Watch Strap Review: Benchmark 18mm NATO Zulu Military-Style Watch Band

My scratched up old Vostok Amphibia is looking just a little spiffier with a new strap.  Old Vladimir Putin might be appalled to see that my Soviet watch has joined NATO.  At least, the NATO watch strap alliance.  The photo below shows the old watch sporting a new Amazon purchase: a Benchmark 18mm NATO Zulu Military-Style Watch Band.

Benchmark 18mm NATO Zulu Watch Band

A co-worker of mine bought this watch for me at a Russian flea market after the Berlin Wall fell and the cold war came to an end.  Political concerns make me hesitant to buy a new one.  I just don't want to fund Russia's bellicose adventures.  But, the Walmart velcro strap that I had installed on the watch was looking really old and gnarly.  As a side note, don't remove the metal watch band on one of these Vostok watches, it is very easy to mess them up.

The Benchmark 18mm Watch Strap looks great and arrived in a flash.  The combo is called "Black and Gray Bond Stripes" and it does evoke memories of a James Bond movie from long ago.

I liked that the strap also came with a spring bar to remove your old watch band and a couple of extra pins to install your new one.  I really like the look of my upgraded watch with the new strap.

If you'd like to get a Benchmark NATO-style Zulu Watch Band, you can buy it here on Amazon.  It was a very affordable upgrade for my old watch.

Watch Strap Review: Ritche Quick Release Leather Watch Bands - Top Grain Leather Watch Strap

Over time and with regular use, watch straps deteriorate and eventually need replacing. In the case of my AVI-8 Hawker Hurricane watch, one of the loops for retaining the tail end of the watch strap simply broke. I set the watch aside for a good long time. I shouldn't have. It turns out that lots of suitable replacement watch straps are available on Amazon.

My AVI-8 Hurricane with the old watch strap

I selected a top grain leather watch strap from Ritche on Amazon and it arrived at my home very quickly.  The new strap had a slightly weathered look that is an excellent complement to a watch that evokes a famous series of World War 2 aircraft.

A Ritche Quick Release Top Grain Leather Watch Strap

The Ritche replacement strap is offered in many finishes and tones, but the one I chose comes in a rich "Espresso Brown" and has a black buckle. Where the original strap had white stitching that looked new even after years, the new strap has more subdued stitching in brown that helps the watch look like it's been on a few missions.

The Ritche Leather Watch Strap with Buckle Shown

Installing my replacement watch strap was a breeze because I had a suitable watch repair kit that included a Spring Bar Tool.  It made it easy to compress the spring bar and remove the old watch strap.  Installing the new watch strap was even easier.  It came with a sliding "button" (shown below) that makes installation and removal very easy without the need for tools.

The quick release slide on a Ritche Watch Strap

With great quality, great looks, and a great price, it's not surprising that this Ritche Leather Watch strap is the number 1 best seller in its category on Amazon.  It was definitely one of the best purchases I've made on Amazon in a long time. Refreshed with a new watch strap and a new watch battery, I'm really glad my AVI-8 Hawker Hurricane watch can take flight again. I look forward to years of a continued wear.

Watch Strap Review: Fullmosa 22mm Silicone No Gaps Watch Band

Do you have one of those watches where the strap curves right along with the watch case?  When the original watch strap wears out, finding a new one can seem hopeless.  I managed to damage the original strap that came with one of my Invicta diver-style watches.  Somewhere along the way, I tugged on it too hard and it simply broke.  I didn't think I'd ever find a new one that would look as nice.  Fortunately, Fullmosa offered a 22mm Silicone Watch Band with No Gaps on Amazon for an affordable price.

The Fullmosa Watch Strap Neatly Packaged

One thing that I liked about this kit was the spring bar tool.  That made removal of the old watch strap a breeze.  The old Invicta watch strap used two pins on each set of lugs.  However, the Fullmosa only uses one.  

Invicta Watch with 2 spring bar pins per lug

Fortunately, this didn't pose a problem.  Since the Fullmosa replace watch band came with built-in quick release pins, I didn't need to bother with pesky spring bars during installation.

The Fullmosa No Gaps Watch Strap is curved to minimize gaps

As you can see from the photos above and below the Fullmosa Strap does a pretty good job minimizing the gaps between the watch strap and watch case.

If you'd like to get a variation of this watch strap, you can find it here on Amazon:  Fullmosa 22mm Silicone No Gaps Watch Band,

Improving the Looks of Your Watch with an ArtStyle NATO-style ballistic strap

While social distancing may limit our abilities to show off our watch collections, this is a great time to spruce up our watches.  If you are looking to replace a fading, brittle, or oxidized watch strap, one of the easiest ways to improve the looks of your watch is to give it a NATO-style ballistic nylon strap like this one from ArtStyle.

This strap is 1.5 millimeters thick and is 11-inches long.  The ballistic nylon strap can be ordered in many colors.  The strap comes with a tool for removing watch bands and spring bars in order to make removal of the old watch band easy.  This is a fun way to give an old watch a rugged new look!

If you'd like to find an great looking ballistic nylon watch strap from ArtStyle, they are available in many colors and widths here on Amazon at Artstyle Watch Band.