NATO watch straps ... a spot of advice please.

Really impressed by the service at AliExpress. Several of my orders are here.

Two Mr Neng "two piece, NATO style" straps arrived today and a previous Mr Neng order got here a week ago. Great service and the quality of the items looks super. Cheap as chips. Vast range of colours, styles etc. Amazed how the Chinese can do it ... all postage included in the price.... amazing!

I have a spare Pulsar which needs a new glass and movement and will get it off to 'InTime' in my local Debenhams and get him to do it. I have two more identical watches (as seen in earlier pics) and they've been out of production for many years and rarely seen now so am happy to spend a few bob on it. ... and it can enjoy one of the newly acquired straps :)

As usual the forum has come up with plenty of ideas and inspiration (and cost me a shilling or two) :rolleyes:

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Lastly ... (hopefully) ... I see that Natos on Timefactor or Watchgecko are 290mm or 300mm ... certainly no less than 280mm
Whereas on AliExpress most are around 260/265 for sizes up to and including 20mm - with the length, sometimes, increasing a bit for 22mm and above.

OK I realise the AliExpress ones are cheap but surely they know that other sellers have longer straps - and the Chinese are great at imitating and reproducing others, so why are they shorter. I have one that measures 260mm and, to be honest, it's too short so I cut the flappy (keeper, is it?) bit off and use it as an RAF style, which is OK.
 
^^ Yes, I suppose so.

I have seen that there a few different techniques to use a NATO (one with the extra flappy bit as opposed to the RAF style which, seemingly, doesn't.)

And because of the shortness of the two recently received from AliExpress I've pursued the method wherein you only thread one thickness under the watch and double the flap back on itself and in doing so the bulk of the hardware is diametrically opposite the watch as opposed to being on the side - and in doing thew shortness isn't a problem as it just about tucks under one of the rings. I saw this on Youtube and maybe it was mentioned here too... TBH if it was it slipped my mind.
 
Update ... six new watches and a brace of NATOs and two piece nylon straps.

The blue and orange Casios were about £12 each delivered (one from China). The beige face Kinetic Pulsar was from a Rubicon Ebay auction and was £44 + £3 p&p. The big green face Pulsar was £34 (discontinued bargin) and The Citizen Eco Drive was from Argos - £79.99 as was mentioned above.

Most of the straps were a couple of quid delivered from China.
It's been a bit of fun.... thanks fellas.
 
Pretty sure it's because asian people have smaller wrists, or China doesn't understand that you're meant to have excess to fold back into the keepers.

I've a suspicion that the people who make these things realise that the straps are shipped all over the world, not just to the Asian market (who may, or may not, have thin wrists) ... and I also can't believe that the Chinese (who manufacture almost everything the world consumes) don't know how they're intended to be worn, after all it's an integral part of their design.
 
I've a suspicion that the people who make these things realise that the straps are shipped all over the world, not just to the Asian market (who may, or may not, have thin wrists) ... and I also can't believe that the Chinese (who manufacture almost everything the world consumes) don't know how they're intended to be worn, after all it's an integral part of their design.

Have a look at their product photos. They clearly don't have any idea how they are meant to be worn.
 
^^ With regard to that particular point, how are they meant to be worn though? There are loads of clips online that offer opinions about how different individuals prefer to wear their straps - with two thicknesses under the watch, with one thickness under the watch, with the excess folded above the keeper, folded below the keeper...? Even I, who know nothing, can see there's room for divergence there and have experimented with different configurations with different straps and can see there's no right or wrong way to wear them.

I might be wrong but I thought the Chinese made most (all??) the straps that we see on Amazon, Ebay, various respected suppliers worldwide, so I must imagine they have a clue about it.

As it happens, the two most recently received straps from AliExpress were 280mm long and a good bit thicker and had noticably better hardware than most of the others, so clearly it depends which of the many suppliers within AliExpress I buy from ... and yet these last two weren't much dearer than most of the others.

I have yet to buy from TimeFactors (they've been closed for holidays) or from WatchGecko so can't speak from experience but feel sure they would seek out the better specced straps in order to justify the higher prices but must imagine they still come from China.
 
I have yet to buy from TimeFactors (they've been closed for holidays) or from WatchGecko so can't speak from experience but feel sure they would seek out the better specced straps in order to justify the higher prices but must imagine they still come from China.

Timefactors are the best without spending loads, really they could be twice the price and still be good value - the ones with the 'updated' hardware are very very nice.

Haveston are the other one to check out, seriously nice quality and worth it.
 
Thank you.

Point taken re. TimeFactors ... I would have bought from them at the time but they were closed for a fortnight. But they are in the UK (which is where I am) and have UK contact details and are priced in pounds sterling.

Haveston don't have any visible means of knowing where they are but the currency indicates not in the UK and shipping from the US (if that's where they are) gets expensive and complicated, especially if the UK Customs get involved.

And I didn't see any further observations regarding the right and wrong way to wear a NATO strap so can we put that point aside then?
 
Post #84 describes how the G10 strap is “meant” to be fitted and the reason why. As for what to do with the loose end, it's a matter of preference and I don't think there's a right or wrong way.

Timefactors straps are excellent and I agree that they're excellent value, I really must try and get another couple.
 
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