What Watch Straps Work Well With A Vostok Watch?

If you own a Vostok you will probably realise that the strap or bracelet that comes with the watch isn’t the best. It will do the job and they look okay …but you can do better.

So you might be wondering what straps actually work with Vostoks …and luckily it is actually quite a lot. Vostoks are really versatile when it comes to what works well with them, so I will go through all the options below and you will quickly see that pretty much everything works well with them.

Really it is down to you to decide what you like and what suits your style, but you will find something that works, there is something for everyone.

Beat Up Vostoks Pair Well With More Straps

The more beat up a Vostok watches is, the better it will pair with a strap. Brand new watches are often a little too shiny and the highly reflective chrome plating can make them clash with a lot of colours.

However, when they get a little beat up and the shine is toned down, they actually start to pair really well with a vast number of straps.

Of course there is a limit to this, at some point the watch will look so beat up that it’s a disaster and it won’t matter what strap it is on, it will just look bad. Although, it takes a lot to get a Vostok into this position, so you should be fine.

(You can read more about – Why Do Beat Up Vostoks Look Better Than Brand New Ones?)

What Colours Work With Vostoks

When it comes to strap colour, this is really personal preference. The chrome colour (especially the dulled chrome) of the case can be paired with any colour, so really you should try and pick a strap that is going to work with the rest of your outfit, or that just suits your style.

You can also use the dial of the watch and sometimes even the bezel to help you colour match a strap.  While some of the dials can be quite plane and subdue, meaning any neutral coloured strap can work quite well with them, there are other dials that are a little more flamboyant and you should be able to pick out the main colours from these and then find something similar.

I have one Vostok with a black and white dial, so it is quite neutral and a neutral strap can pair quite nicely, or I could just lean towards black to match the main dial colour.

I also have another Vostok where the dial is mostly black, with red accents; The bezel is also red and black. This watch paires well with an all black strap too, based on the fact that the main colour of the dial is black, but I also paired it with a black strap with red accents, which really complimented the red accents of watch.

Nato Straps Work Well With Vostok

Ok, so …yes, it’s ironic. A Russian watch pairing well with a Nato strap sounds like a ridiculous statement, but it is in fact a reality.

Politics aside, the watch will work well with a Nato strap.

I’m not sure if it is just because both the watch and strap where designed with military use in mind or what, but the combination just works.

Pairing your watch with a Nato also opens you up to a wide range of colours as you can literally get a million different Nato straps, so it doesn’t really matter colour your watch dial is, or how you like to dress, you will be able to find a Nato that works.  

This is my go to with my Vostoks. I quite like Natos in general, but I feel they really work with vostoks. They feel great and look very natural.

Leather Straps

Usually when you think about leather straps and dive watches, it doesn’t work, well it can, but people often frown upon it as why would you mix something that is waterproof, with something that is not.

Either way, they can look good and some models of Vostok actually come with leather straps, such as a lot of the Komandirskies. Although these are not “dive watches” they do look almost identical to the Amphibias, which are the actual dive watches

(You can read about – Vostok Komandirskie vs Amphibia – What Are The Differences?)

So really, if you want to wear a Vostok on a leather strap it will work.

What colour and what style of leather you go for will really depend on what you like but this is something you can play around with to see what fits.

If you watch is a little beat up then a distressed leather strap could work really well, but like I said, this is something to play around with as you can get multiple different looks and styles from leather alone and some will suit your watch and style better than others. 

Rubber Straps

Rubber straps usually work really well with dive watches, and Vostoks are no exception.

You can get array of different styles and colours which will all work and it really comes down to your personal tastes.

You will also find that you can buy rubber straps from Vostok themselves, so they are very aware that this style of strap works with their watches. 

(You can read more about – What Are The Advantages Of A Rubber Watch Strap?)

Mesh Bracelets

Vostok bracelets are often seen as awful and are quickly swapped out by new owners. A common alternative is a mesh bracelet, which again, is available from Vostok themselves as well as 3^rd parties.

Personally I am not a fan of these, I just don’t like how they look, but I know I am in the minority here. Apparently they are very comfortable, so if you do like them, you should certainly consider them.

Other Bracelets For Vostoks?

As I’ve already mentioned, the Vostok bracelets that come with the watch are often seen as bad.

I would partly agree. I think they do the job …but yeah, they are not great. The problem is that I have not seen any alternatives.

You can buy a slightly higher priced one from Vostok themselves and of course there are plenty of generic 3^rd party options available, but I just haven’t seen anything that is a real winner.

I think you either need to just stick with the average bracelet it comes with, or swap it out for one of the many other options I have mentioned above.

(You can read more about –Are Vostok Straps Bad?)

Conclusion

As you can see there are plenty of different straps that are going to work with your Vostok. Really you just need to think about what you like best and pair it with a colour that is going to compliment your watch and your style and you should be fine.

Vostoks are really versatile so it is easy to find something that will work well with it and look good, as well as suit your style.

You should play around with a few different straps and really see how it changes the look and feel of the watch, so that you can enjoy it on many levels. 

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Watch Straps)