(Links below may be affiliate links that earn commission when you make a purchase—it’s how I am able to keep making this site and do fun coverage of events like Pitti Uomo. Thanks!)
Nylon straps* are ubiquitous in the watch world. They serve a utilitarian purpose: by being a continuous loop that goes underneath both spring bars of the watch, if either of the spring bars fails, the watch won’t fall off your wrist. Certain watches look really great on NATO-style nylon straps, and putting it on a NATO is a way you can accessorize your watch to make it feel fresh again.
However, the wearing experience of a NATO is less than great in a couple key points. First, they typically have a double layer of nylon fabric resting underneath the watch, causing it to ride much higher off your wrist. Secondly, the multiple pieces of hardware on the straps can dig into your wrist and be uncomfortable. These downsides are the reason I have said that a watch on a NATO strap looks better sitting on a desk than it does on your wrist. Single-pass straps exist to alleviate the first issue, but a downside there is that it lacks the symmetry of the normal strap, which has a keeper on either end of the watch.
Enter Anchor Strap’s Deployant NATO. It solves most of the problems above by being a single-pass strap with no hardware except the clasp. Instead of the normal style pin and buckle, it’s a deployant clasp, meaning the excess fabric hides underneath the outer layer. So the watch wears lower on the wrist, there’s no asymmetry like on a single-pass NATO, and the whole thing wears comfortably from the lack of keepers. I sleep with a watch on, and on a regular NATO it’s too uncomfortable. But these I have no problem sleeping while wearing.
You can get 20% off your order with my custom discount code: MWM20. The blue-gray Bond-style deployant looks ridiculously good on my blue Omega Seamaster.
They sell traditional NATO-style straps, too, which still hold appeal for their aesthetic, if the downsides are livable for you. Of those, the Commander is my favorite, as it’s similar to one Omega made and sold on the Commander Bond special-issue 007 watch (ref. 212.32.41.20.04.001) but which was never made available for sale separately from the watch.
And their sailcloth is every bit as good as the Artem sailcloth I have.
*Sometimes called NATO straps but there is a patent troll who keeps suing small independent makers, who deserves to be crushed by somebody like Omega.
If you love my content, join my Patreon for exclusive content!
(If you buy stuff through my links, your clicks and purchases earn me a commission from many of the retailers I feature, and it helps me sustain this site—as well as my menswear habit ;-) Thanks!)
Shop my clothing from this post and every other post on the Shop My Closet page. If you’re just getting into tailored menswear and want a single helpful guide to building a trend-proof wardrobe, buy my eBook. It doesn’t cost that much and covers wardrobe essentials for any guy who wants to look cool, feel cool and make a good impression. Formatted for your phone or computer/iPad so it’s not annoying to read, and it’s full of pretty pictures, not just boring prose. Buy it here.
