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A great strap is an essential companion to any watch. This component plays a significant role in the appearance of your entire watch. With this, a lot of consumers try to experiment and explore various styles or even expand their assortment. For people who are all for cost-effective accessories, it would be great to have a diverse strap collection rather than splurging on new and trendy watches most of the time. 

Nowadays, there’s a wide array of watch straps available in the market. With this in mind, it would be excellent to strategically choose the combination of your watch and its strap before you purchase them. Doing so ensures that your accessory will continue to look visually appealing every time. 

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NATO Watch Straps

NATO watch straps are nearly found everywhere–from high-end watch brands to affordable ones. Some people may be reluctant with the idea of pairing their timepiece with a NATO strap. However, the steady popularity of these straps has proven that it’s versatile, fun, and adequately functional to show off your watch.

With all of these, you might get interested in adding this to your strap collection. However, before you hop on the bandwagon, you might want to get to know these NATO watch straps a bit more. Below are things you need to know about the NATO watch strap:

1. History

After World War II, the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) introduced the NSN (NATO stock number), which incorporates watches and straps for their soldiers. 

Before it came to be known as a NATO strap, the accessory was initially regarded as the G10 band. This name was taken from the form G1098, which was required to be filled out and passed to retrieve a watch strap at their unit’s supply shop. This watch strap was made of nylon with a width of 20 mm to ensure practicality and security among its users. It was an essential piece of military equipment for the soldiers of the British Ministry of Defence during 1973. 

When the war ended, the G10 straps were sold in a lot of military surplus shops. Surprisingly, the strap has become a popular option for a lot of watch enthusiasts. Today, a lot of brands have their own unique, reinvented version of the classic NATO strap. Despite the variations, all of them continue to take inspiration from the soldiers during the said war.

To educate yourself further regarding its history, you may read more from natostrapstore.com and other similar sites that have comprehensive stories about the famous watch strap. 

2. Features

If you ask a sales representative from a watch store, they may be eager to demonstrate how to switch to a NATO strap. Generally, replacing your straps is time-consuming. However, with NATO straps, they can be changed or applied in a few minutes or less. 

  • Singular Piece Strap

The singular piece strap of the watch has made it an appealing option for a lot of watch enthusiasts who are used to replacing their watch straps, depending on the occasion. You don’t need to take off both your watch’s spring bars to swap one in. You simply have to weave the strap underneath the spring bars and you’re good to go. 

With this feature, you no longer need to worry if a spring bar loosens up or is unexpectedly damaged. During rare cases of spring bar failure, the watch will still hang on its last spring bar between the straps. Hence, it won’t easily fall off your wrist.

Likewise, because of this feature, you no longer need to shy away from wearing your expensive timepiece. A NATO watch strap won’t easily be pulled off quickly by thieves and pickpockets, assuring you that your timepiece will stay safe.

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  • Made From Nylon 

Moreover, the material is one of the main factors to inspect when you’re about to splurge on a wristwatch. NATO straps are commonly made with nylon fabric bands. This type of fabric content tends to be more appealing than your metal or leather strap. This is because nylon bands are easy to care for–it dries quickly after you clean them either with a wet cloth or in the laundry. s to inspect when you’re about to splurge on a wristwatch. NATO straps are commonly made with nylon fabric bands. This type of fabric content tends to be more appealing than your metal or leather strap. This is because nylon bands are easy to care for. It dries quickly after you clean it either with a wet cloth or in the laundry. 

Also, nylon is a durable and moisture-resistant fabric that can brave against various tough activities. Hence, whether you tend to sweat a lot or are into sports, fitness, and other physical activities, nylon fabric is perfect and practical compared to other materials.

  • Generally Comfortable

On top of this, NATO straps are straightforward, lightweight, and comfortable bands that you can lean on, regardless of the occasion. It’s also generally affordable compared to other watch straps. 

  • Comes In Many Colors

In addition, NATO watches come in versatile colors. Although these were originally crafted in solid, neutral colors, manufacturers have expanded their collection to cater to growing customer demand and various preferences. Hence, NATO straps are now available in different solid shades and stripes.

With this, instead of buying other watch bands, you may try to experiment and introduce other NATO watch strap colors into your wardrobe. This can be perfect if you tend to try out different bands to help improve your style

3. Ways To Accessorize

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With its wide array of color options, NATO watch straps can now be strategically worn during certain events, occasions, and dress codes. 

Commonly, NATO watch straps are perfect for daily, casual looks. The strap’s design and features can instantly elevate your outfit, regardless if you’re wearing plain tees, polo shirts, jeans, and other casual attires. The strap gives off that cool vibe that can help you stand out from the crowd. To keep it simple yet stylish, you may match the strap’s color with your current attire.

Moreover, you may also wear your NATO strap with a semi-formal attire. With its fun and quirky features, you can play up with contrasts and see how the strap can complement your look during weddings, office meetings, and the like.  

Final Thoughts

 NATO watch straps are by far one of the trendiest and quirkiest straps in the watch industry. Also, it has been regarded as one of the most adored straps, especially to watch enthusiasts and fashion influencers who opt to wear their timepiece with a sleek, individual watch strap.

Arsène Wargas
Information sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.