Created by Great Britain's Ministry of Defence, these straps rooted in military history has been taking luxury watchmaking by storm. We find out more about how it came to be.
With military watches being all the rage throughout the world's most popular watch trade fairs so far, it is no surprise that the haute horlogerie pioneers are jumping on the bandwagon as well, setting the mood for 2015’s trend patterns.
The most defining feature associated to this trend so far is the inclusion of NATO straps into recently-launched and up-and-coming timepieces. Casual, functional and pragmatic, it is no wonder watch brands everywhere are beginning to incorporate them into their latest designs.
Here are 8 things to know about the strap’s history and growth:
Tudor NATO straps
- The original NATO watch straps were created by Great Britain’s Ministry of Defence in the early 1970s. In 1973; they were part of the standard equipment available to British soldiers.
- The term “NATO strap” actually came into use as a shortened version of NATO Stocking Number (NSN) and not from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
- Interestingly, soldiers in those days could requisition a strap by filling out a form known as G1098, which was usually shortened to G10. This is why the NATO strap is also referred to as a G10.
- The first NATO straps were made of grey woven nylon, and their buckles and keepers were made of chromium-plated brass. A characteristic ensured during those days was that the watch had a fixed pin so that the strap would not break and get lost during the war.
Chanel J12 G10
- Since then, there are literally hundreds of straps of different colors, stripes, and materials sold by vendors around the world because the functional nature of the strap has been embraced by civilians, much like in fashion via camouflage outfits and trench coats.
- Despite concerns that the strap’s casual look (thanks to the use of nylon) would make a luxury watch look too ‘mass market’, watch connoisseurs have nonetheless welcomed this trend with open arms.
- To date, examples of watch brands that incorporated NATO/G10 straps are Tudor, Blancpain, Hamilton,Jaeger-LeCoultre, Rolex, Omega and Bremont, among others.
- In 2014, Chanel’s J12 G10 incorporates a feminine form of the popular sport strap into the larger J12 collection, allowing women of high distinction to give this rising trend a whirl.
(Photos: Tudor, Chanel)
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