A new watch strap on a watch can completely change the look and feel of your watch. Going from a metal bracelet to a leather strap, to a nylon strap can make your watch feel like new. It's why I probably have more straps than I do watches, a small collection you can see above. The metal bracelets belong to specific watches, but all the other straps are after market. Things I got because I wanted a new feel, plus it's cheaper than buying a new watch. So if you are looking to change up the look, and think a new watch is the answer, put a different strap on it and see if that helps the urge. You'll thank me later.
As you may be able to tell, my favorite style of strap is what is called the NATO style, or vinyl strap (these are the 4 straps on the left of the picture). NATO straps have a fairly long history dating back to 1973 when the British Ministry of Defense wanted a lightweight, durable, waterproof strap that was easy to adjust, cost-effective, and could be multi-purpose. What they came up with was a single pass through strap made of a durable nylon material (although leather is sometimes used in a NATO strap) that can be adjusted to fit over a military uniform, or a wet suit, or over the bare arm. It also protects the wearer for losing the watch. Unlike a traditional strap, if a spring bar breaks, the way the NATO strap works, the watch won't fall off the arm. Me personally? I just like the way it looks, and feels. Different types of Vinyl can be used. Some feel shiny and slick like the material of a seat belt. Others are ribbed, either horizontally or vertically giving some more rigidity to the strap. They come in different colors and patterns and from a host of sellers.
They can however be a bit tricky to put on for the first time especially if you have never worn this type of strap, so I made a little video showing how the strap works (apologies for the audio, may want to have sound turned down).
I do have a few places that I like getting different straps whether they are NATO, or higher end leather straps. Here are a few of my favorites:
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