Before recently, I wasn’t much of a “replacement strap person”. I suppose because I’m still fairly new to watch collecting, the straps my watches come on are still holding together well. But then I started writing for the WatchGecko magazine and I quickly realised the hidden joy in strap swapping.
It’s really quite amazing how drastically the look of a watch changes when you alter the strap. And when you have endless choices of materials and colours like you do at WatchGecko, the opportunities feel endless. But if I was going to choose just five watch straps from the WatchGecko store, which would I choose? It wasn’t an easy decision, trust me, but here’s five watch bands I’d love to test drive on some of my own timepieces.
ZULUDIVER OctoPod Watch Strap- Regular price
- £125.00
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- Sale price
- £125.00
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- Regular price
- £125.00
- Regular price
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- Sale price
- £125.00
- Unit price
- per
- Regular price
- £125.00
- Regular price
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- Sale price
- £125.00
- Unit price
- per
Since I have a tendency to choose watches with bright coloured dials, it fares that I like straps with splashes of colours on them too. There’s an abundance of colours available on the ZULUDIVER OctoPod Watch Strap but I particularly like the bright hues of orange and turquoise on the Kodiak variant. I can just picture this on my Tissot PRX Mint Green; the strap’s blue pairing nicely with the dial and the orange contrasting to it all. The strap is also super flexible, comfortable and compatible with the iconic OctoPod buckle.
- Regular price
- £125.00
- Regular price
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- Sale price
- £125.00
- Unit price
- per
Most of the watches in my collection come on metal bracelets; it’s a design choice I’ve always found myself leaning towards more than others. But one style of bracelet I’m yet to own is the retro-inspired beads-of-rice strap. This style is inspired by the straps created by Gay Frères for Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin during the 1940’s. They have a jewellery-like aesthetic and unlike chunkier, three-row link bracelets, the small bead-shaped links make the bracelet look slimmer and sit closer to the skin.
ZULUDIVER 1973 British Military Watch Strap: OXFORD - Chestnut Brown
Speaking of retro-inspired straps, WatchGecko have a rather large offering of vintage leather straps. I particularly like the ZULUDIVER 1973 British Military watch strap in Chestnut Brown. It is crafted from oiled ‘crazy horse’ pull-up natural leather, a material that will absorb the oils from your skin and give the leather a glossy sheen completely bespoke to the wearer. It’s an appealing thought, having a watch strap that will age and develop a patina over time along with you. The leather band also comes with contrasting cream stitching and a stainless steel pin buckle.
Vintage Highley Italian Vegan Leather Watch Strap - Textured Olive Green
Another leather watch strap I’ve had my eye on recently is the Vintage Highley Italian Vegan Leather watch strap in Textured Olive Green. Not everyone feels comfortable wearing animal leather on their watches, so it’s nice to have the option to have the “leather look” but with a vegan, eco-friendly alternative. The Italian apple leather arrives in a gorgeous range of colours, but I like the dark olive green shade the most. It would look stunning paired with watches with black or khaki green dials. The strap is padded up to 6mm thick, so you know it’s going to be comfortable, and it has attractive off-white stitching for a subtle touch of contrast.
ZULUDIVER 1973 British Military Watch Strap: INFANTRY
My final choice of watch strap from the WatchGecko store is the ZULUDIVER 1973 British Military Watch Strap in Talisman. I have a lot of gold and two-toned watches and I feel like a warm, autumn-inspired watch strap like this would pair with them perfectly, dressing them down for the everyday. The muted beige stripe down the middle will pleasantly compliment any gold accents while the deep burgundy will add a splash of colour to an otherwise monochromatic design. The strap is crafted from durable double pass nylon, so while it also looks the part, I’ll feel confident knowing it’ll keep up with whatever adventures I intend to embark on.
So, there you have it, my five dream watch straps from the WatchGecko store. Did I choose right? Or do my tastes differ completely from yours? Let us know what your dream team of straps would be in the comments below!
