Single-Piece Nylon (pull-through) watch straps are by far the most famous and most liked straps for watch enthusiasts, who like to wear individual watch straps on their timepieces. You can find nylon straps on any watch, from 100€, to 8000€ Rolexes, up to 50,000€ Patek Philippe watches. But why should someone put an 29€ strap on his high-end watch? In this blog post we’d like to show you why nylon straps are so popular and what are the pros and cons between Classic Nylon single-piece straps with 1.4 mm thickness, Premium Nylon single-piece straps with 1.2 mm thickness and Two-Piece straps by WB Original. But first we’d like to introduce you to the history and glory of pull-through straps.
History of the watch strap
Like you probably already suggest, the name has its origin in the military. There are more in depth reviews about the history of Nylon Pull-Through straps, we just want to give you a quick overview. After World War II the North Atlantic Treaty Organization introduced the a special stock number for its military equipment, including watches and straps. In 1973, the watch strap was firstly known as G** band. The British Ministry of Defence standard intended soldiers, who needed a strap for their watch, to fill out a form called the G**. Later on the straps were known as straps and were only made “Admiralty Grey” colored nylon, with a width of 20mm.
Specifications and dimensions of a classic “G**” strap
Buckle and keepers were made of chrome-plated brass buckle and keepers. The G** strap was improved and customized over the years. As chrome can be too shiny for military purposes, as reflections can easily expose the soldiers position, brushed steel- and blacked out hardware were used for these straps as well. Troops wanted to use more colors than only grey and asked for basic military green or even colorful straps, to honor their corps colors.
How the legendary “Bond Watch Strap” was born
Make sure to listen to the Dr. No theme song while reading this 😉
In 1962, James Bond aka Sean Connery, was wearing a Rolex Submariner Ref.: 6538 in the movie “Dr. No”. Besides Breitling, TagHeuer and even digital Seiko watches, agent 007 was wearing a Rolex watch in 8 Bond movies until 1989. The first close-up of James Bond’s watch was seen in the movie “Goldfinger” and remains the definitive “Bond watch” to many watch fans even decades later. Besides that Bond watches became famous for their special gadgets such as; Circular-saw-bezel, welding-laser 12 o’clock marking point, or grappling hook shot from the crown – the early watches became famous for their military inspired G10 military straps in the typical black/red/green color combination.
Sean Connery’s Rolex Submariner Ref.: 6538 (Picture: Danjaq LLC, Sony Pictures Entertainment) (left) and modern interpretation of the Classic Heavy-Duty Bond Strap on a Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN (right) (also available as 1,2 mm Premium Bond with polished hardware)
In 1995 the watch of choice of James Bond became the Omega Seamaster. In 2015, Daniel Craig played James Bond and wore an Omega Seamaster 300 “Spectre” Limited Edition Master Co-Axial with a striped black and grey strap. A new color combo of the “Bond Strap” was born with Omega and is also available at WatchBandit.
James Bond once again wears an Omega Seamaster watch in the latest movie “No Time To Die” (2020). As well James and his MI6 colleague Nomi wear an Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42mm in several scenes. The new timepiece that is worn in the film is a non-limited watch, available in Omega’s collection from February 2020 and can be worn on a titanium Mesh Strap and on a striped New Bond strap in black, grey and beige striped.
Why should I wear a Single-Piece Nylon strap on my expensive watch?
A legitimate question that is easy to answer: If James Bond can, you can as well 😉
A nylon strap gives your watch an individual and cool look and that’s what real watch enthusiasm is about. A high price is not always an indicator of a tasteful look or reasonable higher quality – Of course you can buy a strap for $300, but hand on heart, where is the reasonable price limit of a watch strap made of nylon? We at WatchBandit made our experiences with different materials and strap attributes since 2014. We believe, that a price for a high quality nylon watch strap from $29 to $39 is the fairest.
Wristporn Limited Edition Premium Trilogy paired with an Omega Speedmaster Professional
Providing a high quality for a fair and reasonable price is what our customers appreciate. In fact, an original bracelet or strap doesn’t necessarily need to be as worthy as the watch itself, measured by the value of the whole watch. A nylon pull through strap doesn’t make your watch “look cheap”, it makes it “look cool” and presents your individual style.
Why you shouldn’t buy the cheapest nylon straps you can find
It isn’t the best idea to wear the cheapest nylon pull through straps available in the world wide web on your wristwatch; The nylon used for cheap nylon pull-through straps can be very stiff, can have a slippery touch, because of the low quality nylon used. Sometimes they even can have an annoying chemical smell. Attributes of cheap nylon straps really don’t suite an exclusive watch. Another point is the hardware on cheap nylon straps. Most often they’re made of cheap metals, or even plastic and poorly plated. The chrome will easily wear off and the brass will come through. This is not the kind of strap your watch deserves. Choose your straps wisely
Seiko Turtle paired with a Heavy Duty Nylon Strap – Black & Orange | WB Original
WatchBandit Original premium Nylon Pull-Through straps
Since 2014 it is our mission at WatchBandit, to make high quality watch straps affordable. During the past years, we’ve determined the best producer and seat-belt nylon material for our Nylon Pull-Through strap. We negotiated the best conditions, to offer straps with a good price-performance ratio. That said WatchBandit Original straps are the essence of a yearlong process and are developed with the help of the watch community and customers.
Premium Single-Piece Nylon Strap – Grey | WB Original paired with an Omega Speedmaster Professional
We can assure our customers, with a clear conscience, to wear our straps with any watch, no matter how high end it might be. We use high quality stainless steel hardware elements for our straps, either with brushed, polished or black PVD coated hardware.
Be creative with the choice of your watch strap!
Isn’t it boring to wear the stock strap or bracelet of your watch, like any other who wears the same watch model as you do? Single-Piece Nylon Pull-Through straps are easy to change, as you don’t need to take off the spring bars. Just pull out the old one and pull through the new one! This way you can perfectly match the color of your watch strap with the colors of your outfit. You can even wear a Nylon strap with your suit to have the ultimative Bond look. Stand out of the crowd with your own and individual WatchBandit watch style!
Different 20mm strap variations (f.l.t.r.: Blue/Grey, Black, Bond, Green) on a Rolex GMT Master II 116710LN
Safety first!
Sometimes or at some places, you don’t want your expensive watch being recognized immediately. Maybe you just want to keep a humble appearance, or you want don’t want to attract pickpockets. The shiny center links of a Rolex Oyster bracelets for example can be spotted over miles. A Nylon Pull-Through strap will give your beloved watch some stealth time. Furthermore it’s not so easy to pull it off in a quick way and pickpockets might give up the struggle before it’s too late.
Another important fact is that the watch sits safe “between” the Nylon Pull-Through strap. It’s pulled through the spring bars and again pulled through another stainless steel loop. If the very rare case of spring bar failure occurs, the watch will still hang on its last spring bar between the strap and it won’t fall off your wrist.
Single Piece Nylon Pull-Through straps are perfect for outdoor activities and are easy to clean
Like your polyester sport shirt, Single-Piece Nylon Pull-Through straps are made of nylon webbing. Both belong to the family of synthetic polymers and just like your sport shirt, a nylon strap dries fast. That’s why you can go swimming or diving with it without any problem. Due to its length, it can be even worn over a diving suit. It’s drying faster than leather, canvas or cotton watch straps. If a Nylon Pull-Through strap is a bit stiff in the beginning, it becomes softer after a while of wearing, depending which thickness of strap you choose. While 1,2 mm straps are soft from the first day on, 1,4 mm straps can use a little time of wearing.
Because they have the safety attributes and dry quick, it’s the perfect strap for any outdoor- or sport activity. Compared to leather straps, nylon straps are resistant to sweat and dirt and easy to clean. Just clean it with soap and water, or it can be simply washed in the washing machine. (But better put the strap into a pocket of pants or small bag, so the buckle is not harming the machine or other clothes)
How to install a Single Piece-Nylon Pull-Through strap on your watch
The picture below shows you how a the Single-Piece Nylon Pull-Through strap is installed on your watch. In the picture you can see, that the watch lies with its dial down. Starting to install the strap, the buckle is always at 12 o’clock. From there you take the longest part of the strap and pull it underneath your watch through the spring bars. Then you pull the strap through the last stainless steel loop and finish the installing process.
WB Original Bond strap gets installed on a Rolex GMT-Master II
WatchBandit Original adjustable Single-Pass straps
Our latest creation is the adjustable single-pass nylon strap; The buckle design enables you to adjust the length of the strap individually, to guarantee the perfect fit on your wrist. Furthermore it’s a single layer nylon strap, which means, that it doesn’t have the classic second layer to “double fix” your watch (as shown in the installation process in the chapter before). Like all our premium nylon straps it’s only 1,2 mm thick and it’s specially woven with up to three colors.
These straps are ideal for:
- Everyday Wear: The adjustable single-pass nylon strap offers a comfortable and secure fit, making it perfect for daily use.
- Sports and Outdoor Activities: Thanks to their durable and water-resistant properties, these straps are great for active lifestyles, whether you’re hiking, swimming, or working out.
- Military and Tactical Use: The robust construction and reliable buckle make these straps a practical choice for military personnel and outdoor enthusiasts who need gear they can trust.
- Watch Collectors and Enthusiasts: The customizable length and stylish design make these straps a favorite among watch aficionados looking to enhance their collections.
Upgrade your watch game with our premium adjustable single-pass nylon straps and experience the perfect blend of comfort, durability and style.
Why we created the WB Original Two-Piece strap
Tudor GMT paired with a Two-Piece Nylon Strap Black | WB Original
Many like the classic nylon pull-through strap style, but many don’t like the bulky left-over of the longer single piece straps and that it makes their watch sitting (about 2,8 mm) higher on the wrist. That’s why we designed our WB Original two-piece strap. Our two-piece strap is designed like a regular watch strap, but with the same seatbelt nylon used for nylon pull-through straps and double layered.
While staying soft and comfortable, the thickness of 3 mm is perfect for thicker watches, for example dive- or sport watches. A regular strap would cover the beautiful movement of watches with a see through case back. Our two-piece strap is made of two separate straps, so you can still enjoy watching the balance wheel bounce.
NOMOS Ahoi Atlantic Date on blue WB Original two-piece
If you don’t like bulky strap leftovers, then our two-piece strap by WB Original is what you need! Another thing we’ve noticed, you can see in the second picture on the right below. It shows how you can overlap the first stainless steel loop with the strap and pull it just through the last. Wearing the strap like this, you can lie down your wirst with the soft nylon on your desktop or laptop while working.
Classic nylon straps made from a single strap will always have some leftover on the side of your wrist – Two-Piece straps don’t!
No Extra Height on your Wrist
Another positive effect is that a two-piece strap doesn’t cause any extra height of your watch, because there is no strap going underneath your watch. The picture below shows the three kind of nylon straps we’re offering at WatchBandit:
Additional height of the watch due different pull-through nylon straps (from left to right): 2,8 mm, 2,4 mm, 0 mm
- First picture on the left shows the Classic Heavy-Duty strap with a height of 1,4 mm. This causes an extra height of your watch of 2,8 mm.
- In the middle you see a strap with a Premium nylon strap height of 1,2 mm. Besides that it’s only causing an extra height of 2,4 mm of your watch, you can see the finer fabric structure.
- On the right you can see our WB Original Two-Piece strap, which doesn’t cause any extra hight on your watch. The watch lies on your wrist like with any other regular strap or bracelet and is easy to place under your sleeve.
Pros & Cons of single-piece straps
Pros
- It’s the “original” strap
- Military, sporty look
- If one spring bar fails, the watch doesn’t fall off the wrist
- Easy to swap
Cons
- Bulky strap leftover on the side of the wrist
- The very sporty “military” style may not fit to a lot of outfits
- The watch sits 2,4-2,8 mm higher on your wrist
Pros & Cons if two-piece straps
Pros
- No bulky leftover on the side or unter the wrist
- The classic style of a two-piece strap suits most outfits
- A see through case back isn’t covered
- The thickness of 3 mm is perfect for sport watches
- No additional height of your watch
Cons
- The thickness of 3 mm might not suit slim watches
- If the very rare case of a spring bar failure occurs, the watch can fall off the wrist
- You need spring bar tool to swap the strap
How you can determine the lug width of your watch, so that you know what strap size you need, you can find in here.
Thank you for reading!
If you have any thoughts, pros or cons to add, just let us know in the comments!
two piece holes of straps fit are size to accomodate the fat spring bar Seiko neu turtle ? thank you
Yes, I also wear them on my own Seiko Samurai, so also fits the Turtle.
Cheers,