Four analog wristwatches with watch straps from stainless steel - image 1

A watch strap, watch band, watch bracelet or watch belt is a

bracelet A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a supportive function to hold other items of decoration, suc ...

that straps a wrist watch onto the wrist. Watch straps may be made of

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, an ...

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

, or

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, sometimes in combination. It can be regarded as a

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

item, serving both a utilitarian and decorative function. Some metal watch straps may be plated with, or even in rare cases made of, precious metals. Watch straps may close with a

buckle The buckle or clasp is a device used for fastening two loose ends, with one end attached to it and the other held by a catch in a secure but adjustable manner. Often taken for granted, the invention of the buckle was indispensable in securing tw ...

or a folding clasp. Expanding watch straps are designed to expand elastically, often by the use of metal springs in a segmented design, and may be slipped on like a bracelet. Attachment points for the strap to the watch are largely standardized, with a spring bar (a spring-loaded double-ended pin) used to anchor the watch strap to holes in a bracket that is integral to the watch case, allowing worn watch straps to be replaced or swapped with new straps for fashion purposes. Metal watch straps are typically stainless steel. The most common metal watch strap styles are the folded link, pushpin, and screw-in styles. Both metal watch cases and watch straps incorporating metal parts can sometimes cause

contact dermatitis Contact dermatitis is a type of acute or chronic inflammation of the skin caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents. Symptoms of contact dermatitis can include itchy or dry skin, a red rash, bumps, blisters, or swelling. These rashes are ...

in susceptible individuals. Special anti-allergy watch straps, like a NATO style watch strap, which shield the skin from exposure to metal parts, are available for sufferers of this type of dermatitis. Specialist expanding watch straps exist for use with

diving watch A diving watch, also commonly referred to as a diver's or dive watch, is a watch designed for underwater diving that features, as a minimum, a water resistance greater than , the equivalent of . The typical diver's watch will have a water resis ...

es. The use of wet, or in some cases, dry suits require the strap to expand in order to accommodate the added material, which increases the circumference of the wrist. Many watch straps intended for diving watches have rippled or vented sections near the attachment points on the watch case to facilitate the required flexibility to strap the watch around the bare wrist or around wet or dry suits.

NATO Straps

NATO watch straps, also known as "NATO Straps", were developed by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for wartime usage (DefStan 66-47). The colour of the nylon ribbon (20 mm wide) shall be to BS 4800 card number 3, reference 18B25, colour grey. It is a one piece strap slid through the spring bars of the watch case and then slid into the appropriate notch, and then folded back to secure excess strap and prevented from sticking out of the main watch strap portion. The strap has been used in James Bond movies. The Zulu watch strap and the NATO watch strap are both typically made of nylon. Bund straps, Perlon straps, Marine Nationale straps, Zulu straps, and NATO straps go completely around the wrist, including behind the case. Other wrist strap styles allow the back of the watch case to directly contact the skin.

Watch strap types

File:Viscount Alligator blau.jpg, A leather watch strap. File:Tissot RockWatch R151 dark green, buckle.jpg, A

fastening for a leather watch strap. File:Wrist_Watch_WWI.jpg, A cloth watch strap dating to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. File:Laco Paderborn B-Muster Beobachtungsuhr Fliegeruhr Pilotenuhr.jpg, A leather strap dating to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. File:4-ring NATO style watchstrap.JPG,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

-style

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watch (5-ring ZULU) strap. File:Citizen EcoDrive RC noBg.jpg,

-style

watch strap. File:Citizen_Promaster_Eco-Drive_BN0000-04H_Diver's_300_m_on_a_Watchadoo_bracelet_3.JPG, A watch with a segmented stainless steel watch bracelet. File:Firestain example-watch.jpg, A silver- plated metal watch bracelet, showing signs of wear. File:Roamer Premier 1961.jpg, A watch with a gold-plated ROWI Fixoflex expandable/retractable elastic watch bracelet. File:Stainless steel shark mesh bracelet.jpg, A watch with a stainless steel

mesh A mesh is a barrier made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible or ductile materials. A mesh is similar to a web or a net in that it has many attached or woven strands. Types * A plastic mesh may be extruded, oriented, exp ...

bracelet. File:Escapement Time Pilot Flieger Chronograph.jpg, A watch with a stainless steel Milanese (braided mesh variant) bracelet. Cadisen_C8173_automatic_wristwatch_2.jpg, A watch with a fine stainless steel Milanese (dense and tight braided mesh variant) bracelet.What is Milanese watch band? A brief history of Mesh watch band
/ref> File:Clasp 1.jpg, Stainless steel bracelet with closed deployant clasp featuring 6 micro adjustment holes. File:Clasp 2.jpg, Stainless steel bracelet with opened deployant clasp. File:Extreme bracelet.jpg, A specialist expanding watch strap for

es. File:Diver’s watch stainless steel bracelet extension deployment clasp.JPG, Stainless steel bracelet with

deployant clasp A folding clasp or deployant clasp or deployant buckle is a device used to close a watch strap. Variations * Butterfly clasps have a symmetrical appearance File:Butterfly-Faltschließe.jpg, Leather watch strap with a butterfly clasp closure ...

and diver's extension.

References

{{Reflist Watches Jewellery Fashion accessories Leather goods

NATO Straps

Watch strap types

See also

References