Four analog wristwatches with watch straps from stainless steel - image 1

A watch strap, watch band, watch bracelet or watch belt is a bracelet that straps a

wrist watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

onto the wrist. Watch straps may be made of

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

, cloth, or

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, sometimes in combination. It can be regarded as a

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

item, serving both a utilitarian and decorative function. Some metal watch straps may be

plated Plating is a surface covering in which a metal is deposited on a conductive surface. Plating has been done for hundreds of years; it is also critical for modern technology. Plating is used to decorate objects, for corrosion inhibition, to improv ...

with, or even in rare cases made of,

precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lustre. ...

s. Watch straps may close with a buckle or a

folding clasp A folding clasp or deployant clasp or deployant buckle is a device used to close a watch strap. Variations * Butterfly clasps have a symmetrical appearance File:Butterfly-Faltschließe.jpg, Leather watch strap with a butterfly clasp closure ...

. Expanding watch straps are designed to expand elastically, often by the use of metal springs in a segmented design, and may be slipped on like a bracelet. Attachment points for the strap to the watch are largely standardized, with a spring bar (a spring-loaded double-ended pin) used to anchor the watch strap to holes in a bracket that is integral to the

watch case A usually clamshell case for a mechanical watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is ...

, allowing worn watch straps to be replaced or swapped with new straps for fashion purposes. Metal watch straps are typically stainless steel. The most common metal watch strap styles are the folded link, pushpin, and screw-in styles. Both metal watch cases and watch straps incorporating metal parts can sometimes cause contact dermatitis in susceptible individuals. Special anti-allergy watch straps, like a NATO style watch strap, which shield the skin from exposure to metal parts, are available for sufferers of this type of dermatitis. Specialist expanding watch straps exist for use with diving watches. The use of wet, or in some cases, dry suits require the strap to expand in order to accommodate the added material, which increases the circumference of the wrist. Many watch straps intended for diving watches have rippled or vented sections near the attachment points on the watch case to facilitate the required flexibility to strap the watch around the bare wrist or around wet or dry suits.

NATO Straps

NATO watch straps, also known as "NATO Straps", were developed by the UK

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

(MoD) for wartime usage (DefStan 66-47). The colour of the nylon ribbon (20 mm wide) shall be to BS 4800 card number 3, reference 18B25, colour grey. It is a one piece strap slid through the spring bars of the watch case and then slid into the appropriate notch, and then folded back to secure excess strap and prevented from sticking out of the main watch strap portion. The strap has been used in

James Bond movies James Bond is a fictional character created by British novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. A British secret agent working for MI6 under the codename 007, Bond has been portrayed on film in twenty-seven productions by actors Sean Connery, David Niven ...

. The Zulu watch strap and the NATO watch strap are both typically made of nylon. Bund straps, Perlon straps, Marine Nationale straps, Zulu straps, and NATO straps go completely around the wrist, including behind the case. Other wrist strap styles allow the back of the watch case to directly contact the skin.

Watch strap types

File:Viscount Alligator blau.jpg, A leather watch strap. File:Tissot RockWatch R151 dark green, buckle.jpg, A buckle fastening for a leather watch strap. File:Wrist_Watch_WWI.jpg, A cloth watch strap dating to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. File:Laco Paderborn B-Muster Beobachtungsuhr Fliegeruhr Pilotenuhr.jpg, A leather strap dating to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. File:4-ring NATO style watchstrap.JPG,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

-style webbing watch (5-ring ZULU) strap. File:Citizen EcoDrive RC noBg.jpg,

-style webbing watch strap. File:Citizen_Promaster_Eco-Drive_BN0000-04H_Diver's_300_m_on_a_Watchadoo_bracelet_3.JPG, A watch with a segmented stainless steel watch bracelet. File:Firestain example-watch.jpg, A silver-

metal watch bracelet, showing signs of wear. File:Roamer Premier 1961.jpg, A watch with a gold-plated ROWI Fixoflex expandable/retractable elastic watch bracelet. File:Stainless steel shark mesh bracelet.jpg, A watch with a stainless steel mesh bracelet. File:Escapement Time Pilot Flieger Chronograph.jpg, A watch with a stainless steel Milanese (braided mesh variant) bracelet. Cadisen_C8173_automatic_wristwatch_2.jpg, A watch with a fine stainless steel Milanese (dense and tight braided mesh variant) bracelet.What is Milanese watch band? A brief history of Mesh watch band
/ref> File:Clasp 1.jpg, Stainless steel bracelet with closed deployant clasp featuring 6 micro adjustment holes. File:Clasp 2.jpg, Stainless steel bracelet with opened deployant clasp. File:Extreme bracelet.jpg, A specialist expanding watch strap for diving watches. File:Diver’s watch stainless steel bracelet extension deployment clasp.JPG, Stainless steel bracelet with

deployant clasp A folding clasp or deployant clasp or deployant buckle is a device used to close a watch strap A watch strap, watch band, watch bracelet or watch belt is a bracelet that straps a wrist watch onto the wrist. Watch straps may be made of leather, ...

and diver's extension.

References

{{Reflist Watches Jewellery Fashion accessories Leather goods

NATO Straps

Watch strap types

See also

References