have the caseback of the watch on my wrist, in otherwords, no Nato passing
under the watch. here's a mock-up with a Nato that is too short for the task:

Watch Watch accessory Rectangle Strap Analog watch
Watch Watch accessory Eyewear Clock Gadget


Does anyone know what to call this style of Nato? It could just be a simple Nato that would
be 325mm long, that would work ok, but i can't fine any that come that length.

Erika M&N makes them for $75 or so, and i think that's too high a price for a cloth strap.

I had one elastic marine nationale strap from Cheapest Nato that worked this way, and i
traded it with the Smith's PRS-40 Chrono it worked so perfectly on, thinking i could replace
it, but i'm seeing it was an aberation in being so long.

So, what are these called, and where can we find them?

Thanks!

Peter
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rainy daze said:
If you're going to wear it like that, you lose the security of a pass-through strap in case of spring bar failure. Why not just get a 2-piece nylon strap instead?

I also don't care for having a thick strap between my wrist and the case, but I really like the Eulit Panama perlon straps. They're quite thin, and infinitely adjustable.
Click to expand...
well, the raf gen 1 has fixed springbars, which makes springbar failure impossible. and i
really do appreciate getting a watch to wear as close to the wrist as it can. but yeah, i do
have a collection of 2 pc. natos, mainly from cheapestnatos, and they do work just as
well as the photos above, if a watc h has sprinbars. so really, i'm asking because of the
watch above...
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zeke441 said:
It’s called an over priced dog collar. 😁
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lol, i was trying to buy one from CheapestNatos. but now you've got me thinking,
have i ever seen a 20mm dog collar?
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rainy daze said:
Totally missed that.

For real though, if you haven't tried Eulit perlon, you should give it a go. I've tried others, but the Eulit is nicer, and the buckle on the Panama, while it looks dainty, is plenty robust IRL, and super low profile. You can also adjust the strap to have just the right amount of tail showing. I get mine from Holben's. I'll shut up about perlon now.
Click to expand...
i loooove perlon, it's just not the thing for here, unless you know where i can get a 12.5" perlon strap,
then i'd be over the moon :)
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rileynp said:
Perlon can be too scratchy due to the plastic-like coating on the fabric, or maybe I’ve just gotten too cheap of ones. The edges rough up my skin something fierce.

Peter, I don’t know if I’ve seen one of those made with traditional nato material, they usually are more elastic in my experience when designed to attached that way. Here is one such provider:
www.thewatchsteward.com

How it works!!

The Watch Steward
www.thewatchsteward.com
Click to expand...
Noah, thanks so much, this looks to be the missing link, for me :) yes, i agree, the one i had that worked
so well was a bit elastic, it was very comfortable, loss-proof, and kept the low profile watch at a very low
profile.

i truly think that watches that get worn under "beater" conditions ought to be watches that pretty much
duck the blows instead of taking them full on, like any good warrior.

Thanks again,

peter
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Willie_B said:
This site, 18/20/22/24/26mm TDM STRAPS has straps that work like that but not with a buckle. I have several of them and like them.

Videos on how it works. How it works!!
Click to expand...
Thanks willy b,

this looks really promising too, i wish i weren't working, but this all looks like great info.

Thanks!

peter
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Willie_B said:
This site, 18/20/22/24/26mm TDM STRAPS has straps that work like that but not with a buckle. I have several of them and like them.

Videos on how it works. How it works!!
Click to expand...
oh, wow, the watch steward is the guy you both recommended, that's a strong recommendation.
i wrote to him to ask about if it works with fixed springbar watches, it's the Seiko RAF Gen 1 i really
want to fit, here.

thanks willie,

peter
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well, guys, i ordered three of them, for the price of one erika m&n, and erika, which
is where i saw this type of watch band to befgin with, responded by saying that it
was not possible to configure this way! sheesh! i beg to differ....and i sent her the
same photos that you see, above. maybe a language problem?

kevin at watch steward is responsive and articulate and tells you exactly what to
order ( i needed the "g" series.) so, thanks willie, and noah, you were both right,
this is the way to go if you want this kind of strap. and mark, i agree, the perlons
are great straps, i especially like them in the summertime, and they do lie so flat
on the wrist so as not to really elevate the watch much. but i'll tell ya, the gen 1 raf
is about as expensive a watch as i care to wear, and i really do want it as flush to
the wrist as i can get it, not just for aesthetic reasons, but to duck those blows,
i work with my hands a lot, and i don't want to add any scars if i can help it.

i hope this thread is useful to people with this concern. but, i still don't know what
to call this style of nato wear :)
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WaNGARAI said:
Peter - the MN straps are very good, but as far as I know they don't work with fixed springbars (as the Gen 1 has), you can't fit the hardware through the space between the case and springbar. Normally to fit you remove the springbar, insert the strap into position, then refit the springbar.



If I'm wrong, I'd be very happy to know as I have the Gen 1 and 2 and I don't like Nato straps - with the fold back and double metal retainer.


Click to expand...
hi ian,

nope, i think you're right. that's probably why erika said it could not be done,
that seemed weird as i learned of this nato technique from the erika m&n website,
albeit some time ago. today she wrote that it would put too much stress on the
springbars, which just doesn't ring true for me, especially with fixed springbars.

the watch steward hardware unhooks on one end at least, and then rehooks once
you've sent the strap through. that's my underdstanding, i will update this thread
once these straps arrive.
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Evolutionary Reject said:
Look fwd to seeing the results. I have looked at those straps more than once and should be a great fit for your RAF (awesome watch btw, one of my favorites).

Edited...this is the minimalist series below. I don't think I would love that amount of bunched up material at the one end...

View attachment 508843
Click to expand...
that is one nice looking strap, these straps have me thinking about summer already.
is that a watch steward strap, or from somewhere else?
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well, 3 out of 3 say watch steward, soon to be 4 out of 4, i'd figure, mine are on the way...
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3
They're here, and they're fabulous. Very, very comfortable, very low profile,
great colors ( the orange is a bit bright, it might keep you safe during hunting
season, but it will mellow with age, i'm sure...) I find the easiest way to put
it on is to keep the hardware engaged and just slip the hand through. It's also
really easy to re-size, All-in-all, i am very happy with these.

So i'm still wondering, what to call this configuration? A Zero-Pass Elastic
Nato? It's hard to buy something when you need a side view photo of it,
and a few sentences, to explain it :)

Maybe Kevin at Watch Steward will have a name for it, i'm going to send him
a link to this thread.

Thanks for your help, all,

Peter

Bag Rectangle Font Eyewear Automotive lighting
Watch Analog watch Photograph Product Clock

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allkindsofwatches1 said:
Looks like a Nick Mankey strap to me.

Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
i just googled him, i didn't know these existed, but yeah, it's the exact same concept,
and i think it's a great one, predicated on the material being elastic, and you have any
load/g-forces transferred through 4 plies of this elastic fabric, and so it gives, but not
too much, and it keeps the caseback flush on the wrist.

it was -16º F here this am, and these look like really good winter straps to me, now.
they look fine for getting wet in the summetime, too. i'll probably start using them
on watches that don't have fixed springbars.

but what i like the most is that the watch stays where you put it. i really like that.
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Evolutionary Reject said:
Stay put without stangulation
Click to expand...
i have worked with my hands all my life, so i simply cannot strangulate my own hands,
and really, we're talking about strangulating blood flow, and strangulating
prana/chi/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
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