Ben’s Top Five Strap Monster Watches
While many brands could be accused of underrating the importance of strap design, not even the best strap can save a poorly designed watch head. And sometimes, when a brand nails the watch head design, it can burst into life on hundreds of different straps. Some watches demand you wear them on the straps the designers designed for them; others encourage you to experiment. We call these watches “strap monsters”. Let’s take a look at a few of my favorites.
Theoretically, you can put a strap on any timepiece. In the early days, even pocket watches had wire lugs soldered on as a way to affix the watch head to the wrist. I say theoretically, as not all watches qualify as “strap monsters”. To comply as a strap monster watch, there are a few parameters to which the watch must conform.
Strap monsters have lug widths of either 20mm or 22mm…
The measurement between the lugs must be an even width that suitably allows a broader range of straps to fit with ease. Commonly, this width is 20mm. It may have to do with the most popular brands manufacturing with tools and machinery, where consistency is key to mass production.
20mm is also proportionate to the average gentleman’s watch case diameter of 40mm and is considered comfortable for a majority of wrist sizes and shapes. Lug widths of 22mm are also acceptable as strap monster watches. But when odd-numbered lug widths are used, there are fewer strap options.
The Black Bay Bronze has an awkward lug width of 23mm
Standard lug widths
My Oris Artelier Calibre 112 has a 23mm lug width, which significantly reduces the straps and bracelets that are on offer from aftermarket sellers. While the brands may offer different colors in the same style, own-brand OEM straps tend to be less cost-effective than third party straps — without necessarily improving on quality. Obviously, with these measurements, I am referring to watches with traditional fixed lugs that protrude from the case. Watches with integrated lugs such as the Royal Oak or Nautilus have strap and bracelet connections that are more complex, and choices are limited.
Black or grey dial watches tend to complement more strap colors
Next, the watch must be reasonably neutral in color tones. Watches with bright blue or green dials look great with matching straps. But when you want to add a pop of color and you’ve splashed some cash on a high-end alligator strap in orange; against that green dial, the colors will clash and limit your daily attire. Black or grey dial watches tend to complement more strap colors, allowing you to rotate through your assortment of colorful straps.
Placement of lug holes
Another element is one of the most challenging traits to spot when choosing a strap monster watch: This is the placement of the spring bar holes on the lugs. I spoke about lug width above, but watches vary the placement of lug holes from near the case sides to the tip of the lugs.
Too far in either direction is not preferable. The Rolex Explorer may seem like a strap monster watch, but the lug holes are placed so close to the case that the end of the strap scuffs up against the case body. That is one way to ruin a perfectly good leather strap. Similarly, the Tudor Black Bay in a 41mm case places the holes towards the tips of the lugs, which leaves a gaping hole where the strap ends, and the case begins. The gap is unsightly and is the reason I only covered fitted or curved end straps in my Black Bay rubber review here.
A final point is down to personal preference but is also a strong recommendation. Gold dress watches cannot be strap monsters. While it may seem fun and counter-cultural to put a NATO strap on a Lange or Patek, in no scenario is this attractive or practical. These watches deserve equally elegant and refined straps that complement the design. Also, when swapping straps with tools on high-end watches, the risk factor of scratches and dents is higher on softer precious metals — and costly and painful when they occur. Cases made of more durable materials such as steel, titanium, or even ceramic are more suited to frequent DIY strap changes.
Now that you understand what constitutes a strap monster let’s get into my top watch picks.
Tudor Black Bay 58
The Black Bay 58, does not suffer from the same problem as its bigger brother. Its smaller and thinner case reduces the space from case to strap end. Wearing a 39mm BB58 is also more comfortable than the Black Bay 41mm. The 58 has smoother bevelling on the edges in comparison to the sharp, drooping lugs of the 41mm case. Having a matte black on the 58 on opens up many opportunities to add a personal touch with strap hues and styles. The earthy tones of the bezel numerals and dial indices pair perfectly with sandy beige or olive-green straps, especially NATOs.
Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 2 “Ultraman”
The Speedmaster is a perfect example of a strap monster: 20mm lugs, monochrome tones, and many historical applications to draw inspiration. Yet, my choice is the Speedy Tuesday 2 “Ultraman” that has flashes of orange on the bezel, dial, and chronograph seconds hand. You may be thinking that the color accents reduce the available strap options. That may be true to an extent, but the creativity we have witnessed in the #SpeedyTuesday community has been boundless. Just look at the Marine Nationale strap above that continues the orange motif down the center of the strap. It also may seem like we are blowing our trumpets here, but the “Ultraman” was announced long before I joined the Fratello. And my stance remains the same.
As a bonus, I can recommend the Omega 1171 bracelet that is all-brushed and highly comfortable to complement the “Ultraman”.
Seiko SKX009 Diver’s Watch
The lug width may well be 22mm on the SKX009 instead of 20mm of the watches before. But as I said, 22mm still qualifies as a strap monster. The main reason I include this particular watch is that the bracelet that accompanies the SKX009 is dreadful. I say this as a former SKX009 owner. It comes back to my opening statement that the quality of a bracelet varies in different price brackets.
The steel jubilee-style bracelet is so loose it can almost turn inside-out.
The SKX009 is universally recognized as the best go-to diving watch for first-time buyers. It is even great for weathered sailors in starring roles as I referenced in my movie watch-spotting article here. But at the price of €400 or less, a compromise has to be made. The steel jubilee-style bracelet is so loose it can almost turn inside-out. The folded steel is also a notorious hair-puller making it an eye-watering experience — the first thing I did was take off the bracelet and swap it for something comfortable.
Doxa Sub 300
Following on from Seiko SKX009 is the Doxa Sub 300. The “beads of rice” bracelet certainly has a better manufacturing process than the SKX — but the retro-futuristic look may not suit all occasions. The end-links also extend just a bit too far from the lugs, and without a taper, the clasp ends up being too bulky. Whack on a sleek rubber or leather and the Doxa transforms into a hyper-modern timepiece. Almost as if the design was fresh off the drawing board. Orange, yellow, even aquamarine; the bright colored dials may seem to clash with a lot of the strap options. But there is something about the volume of steel that frames the dial allowing a multitude of straps to pair with any Doxa and still work.
Oris Divers Sixty-Five
Possibly my favorite strap monster is the Oris Divers Sixty-Five. It has neutral tones, a 20mm lug width, it is relatively inexpensive, and can adapt to formal occasions when necessary. No wonder the Sixty-Five has been such a success. Granted, Oris provides a range of OEM options to fit the Sixty-Five. However, the thin skin-diver case wears supremely well with a NATO or any “pull-through” strap — without adding too much height to the overall dimensions.
These are my picks for the best strap monsters. There are certainly more, but I’d like to hear from you. Let me know your favorite strap monster watches in the comments below.
Follow me on Instagram @benjameshodges
