The one thing that makes the biggest difference in the look and feel of a watch is the strap, band or bracelet it’s on.
Every month or three I take a day and do a big watch swap where I take my three watch cases and reorganize, reprioritize and re-strap my watches. Sometimes one case gets all the white/silver dials like this month’s swap, sometimes they are arranged by movement, it is whatever I am in the mood for. But the one thing that makes the biggest difference in the look and feel of a watch is the strap, band or bracelet it’s on.
Enter StrapsCo
This month’s shuffle was unique in that StrapsCo sent me a couple of options for watches that have yet to find their “ideal” band. The two watches that I have been looking for alternative straps for are my Doxa 1500T DivingStar and my Seiko Prospex Diver SRP773K1 or Blue Turtle. While I was doing my swap, I noticed that I have other StrapsCo Straps so I thought I would include some of them in this review as well.
When it comes to straps and bands there are watches that work on only one strap and other watches that work with almost any strap. Ultimately it comes down to comfort and a look that meets your needs. I have found that over time each watch settles into a single band or a group of bands. It all comes down to what works with the case style and the watches dial color. One of my favorite examples of this is on my Citizen Promaster Alticron (review here), after I received it I really did not like the rubber strap that it came on, and decided to put on a Dassari Continental Vintage Italian Leather Strap with Rivets from StrapsCo. I love this aviator style strap on this watch so much that I have not changed it since. I also have the Dassari Weave Frayed Edge Canvas Strap with Rivets on an inexpensive Reef Tiger with a flywheel skeleton second hand. The frayed edge strap makes this dressy watch way more casual and fun. The StrapsCo aviator style straps are absolutely some of my favorite StrapsCo straps.
The Doxa Strap
As for the Doxa DivingStar, I have only ever worn it on the original metal bracelet. Even though the bracelet that comes with the Doxa is excellent. I really wanted another option that is more comfortable. The idea of a classic rubber strap like an IsoFrane or a Tropic first cam to mind. However t I really don’t find rubber straps all that comfortable for daily wear. Ultimately, I ended up going with a Suede leather strap in Yellow and Ivory, extra-long. The Doxa’s 21mm lug width is a little nonconventional and harder to find, it was great that StrapsCo offers some straps in that size. The suede strap has a great fit and finish and is super comfortable. Plus it has enough mass to stand up well to the hefty 1500T. Is it “the” strap for this watch, probably not, but is well worth putting it on rotation for this watch.
A Great Seiko Alternative
The real stand out for me is the Beads-Of-Rice bracelet that I got for my Turtle. The Seiko bracelets are notoriously bad, and the Turtle’s was no exception. I have been looking for a replacement bracelet for some time. I have been wearing the Turtle on a blue NATO for the last year or so. The NATO works fine but I really like to have a metal option for my divers. The StrapsCo Beads-Of-Rice looks great with the Turtle, the only issue I had was the larger diameter spring bars that come with Seiko’s did not fit. Fortunately, I have lots of other spring bars to choose from and found ones that fit great. Remember if you are going to order this bracelet for a Seiko make sure to get normal sized spring bars. StrapsCo also has Turtle specific bracelets with end links that match the Turtle case. This is by far one of my favorite bracelets. This strap will be staying on the Turtle indefinitely, plus its super comfortable and at $65.00 is great deal.
Speaking of deals StrapsCo’s prices are some of the most reasonable I have seen. With NATO’s starting at $10 dollars and leather straps starting around $20 bucks, your bound to find something that works with what ever watch you have. StrapsCo is one of my first stops when looking for a new strap, band, or bracelet. With reasonable prices, decent products, and fast shipping, what’s not to like?
Keep Watching
Edward
PS: I also noticed my Glycine Combat 48 is on StrapsCo’s Red Hand-Stitched Vintage Faded Leather Strap. This is one of my favorite straps for this massive watch, super comfortable and looks great.
