Watch Straps Matter

Watches have a personality. Watches help the wearer express their own personality. Wrist presence is important to enthusiasts be it discrete, subtle, seasonal, colorful, meaningful, powerful, and so on. Certainly, the watch is the focal point, but watch straps matter.

This post and video highlight the importance and visual effect of straps to convey personality, of the watch and of the person. Each watch includes comparison screenshots from the video and then some higher-quality comparison photos.

https://youtu.be/Wkcx_FZpqu4

Watches typically ship with a strap or bracelet that is designed and chosen by the watch manufacturer. Typically, default straps match the watch design quite well, which can make it difficult to think beyond the stock photo. Do it. Think beyond the provided accessory and insert some variety. Changing straps regularly keeps an enthusiast engaged in a creative and potentially low cost way.

Christopher Ward – C1 Morgan Aero 8 Chronometer

I am going to start with my favorite watch (as of this writing), since it has taken top billing in my collection. The Christopher Ward C1 Morgan Aero 8 Chronometer is me in watch form. The 20mm Italian Piccari black leather strap with white stitching is great, though I do wish the interior red went to the edge like with the C7 Rapide 22mm straps, but I always think…what else is out there? What can express the features of the watch, dial, and me more vividly?

The answer can be found and it does not have to cost a fortune. Plenty of options exist and often for less than $20. One example and my favorite combination so far is a red suede/leather strap with white stitching from Binlun (Amazon).

Ten Six Watches – Tea Party

This watch, one of my own, is usually on a pilot leather strap. Putting it on a Vario two-piece nato strap (review coming soon) gives it a very different look. Certainly more steampunk.

Christopher Ward – C65 Trident GMT Pepsi

The Pepsi GMT is the reason I am doing this post. One evening, when intending to order some straps, I happened to be wearing this watch on the CW canvas webbing strap and the idea hit me to see if I could find straps that matched both sides of the bezel. Archer straps (Amazon) had rubber straps in the right colors and bingo! Looks fantastic while taking the Pepsi look full wrist.

Halios – Seaforth II

The Seaforth (review) came on a black rubber and included black leather and green canvas straps. But my personality prefers what I call the Dumb & Dumber look with an orange Barton Elite (Amazon) rubber strap that offsets the pastel blue. Chianti anyone?

Christopher Ward – CWE 60 Trident MKII

I am ok with bracelets, especially for certain dress styles, but if given the choice on a dive watch I usually go with rubber. My Grand Seiko SBGE249 is also on a bracelet, but I have ordered a custom blue leather that I believe I will enjoy more (review coming soon). The GS bracelet is ok, but does not offer a micro adjustment and I do typically prefer leather over steel on a dress watch for regular wear. I do not have a wrist pic yet, but I am really looking forward to putting this on the Binlun (Amazon) blue suede strap, the same brand as the strap shown in red with the Morgan Aero 8.

The rubber strap is Carty silicone (Amazon) and the brown leather is a CW vintage oak leather strap.

Hamtun – Nanok

A watch I show in the video briefly, but do not show with comparison straps is the Hamtun Nanok (review). Putting this watch on various straps shows how drastically different a watch can be, almost changing genres (e.g., dress, dive, field). The aqua blue rubber is Barton (Amazon), the bracelet is Hamtun, and the nato is Vario.

Christopher Ward – C65 Trident Vintage

One of my worn watches, the Vintage in black PVD looks great on the Vario Cordura one piece nato, but also in forest green leather (CW), tiber-style Eache leather (Amazon), and Barton Elite rubber (Amazon).

Final Thought

Watch straps matter. Show off the watch personality and your personality by adding variety into your strap collection. Your wrist will thank you!