Hidden Gems | Watch Strap Special | Crown & Caliber

hi i'm mark with crown and caliber and welcome to hidden gems today is going to be a little bit different instead of going into the intricacies of a movement or history of a watch we're talking about straps there is such a multitude of different styles and leathers and when you start getting into it it can really take that one watch and make it do triple quadruple duty it really is a great way to expand how a watch looks and its usefulness and i love that and something that we talk about all the time around here we talk about how much i'd love to put that watch on this or that and as some of you may know we've recently become part of hodinki and they sell the straps that we don't so it gave us the access and gave us the chance to raid their shelves grab some high quality straps put them on the watches we have in-house and it allows us to share with you what we think so interesting about straps [Music] the fun part about straps is being able to change what you expect out of a watch and there's certain watches we all know like the speed master professional absolute strap monster whatever you put on it works we want to look at things that are a little different a little more fun color something that changes the way you approach the watch because you change the strap so let's start with nato's they are the easiest to get into the lowest price point something that's become very popular and being hidden gems let's get into the history a little bit let's start with why it's called a nato strap [Music] that type of strap actually originated with the british military in the 1970s and in order to get one you had to fill out a g10 form and as they became more popular instead of being known as g10 watches they got known for their stocking number that the quartermasters would have to grab it from and those stocking numbers were called nato stocking numbers and eventually they became so popular they just called them the nato straps for the stocking number system that was used nato straps typically nylon though it could be made of other materials especially canvas the original ones are made out of but what makes them different is they have this pass-through going underneath and then back up and creates two different layers that extra attachment where it goes underneath both the spring bars is why it was used in the military it means that if one of the spring bars break off the watch is still attached by the other one it's an extra security that's not there with most straps and that's why the military started using the first place and why it became popular with people like sean connery as james bond [Music] now that we know what a nato is let's look at the unexpected companion to a nato the rolex daytona normally this is known as the hard to get rolex watch the one that is nearly impossible that you'll be on a waitlist forever to get and it's almost never worn anything but the oyster bracelet which is a fantastic bracelet and looks good but honestly i think really limits the watch and keeps it to just what it everyone's used to putting on this black nato they'll match the black of the watch gives it a more day in day out feel a more sporty feel which is where it came from this is a sports watch this is a watch that's meant to time races originally and i think the nato gives it that original feel it gives it the feel of a sports watch it's something that you're ready to take out go out and have some fun with and i love the darkening look to it i this might be my favorite combination of a nato even though it's that simple that i've seen a very long time so going from there we have a sports watch on nato to a watch that is not a sports watch on a nato the vacheron constantine 56 complete calendar it isn't steel so it's not a typical dress watch it does have more of a daily watch feel and is something i've covered before it's a watch that i love to play around with i've said in the past that i would throw this thing on a flamingo nato and have no problem with it it's a good way to take a watch that is considered to be hierology almost dress watch like but a little bit of a sporty feel to it and really dress it down make it an everyday watch that's why i think this watch really belongs and the strap helps it go there so moving on next we have the typical leathers what you're used to which is cowhide leathers or calf leather uh for these straps it's a little higher and they actually use calf leather which is a little bit different than typical cowhide because it has a tighter grain and a tighter weave so it actually stands up over time better it's a little bit more water resistant and it also isn't as stiff as typical cowhides so it immediately feels more comfortable on the wrist making it the perfect thing for a watch strap and just to get into what makes also a good quality strap you should be able to see the sides completely painted so that there's no splits you're seeing it's sealed on the side a really good strap will also have a cow hide on the bottom so that the tanning doesn't get into your hand it's a little softer it's a difference between a cheaper strap and a higher quality strap this is the jesus cult master thin moon phase which normally comes on alligator strap i think that makes it a little too dressy i like the idea of taking a cowhide leather strap instead bringing it down to a still dressy but more business casual rather than i want to put on a suit in order to wear this watch i'm not going to wear a suit most days but this is the kind of watch i do want to wear most days i have no problem taking the office every day once i get rid of the alligator so next we have the langa1 which in itself deserves its own video it's honestly an amazing watch that at some point we're going to get into but usually it comes on alligator strap which is stuffy but we still need to have fun with it watches shouldn't be so precious that we don't have some fun with it and that's where you can bring in some color in this case we have a calf skin blue which works with the blue moon phase is a simple one that just helps bring out something in the watch that the alligator strap doesn't really do for me and then speaking of what color can do for a watch this is another calfskin leather but this time dyed a nice orange that goes really well with the orange in the second hand of this watch and honestly it's a color combination i love so much that this is my watch and this might be my favorite strap i've ever put it on it's fun with the orange but it feels nice and serious to have some leather on there instead of just a bright orange nato it brings it some gravitas with the leather but at the same time the color is fun it says to me this is just what i love about this watch is every time i put a strap on it it changes what it is i think the point is when it comes to the cast skin leather leather is the most typical strap and we we definitely have seen it plenty of brown leather black leather i think when you add color to it you're bringing something that isn't just there in the watch out something that you bring to the watch you get to bring your own style your own fun to a watch and i think it's really important don't be afraid when you get a watch on leather to start looking at other options to mix it up feel free to change it out put a bright color on it a dark color on it it gives the watch a different character every time you do it's worth exploring it's brings new life to that watch [Music] another fun way to play with a strap is when we start talking about older watches or vintage watches or watches that have that vintage feel is getting a distressed leather it already has some cracks and crevices in it it's new but it has a little wear to it in the look which i think really lends itself well to like a classic watch like this this is a patek philippe calatrava with if we want to have some fun with it a hunter case back which not many people do but i love the fact that tech still makes that once in a while the green works well with the gold always does it's a great warm color combination but what i really like about this strap is that distressed look on it with this classic looking watch gives it a little bit of weight of history that weight of that time is part of what is the calatrava it's an old watch it's an old style it's been around a long time and it always feels that way it feels like there's a little weight of history behind the models so having a strap that matches that i think works better than what the strap that actually comes with the watch does that's the miracle of changing the strap you can actually add the character it's already in the watch and bring it out even more when you do something like that that takes care of the calfskin leathers and it's also worth knowing there's a lot of other different leathers out there one we don't see too often which has become one of my favorite because it's a very light tone to it light texture is actually goat leather it feels a lot like the cow leather as far as how stiff it is or how much it how pliable it is so it's easy to wear it's familiar but it has this really tight pebbling it's a very light subtle texture to it and i'm a big fan because it's not something you see every day and here we have it paired quite fun with a reverso tribute the 1931. it's gorgeous on its own and in this case that yellow is bright fun it gives a little different and then it matches really well with indices on this watch which are kind of faux age but not real photina the rest of the black dial means it will work with anything when you put it on you feel happier about it you have this very old serious watch but it's supposed to be a sports watch not a dress watch initially it should be more fun it should be something you take out every day this watch side by side with it's what it comes with different feel to the watch and that's the point of the strap is every time you change it or bring something new to it with the strap it changes the attitude of the watch so this has gone from a dress watch to a fun everyday watch so another thing to think about is those dark stiff leathers that come with this watch originally they don't bend exactly and they sit further up on the wrist and i never it always takes a lot of time and wearing before it plies into your wrist and starts to feel normal when you have something like this that is a lot softer leather the minute you put it on it just bends with the wrist so well that i actually think this kind of leather is better than what it comes with and fits better on your wrist it lays low it feels sleek it does exactly what the watch is supposed to do and when you're changing the color of the strap you can bring out a little bit more of the watch more fun but when you change the type of leather in the strap to some of these softer or even a more stiff leather you're changing the experience of the watch and sometimes for the better so so far we've talked about pretty standard straps that subjectively can change a watch they look great they're but they're relatively standard and it's what we're used to on a watch now we're going to move to a strap that is divisive it's not not everyone's a big fan of it but the strap does have some defenders elvis miles davis paul newman or just some of the people who have worn this strap quite famously this is the bun strap the bun strap comes from mid-century pilots they dealt with a lot of open-air cold a lot of hot elements a lot of different things you didn't want metal touching your arm for so what the germans actually did was put a pad of leather underneath the watch to keep the metal from the watch touching your skin and this is one of the few watch straps that was actually invented like the nato for real function so we did pair it with an iwc pilot's watch to give it the right watch for the right feel color works great it definitely gives a vibe to this watch the bun may be a polarizing option some people not a fan of it some people are and if you are go for it just like the watch you pick out the strap you add to it it should be about what you like and what speaks to you enjoy it and the last two we have on the table are nubuck and suede and they're kind of in the same vein of feel nubuck here is it has a soft texture to it and what it is is the top grain leather is sanded and scuffed to create that soft texture and it's it's not flat it's more durable than suede it's more water resistant than suede it's going to last longer but it's not going to have as soft the texture of swing again with like a nubuck is you'll have the calf skin underneath to have it a little softer a little more durable touch against the skin i've seen this baby blue on panerai's before i think it looks great and honestly this watch will work with almost anything [Music] and then suede so suede from a distance may look like nubuck but it's from the underside of the hive which means it doesn't have the same water resistance also means because of that less durability but man is it soft man does it feel good it has a specific look that you can't get from anything else and once in a while you just want to put something like a camo suede strap on something this breitling definitely has a big military feel to it so it worked great on this watch but honestly it's just fun to have a camo suede strap i just want to say that again a camo suede strap something that ridiculous and fun is you almost want to have in the collection to throw on any watch just to see what it will look like i know it's camo but it's suede camo like that's just pure fun anything else any other material made from this just wouldn't be as silly and i love that so the point of all this is when you're looking at a watch realize that straps can change the personality they can change how you look at the watch how you use the watch from what materials you use to the color it's one of the joys of having a nice watch and you have plenty of options here there is the cow leather the goat there's suede there's nubuck and there's plenty of other leathers out there but if leathers aren't your thing there's of course the nato straps there's rubber there's purlon straps and there's even vegan options like pineapple leather watches all worth checking out all fantastic ways to bring new life and new interests to your watch hope you enjoyed learning about straps today join me next time on hidden gems thank you for joining me today as we talked about straps and what they can do for watches and if there's other aspects of the watch world that you find are unappreciated and we should dive into let us know in the comments see you next time [Music]

Channel: Crown & Caliber by Hodinkee

Views: 26,007

Keywords: Hidden Gems | Watch Strap Special | Crown & Caliber, crown and caliber, Hodinkee, watch straps, leather watch strap, calfskin watch strap, nubuck watch strap, suede watch strap, perlon watch strap, rubber watch strap, rolex Daytona, vacheron constantin, fifty six complete calendar, nato strap, omega aqua terra, jaeger lecoultre, jlc reverso, Breitling, avenger, watch accessories, moon phase

Id: Ev2yYy0Nn14

Length: 16min 15sec (975 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 25 2021