Can You Easily Interchange NATO Straps Between Different Watches?

When you have a collection of watches it can be cool to swap around the straps to get some different looks.

This can be a bit of hassle as you need to get some tools out and it’s not the most convenient thing to do every day.

However, Nato straps will solve this problem as they are probably the easiest types of strap to swap out, and you don’t need any tools to do it.

Keeping your watches on Nato straps can be a real game changer if you like swapping things regularly.

You Can Very Easily Swap Nato Straps

One of the great things about Nato straps is that you can very quickly, and easily swap them over.

Out of all the straps you can get for a watch, Nato’s are probably the most interchangeable. This is down to the fact that they are not actually attached to the watch, and also that they are just one single piece of material.

This design makes them perfect for quickly swapping things over, it literally only takes a few seconds to do.

If you have a different strap on your watch, it can be a bit of hassle to remove this first. It’s still really easy, but you will need a tool in most cases to do this, which you will not need when you are swapping one Nato strap for another Nato. 

(You can read more about – Are NATO Straps Suitable For All Types Of Watches?)

The Lug Width Of Your Watch Matters

I think it is important to mention that you need the right size strap for your watch, as interchangeable as Nato straps are, you do need to make sure it can fit the watch.

If you look at where your watch and strap meets, there is usually a sort of “gap” for the strap to sit and more importantly where the spring bars sits. This is area of the watch is known as the lugs and the space between these is known as the “lug width”   

The lug width is basically telling you how wide your strap needs to be. It is important that you know this number so that you can buy the right width of strap (this applies for any strap, not just Nato straps)

It is measured in millimetres and you will find straps marked with this value as this when you go shopping. Exactly how you might see different sizes for clothes. All you need to do is buy a strap that will match the width of your watches lugs and everything will be fine.

You Can Often Get Away With Using The Wrong Size Nato Strap

While I have just said that you need the right size strap for your watch …you can kind of break this rule when it comes to Nato straps.

If you do this with another other strap it usually looks very stupid, but you can get away with it when you use a Nato that is the wrong size.

This only works when you are using a size that is too small, because, well if the strap is too big it just isn’t going to physically fit in between the lugs.

I would also suggest you only go one size down, using a really tiny strap on a wide watch may start to look silly, but I think you can get away with just going down a size.

I actually do this with my Vostok it has 22mm lugs, but I don’t own any straps that size, so I just use a 20mm and it looks fine. There is a small gap, but you don’t really notice it.  

If you don’t want to trust me on this, that is fine …but maybe Mr Bond can convince you. The famous Rolex submariner he wore in Goldfinger was actually on a Nato and if you look closely you will see it is a little too small. I believe the watch is 20mm and his strap was 18mm. 

If Bond can do it, so can we!

How To Change A Nato Strap To A Different Watch

The steps to switching Nato straps to another watch is extremely easy. I will quickly go through removing a regular strap for a Nato, and then swapping Natos for Natos.

Swapping A Regular Strap For A Nato Strap

You will need a spring bar removal tool in most cases, unless your current strap as quick release spring bars.

Turn your watch over and squeeze your spring bar removal tool in between the watch and strap so that it is touching the spring bar. Gently move the tool away from the watch, which should drag the spring bar and compress it …it’s a little spring, so you want to basically squeeze it down, which will make it pop out of the hole and the strap should fall off the watch.

Repeat for the other side.

You will now need to remove the spring bars from the strap and re-install them into the watch.

If your strap has quick release spring bars, then you just need to use your fingernail to move the little handle, which will allow the strap to come off. You cannot remove these spring bars from the strap, so you will need to get a separate pair and install these (Nato straps often come with spring bars in case you need them)

Once the spring bars are installed, you have done all the hard work.

Now all you need to do is just thread your Nato strap onto the watch and you are finished

The first time you do this you may need to play around with the placement of the watch along the strap, but after this you will just know where it should go and where you find things most comfortable.

Swapping A Nato For Another Nato Strap

If you are swapping from one Nato to another, this will literally take seconds.

Remove the watch from the current strap, just unthread it. You don’t need any tools or need to touch the spring bars, just unthread the strap and it will come off very easily.

Now take the different Nato strap you want to use and thread it through the spring bars …and you are done.

Swapping from one Nato to another is that easy.

Keep Your Watches Without Straps

If you are really into Nato straps, and like using them often, it can be a good idea to just remove the straps from your watches and just have the watch head with the spring bars in place.

This can look a little strange, as your watch has no strap, but it does make things really easy for you when it’s time to put a watch on.

All you need to do is pick up the watch dead you want, and then pick a Nato strap …and slide in on and away you go.

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

Conclusion

Hopefully now you can see that interchanging Nato straps is probably one of the easiest thing you can do.

Something so simple can allow you to mix up different looks very quickly and you could even make multiple changes a day if you want.

I like to keep a couple of watches off their straps and just have the heads sat next to a pile of Natos, then I can pick and choose whatever combination I want for that day.

Nato are awesome, if you haven’t got some already, you should.

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