The Most Comfortable Watch Strap No One Talks About | Marine Nationale

Perlon are nice too. Very thin, no double thickness.

I'd argue that Erica's MN strap is, in fact, perhaps the most talked-about comfortable watch strap. That said, its prices are premium, and both Nick Mankey, and The Watch Steward offer less expensive, equally comfortable elastic straps (I own one of each).

Only NDC are from real soldiers strap, The other brands just use The name Marine Nationale. NDC only come in 21mm, thats The size of The elastic 😊 The watches were delivered to the French troops without straps, so they began using the elastic bands they had. Color wise they come in green with yellow stripe, and a solid black.
The others are in no way bad, but they are just not “original”, the looping/mounting is also different on the original NDC.

I solely use erika’s straps even tho I have many different kinds. They are expensive and overpriced but i guess you gotta pay to play. Side note: you have yours set up upside down i’m not sure if that was intentional or not.

I have an MN strap but find them unblanced relative to the watch head. They're good for lighter field watches (i.e. Ti, carbon, ABS) but on divers and mechincal chronos? Just too imbalanced.

CNS watchbands sell these and has a pretty great selection, so give them a try and you should find what you're looking for. They also offer bargain prices too!

The only negative and the reason why I don't wear this kind of strap is because of how fast it smells bad 😂 Compared to a Nato where it doesn't smell quite as fast and is quicker to dry whenever I wash it, plus while I wait for my other Nato to dry I can easily slip on another nato. Also, I don't know if it's just my particular variant but the buckle slips quite easily. I have 2 of these and they pretty much have the same problem.

I wear marine nationale straps since years. Extremely comfortable and rugged. I tried them because, like you, I really didn’t dig nato straps.

You can find marine nationales in a lot of color options from Erikas Originals

You can make custom m/n straps at Erika’s originals, they’re pricey but well worth it.

The elastic straps are very very comfortable. The downside is that if the head of the watch is heavy it bobbles around. I tried one on some of my divers, but it just never felt as secure as rubber or a nato. Your lighter fieldwatch setup is however a good pairing with an elastic strap.

Great video, thank you.

I have discovered that getting the right size watch is very important. My wrist is about 6.9". So a watch with a case diameter of 38mm or 39mm is about right for me. Some 40mm watches are ok, depending on the lug to lug measurement. Anything bigger or smaller doesn't look right.

I like the idea of NATO straps, but I have not found a comfortable one yet.

All my watch cases are stainless steel. I'm not about to rush out and buy a watch with a titanium case, just so I can use an elastic strap.

truth!

thanks for that, i've now gone down a rabbit hole checking out all kinds of options from the cheap-and-cheerful to bespoke MN straps

With NATO straps you need to cut off the additional piece, so then you will end up only with one layer of fabric under the watch. The excess strap you can also cutoff, round it up a bit to look better. Then you just apply flame from a lighter on both end tips so they do not strip apart and voila - this is very comfortable and good looking

What about the watches though? What are they, especially the black one. Thanks!

Elastic is nasty and cheap looking. That’s why they don’t sell. A single layer Nato strap (is this called a Zulu?) is not much thicker than normal leather straps. It’s the true safety style double layer Nato that gets super thick. And if you get a single layer cordovan leather Nato they’re paper thin, tough and gorgeous looking. See Veblenist. I have the Number 8, and navy (my favorite). Guess I should grab a black one! It’s by far my favorite interchangeable watch strap especially for vintage field watches and dress watches with fixed lug pins.

The point of the nato strap is so if the buckle fails you have the secondary. I get everyone is for aesthetics and not functionality in 2024 but reading people cut them and talk about being an enthusiast is weird to me.

I have one on now… 👍 up north in Minnesota

What watch is the MN strap on?

thats basically an apple watch ultra alpine loop strap XD

Elastic strap lose it's elasticity in time & is much more difficult to change straps when it gets wet unlike a NATO strap.

And then you discover that 2-piece elastic straps are even more comfortable and easier to put on. Then you realize that quart watches are much lighter. Then that lume paint is pretty much a scam, even on Rolex or those brands who put even more layers of it. Titanium or plastic, quartz with tritium tubes.

I have a Tudor Pelagos FXD and like the strap a lot. It is my most comfortable strap and is very easy and fast to put on and off due to the velcro. Check it out.

I wanted to get a Nato strap but then stumbled upon Erika's Originals strap.
They are extremely comfortable (I adjust mine to just 2 mm tighter than barely flopping around) and there is no excess bulk, unnecessary hardware clonking, no tucking in the strap so there's 3x thickness on one side.
It's clean, you don't notice it, the watch stays where you put it. Love it.

When I first looked into these straps, I found that there are some differences between different manufacturers. Erika's are sturdy, stiff and very comfy. You actually need to unbuckle the buckle to remove the watch.
Then there are the very loose/flimsy elastic ones, also very comfy. You don't need to unbuckle anything, you can just take the watch off. These straps are very stretchy.

This is a convenience but it's also unwanted in some cases. If the watch is heavy, these straps will just wobble around, because they are too flexible. With Erika's there's no such issue, they are stiff enough to keep the watch in place but flexible enough to be very comfy.

More watch content please🖤

Is one of my favourite straps as well.
For variety cnswatchbands (but you have to rearrange the loop) and erikasoriginals the latter one are made to order with your wrist circumference.
Among the disadvantages there is also the risk of slingshoting the watch with the buckle if you are not careful and that the strap puts under constant flession the spring bars.

There is also the thin, single pass, friction based, nylon strap by springmadeshop; but is not elastic.

yeah but not this fake one lmao

Hey! thanks for great video, what kind of watches do you have on presented straps?

I wanted to like nato straps but it's not for me.

Just ordered selection of straps from AE. Same straps i see on ebuy and zon but 50% less. Difference is shipping speed. Takes a few weeks to receive. Order and forget and they show up 👍

Hi, question can i wear this with one hand? I have cerebral palsy

Two and a half minutes into the video and still hasn't gotten to the point, still talking about the NATO strap. Not sure that's a very good tactic for an informative video that is supposed to draw people in and engage them from eary on.

I don't like NATO/Zulu straps on dive watches.

However, on a field watch there is nothing better.....

I love that strap for my Seiko "flight master" .... It's super comfy to wear.

I much prefer single pass natos to elastic

After diving into straps more from watching this video, I found a brand called Luff. They have a decent amount of "Elastico" style watch straps that you may be interested in. Similar concept.

Happy to throw my hat in the ring! If you prefer more minimal titanium hardware, a tool-less strap install, no strap beneath the watch, infinite adjustability, I believe you would greatly enjoy one of my Chrono-Grips!

I mean yeah, if you ignore the fact that the elasticity dies and the material frays on the sides and the fact that it is one continuous piece of textile, sure, it's somewhat more comfortable than any other of the various options. But then there is the price, which is always more expensive than a nato alternative that lasts indefinitely, as compared to this. I used to think these were great alternatives, particularly if it were lightly used, in the rotation of other watches. But, no, it turns out this strap has the same shelf life as a genuine rubber strap — 18 months — and that includes light use.

you lost me at "image the watch is flipped around"

I have most of my watches on a MN strap for this exact reason. From Tudor BB diver to Seiko alpinist.

That watch looks too big on your wrist imo

It's sad that watches that look good cost over 1k+. AMZWATCH watches are REALLY well made, and it just shows how a brand name on a watch can make its price 10x higher. I understand that if you look under a microscope, you'll find the difference, but just how many of you really inspect a watch at that level when you see someone with a watch?

nato straps are total shit