Tudor, Rolex, and CW Watches on Low Cost Straps

Low cost straps can look just fine on high cost watches if you find the right one. In the video, I show low cost straps (~$20) on watches costing thousands and discuss things to consider when buying low cost straps, changing buckles, and looking for the right color.

Here, you will find the photos, affiliate links, and a dab of context. Finer details are in the review video.

https://youtu.be/1A5S8Apk6Hk

I am not a strap collector, or hoarder you might say, but I do like having a couple options for most of my watches. Watches can be expensive enough, and when it comes to high-cost watches, straps can cost as much as a respectable watch. If you have a really nice watch, it’s perfectly reasonable to spend some extra money to enhance the wrist wear with an OEM or custom strap that helps the watch put it’s best foot forward, or hand forward I guess. One example of that is my Grand Seiko. I’m not a huge fan of the GS bracelet, which doesn’t have a micro-adjust clasp, so I splurged on the custom Múgatoo strap designed for this GS case. But, you don’t always have to break the bank to get some good looking, good fit options.

I quite like the hybrid leather and rubber strap that comes with the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic, which also comes with a black and grey nato (I dislike nato straps), but I thought it would be fun to explore low-cost options. This isn’t the first time I’ve featured low-cost straps, but the process did lead me to intentionally featuring some on a few high-cost watches. Perhaps it will drive some people nuts. Gotta have fun sometimes, right?

I provide a lot more context in the video, but here is the short short version. I tried four straps on the Tudor:

A grey and black Barton Elite that matches the grey text on the dial.
A black and red Barton Elite that looks pretty good especially from the side.
A beige Alpine silicone strap that has perforations and ribbing that I really like. I replaced the original silver buckle with a nice black brushed one.
A cream (buttermilk) Wristology silicone strap that matches the lume. I replaced the matching buckle with a black brushed one from Archer Straps.

The advertised color of both the Alpine and Wristology straps was “beige” but you can see they are quite different in color. Sometimes it’s hard to know if the color in the pictures really represents what you see in person. The Alpine strap was slightly different than the ad pics, while the Wristology strap was accurate. The Alpine Strap is quite comfortable, but the color doesn’t mesh very well with the watch. The cream color of the Wristology strap is a perfect match to the lume and is probably the best looking combo of the bunch. I also quite like the grey Barton Elite silicone, which draws attention to the dial markings.

The Rolex OP 39 is meant to be worn on the bracelet, but I thought why not try a fitted rubber strap. The offering from Yisiwera is actually pretty good. It’s not 100% perfect in lug alignment, but it’s extremely close and looks just fine in person. No complaints at $20 when compared to similar custom options at $200. I actually quite like it. You can cry if you wish.