What if your watch simply needed a new strap?

A few days ago, my son pointed out that the strap on the watch I had given him was starting to deteriorate. It is a leather strap dyed blue. Another attempt to get me to buy him a watch, I thought. After inspecting the strap, my verdict was unequivocal: “Your strap isn’t damaged; it’s ageing.”

This led to a discussion about leather straps, because the distinction matters. Leather is hide that has been worked, tanned, cut and shaped. Over time, it changes. It softens, develops more pronounced marks in certain places, may darken and eventually take the shape of the wrist. This is what we call patina.

Of course, a leather strap is not eternal. One day, the stitching may weaken, the leather may crack or the lining may deteriorate. At that point, it will need replacing. But the first signs of use are not necessarily flaws. I rather like the idea that a new, perfectly smooth strap should eventually become uniquely its wearer’s.

And when the time really does come to replace it, we discover one of the simplest and least expensive advantages of our watches: a few seconds can be enough to give them an entirely different look.

One Watch, Several Straps

Changing a strap long required a spring-bar tool and a certain amount of practice. The operation is hardly complicated; in fact, I published a tutorial on replacing the straps on my SevenFriday watches after four years of use.

Quick-release systems have made things even simpler. A small tab positioned beneath the spring bar allows the strap to be released without tools. With an easy-to-change watch strap, switching from leather to textile or rubber becomes a matter of seconds.

This is the system adopted by Maison Fèvre for a large proportion of its straps. This family business, founded in Auvergne in 1942, works with leather as well as textile, NATO, rubber and plant-based materials such as cork and pineapple fibre.

But the appeal goes far beyond replacing a strap that has reached the end of its life. Changing the strap is above all a way to rediscover a watch that we may have known for years.

Matching Your Straps to Your Clothes

There was a period when I bought an enormous number of NATO straps. Several colours, several patterns, sometimes without even having a specific watch in mind when I bought them.

In the morning, I could choose a strap according to what I was wearing—not necessarily to create a perfectly coordinated outfit, which would quickly become rather contrived, but simply to pick up a colour found in a shirt, polo shirt, pair of shoes or another detail of the outfit.

It is a particularly simple form of personalisation because it remains entirely reversible. In two minutes, the same watch can become much sportier, more classic or simply more colourful.

I also own a denim strap that I particularly enjoy wearing with jeans in a similar shade. The principle may seem almost trivial, but the result genuinely changes the way I perceive the watch on my wrist.

A strap represents a significant surface area in relation to a watch’s dimensions. Its colour and material immediately catch the eye. Take a fairly understated watch with a black or white dial, then fit it successively with brown leather, khaki NATO, orange rubber and a steel bracelet: you have practically four different ways to wear the same watch.

The effect works particularly well with watches whose design remains relatively versatile.

The Strap Changes with the Seasons, Too

I do not wear my watches in the same way in January as I do in August.

In winter, I greatly appreciate leather. A beautiful brown, black, blue or cognac leather strap works perfectly with seasonal clothing and remains comfortable on the wrist.

As soon as the weather becomes genuinely hot, I find it more difficult to wear. Sweat and leather do not necessarily make the best combination, particularly when you want to keep a strap in good condition for a long time.

In summer, I am therefore much more inclined to wear rubber, steel or nylon NATO straps. For a day by the water or a swim, rubber is obviously one of my favourite choices. It tolerates water, dries immediately and is particularly well suited to sports watches and divers.

In autumn, certain leather straps emerge from the box once again.

This seasonal rotation has another effect: it can prevent us from growing tired of a watch. A piece worn throughout the summer on rubber can feel entirely different when it returns to leather a few months later.

Before Buying a New Watch, Open the Strap Box

Watch enthusiasts know the situation well. A watch we once adored eventually remains in its box. There is nothing in particular to criticise. We have simply grown accustomed to wearing another one.

Changing the strap may be enough to reverse the trend.

I have experienced this more than once. A new leather strap, a colour we would not previously have considered, or switching from a very dressy strap to something more sporty can sometimes make us want to put the watch straight back on our wrist.

This is also what makes straps so interesting when you own several watches with the same lug width. A 20 mm strap can sometimes be moved from one watch to another, multiplying the combinations without the need to own dozens of them.

This freedom probably also explains the success of the NATO strap, which has become much more than a simple military-inspired strap. Its compactness, huge choice of colours and ease of replacement make it an excellent way to experiment.

A Few Precautions Before Choosing a New Strap

The first measurement to know is the lug width. This is the distance between the two lugs of the case, generally expressed in millimetres. On many contemporary watches, common sizes include 18, 20 and 22 mm.

You also need to consider proportions. A very thick strap can look out of place on an especially slim dress watch. Conversely, a large sports watch may visually overwhelm a strap that is too delicate.

The material should also match the intended use. An exotic leather or fine calfskin may be perfectly suited to a dress watch, but far less so for daily swimming. For that purpose, steel and rubber have a clear advantage.

Then there is colour. This is probably the area where we can allow ourselves the most freedom. Black, white, silver and blue dials accommodate an enormous range of combinations. Stitching is also a good way to create a subtle visual link without choosing a strap that is coloured throughout.

None of these changes really commits the owner to anything. If the result does not work, simply remove the strap and put the previous one back on.

A Second Life That Sometimes Takes Only a Few Seconds

We often talk about the longevity of mechanical watches. Properly maintained, a movement can last for decades and sometimes across generations. A strap follows a different logic. It wears, develops a patina, is replaced and can evolve with our tastes. That contrast is ultimately what I like. The watch remains the same, but the way we wear it changes.

So, before deciding that a watch has become too classic, too sporty or simply a little boring, it may be worth placing it on the table and trying it with a different strap.

The result costs infinitely less than a new watch and, sometimes, the desire to wear it again returns immediately.