As a surprise gift, my wife and son surprised me with a new NATO style 22mm watch band. I am a big fan of NATO straps. When they are well made, like this one, they are very comfortable (in the heat and cold) and can change the whole look of a watch. They are also affordable and easy to swap out to mix and match. A nice feature with true NATO straps is the length. You can wear the watch over your clothes, which is why they are so long. Where I work, I have to wear a static dissipative smock, so I do actually wear my watch on the outside of the sleeve. You can see why outdoors-men, divers, and astronauts like NATO straps. Sometimes you have to wear your watch on the outside of your uniform or spacesuit.
One other feature not advertised for NATO straps is that it keeps the watch away from direct contact with your skin. This can be a big deal to people with nickel allergies, since 316L stainless and most plated base metal contains nickel. Luckily, I don’t have that allergy.
This band is really well suited to my Seiko Diver’s 200M orange bullet. The orange is a very good match for the dial, and the black compliments the bezel. There is also the grey stripe picks up the stainless steel of the watch. At 22mm, it also can be used for a lot of my other watches, including my Seiko Compass, Pepsi, and Pulsar Chronograph. My orange bullet was on a black leather band, with orange stitching. That band will find a new home on my Pulsar Chronograph.
It was a great surprise and a great, affordable gift idea for any watch lover and the next best thing to getting a new watch. Thank you!
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