Buying a new strap might not be as much fun as buying a new watch, but it is certainly cheaper. Buying straps is a great way to increase your current collections versatility and it is just a good way to freshen up an old watch.
The range of straps available is vast and choosing what to get can seem like a real midfield at times so this guide will steer you in the right direction.
What Type Of Watch Is It?
The first thing you need to know is what type of watch you have. Certain straps work better with certain types of watches.
Think of your watch in the same way as a pair of shoes and how you would match the rest of your outfit around that. Matching a nice pair of black leather business shoes with some running shorts is not a good look. The same goes for wearing a pair of Nikes with a suit.
I think it’s important to note that some people break these “rules” both for shoes and watches and plenty of them look awful and straight up crazy …while others can pull it off.
So really what I’m saying is …you can do whatever you want. Some of you will be able to pull it off, other will not. Go with whatever you like and whatever you feel is good. If you are unsure what to do and want a good safe option, just try and follow along with what I’m saying below.
Size
This isn’t really something you can control. You just have to accept it. You need to find what size strap your watch will take.
This is often called the lug width or strap width. You can easily look up your watch model and find the size. If you are not sure you can also easily measure it.
This is very important as if you buy the wrong size; it’s not going to fit. Most watches will be 18, 20 or 22mm, but of course there are always some watches that fall in between. When you are looking at straps you need to make sure it’s available in the size you need.
You also need to know what length to get, as they can affect the look and comfort. Length basically means how much strap there is to around your wrist. If you buy on that is far too small, well it’s not going to fit and if you buy one that is too big, it’s going to have that super annoying over hang.
Most straps come in regular and large. Some give the actual length in cm. You should know your wrist diameter and also measure any straps you have now (especially the straps that fit nicely) this will give you a rough idea of what length you need.
Length isn’t super important as most people fall into the “regular” size but if you have very large or small wrists, you should pay a little more attention to this.
(You can read more about – What To Do If A Leather Watch Strap Doesn’t Fit)
Colour
I feel that colour is extremely important when choosing a strap. You should first look at the colour of your dial and watch case and try and match something to this.
Dial
You want the strap to either match your dial, or match one of the smaller features on dial. Perhaps you have a black dial with a red second hand. I would start by looking at black straps, then red and even a combination of both colours. Each watch will be slightly different, as well as your tastes, but this usually a good starting point.
You also want the colours to match, not just be similar. A royal blue bezel is probably not going to work with a sky blue strap.
There are any number of combinations that can work. If you are unsure what can work, you can quickly look up what colours can match with each other. Sometimes they can be similar; sometimes they can be on the totally opposite ends of the colour scale. You will also find that some colours are more versatile. You will usually find a black or white dial can work with pretty much most colours of straps. Just play around with some ideas until you find something that looks good.
Your Outfit Colour
You need to also think about what you will wear with your watch. Maybe you have specific outfit or occasion you want to wear the watch with, or maybe it’s just your every day watch. Again there so many variations here you can really do anything you want.
Some people may dress very neutral and want their watch to blend in, while others who dress this way may want their watch to be the one pop of colour in the outfit. You also want to take into account your other accessories like any other jewellery you are wearing or even things like your belt colour. Deciding if you want these to complement each other are all things you should consider when are deciding on a strap colour.
Buckle Colour
You should also pay attention to the colour and finish of the buckles on the strap. You should ideally want them to match to the watch case, but there of course times when you can mix this up. Most straps will come with a number of options so you should be able to get the colour you need, but just always double check before you buy. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve nearly bought a strap that had a buckle colour I didn’t want.
Stitching/ Accents
You should also look at the stitching used in a strap, both its colour and style.
You will find that you can get various colours of stitching, or perhaps the underside is a different colour to the topside. These subtle changes can really change the look of a strap and really change how well it works.
You should also pay attention to the stitching. Some may be very fine and beautiful where others may be more large and rugged. Depending on the look and feel of your watch, these types of stitching may look right or may make everything look unbalanced.
Strap Material/Strap Style
Along with colour, this can be one of the most important things to pay attention to. It can be hard to separate material and style, as certain styles can be made from different materials. (Nato straps can be all sorts of fabric and also leather)
Again it is really important to know what type of watch you have as some styles will work much better with certain style of watches. The same goes for what your watch is made from. Certain metals and plastics will work with some straps more than others.
Some people will also argue you can’t have certain combinations, For example “you can’t use a leather strap on a dive watch, or a watch made from plastic”. However, if you feel the strap and watch you own is working together and you like how it looks, go with it. There are no rules with this stuff.
Leather
The range of Leather straps is phenomenal. There is a huge range of different leathers from different animals (and now plants) with different ranges of texture, quality and colour. If you want a brown leather strap there is easily a 100 different options I could show you, and that would just be differences in the material, once you start looking at styles the range gets even wider.
Rubber
Rubber straps also come in a wide range of variety and colours and of course are waterproof. They are also very lightweight and robust. They are very popular for people who want to be more active while wearing a watch and don’t want to worry about it getting wet.
Fabrics
The world of fabric straps is as varied as leather straps. There is an endless number of different fabrics used and with different styles and textures. The two most common will be your “traditional” two part strap design and the single piece nato straps.
I am a huge fan of these types of straps as they are usually very cheap and come in a very large number of colours and designs. They also pretty much work with every type of watch in every type of situation.
Metal Bracelets
From far away metal bracelets can all look the same, but when you start to study them you will quickly see there are many different styles and designs as well as having many different types of clasps that can make them very different from each other.
Bracelets can be hard to find as a replacement strap, usually as the ends need to be specially made to fit the watch. Usually what happens is people buy the watch with the manufactured bracelet, then swap it out for another style. You can then add it back on whenever you feel like.
You are usually going to have to buy a different style bracelet from the same manufacture as the watch, to ensure it fits right. However, there are some 3rd party manufactures that make bracelets for the most popular models. You will just need to make sure it is made to fit your watch before you buy it.
Overall Design Of The Strap
As you can see there is many types of different strap s available, but you also must be aware that within each of these categories there are a wide range of options that can make a huge difference.
Little things like the finish of the strap can change it drastically, for example a leather strap may be shiny or dull and they both look very different to each other. The same can be said for a bracelet. One may be polished and the other might not. These can really change how the strap works with your watch.
The same goes for the texture of the material used, which can affect the look and thickness. Even if the strap is the right size, it might seem too chunky just based off what it is made from.
You then also have design features such as the taper, where the strap may start at a certain thickness, but end at a slimmer one near the buckle/clasp. This can massively change how a watch looks; some watches really need it while others may look out of proportion because of this.
Other design features such as the buckle and the holes should be looked at too. Although they usually don’t change a lot, there can be differences and they can change the look for the strap so it worth looking at.
(You can read more about – What Are The Different Types Of Watch Straps Available?)
Occasion
Where and when you are wearing the strap will also come into play when choosing one. You can pretty much treat it like how you would choose the rest of your outfit for the occasion.
If you are going to the beach you might want something light weight, breathable and waterproof, where as if you were going to a very formal event you might want to select something more elegant and subtle.
How You Feel
The beauty of this is that it really is very subjective. I can sit here and tell you what I think works and what I think is right, but if you don’t agree, that is fine.
Maybe you are the type of person who can attend a very formal event and instead of wearing something elegant and subtle like I mentioned above, you wear a bright neon pink nato strap. Maybe you are the sort of person who can get away with such brightness.
If you like the strap and you feel it works with your watch and your style, go for it and enjoy it. You shouldn’t care what other people think and you shouldn’t let other people question your choices.
(You can read more about – Can You Customize Your Watch Strap To Match Your Personal Style?)
Conclusion
There are endless numbers of combination of watches and straps that you can make. This really means you should be able to find something that works really well and really suits your style.
When you get a new watch you should always look at what other options are available. I am sure the default strap is great, but there are so many options to experiment with. It is also super cheap to buy new straps and very easy to change them. This really means you can very easily increase the versatility of your watch and enjoy it even more.
(You can read more about – How Often Should You Change A Watch Strap?)
Ian is the main writer at Horology Dream and is a lover all things watch related.
He has been a watch collector for over a decade and brings his knowledge and experience to this site to help you on your own watch collecting journey.
You can connect with him on Social media and talk anything watches or read more about him on his Author Page.
