Victor & Wells
is a new English watch strap company. When they set out to find some
cool NATOs for their Seinharts and Seikos, they discovered a
disappointing pacuity of quality strap retailers in the UK. After some
frustration with inferior straps, they set out to fill this niche on
their own, setting up shop as a "premium watch strap retailer." Always
on the prowl for new and affordable strap options, I reached out to them
immediately to bring news of their wares to you, my loyal Time Bum
readers. They responded with samples from each of their lines: a
ballistic nylon NATO, a heavy weave nylon Zulu, and a brushed leather
NATO. After the straps had completed their long journey across the pond,
I set them to work and was quite pleased with their performance.
The ballistic nylon NATO is a red
and yellow regimental stripe with polished hardware. It is 275mm long
and features polished stainless steel hardware. The buckle is secured
with a spring bar, which I prefer to the usual NATO buckle which is a
solid frame that is sewn in. To be honest, I cannot articulate a logical
reason why I like the removable kind as there is really no advantage to
replacing a buckle on a strap with sewn in loops, but to my eye, it
just seems a bit more finished. The strap is ultrasonically welded, and
sewn with matching red thread. It appeared properly constructed with
straight stitching and no rough edges. The color was vibrant and really
popped against the Timex Weekender modeling it. This particular design
is not yet available, but it is indicative of the quality of a Victor
& Wells NATO. You might take a look at the "Swiss" red with white
cross pattern. I have not seen it elsewhere. The nylon NATOs available
in 18, 20, and 22mm widths, and sell for £9.95 or $16.53 USD.
The "Classic Bond" Zulu was a proper
Bond regimental stripe in black and olive with red pinstripes. It is a
5-ring Zulu with chunky rounded hardware, a brushed finish, and a heavy
nylon weave. Like the NATO, it too is sewn and welded. As you would
expect from a Zulu, it is much stiffer than the NATO and has
significantly more presence on the wrist. Sadly, I did not have Rolex
Submariner on hand to model it, but those green stripes were pretty cool
behind my Bulova Hack Commemorative. At 285mm, it is slightly longer
than the ballistic NATO, but still managed to fit my 6.5" wrist after
tucking the last bit of tail back through the second keeper. It is
available in 20 and 22mm widths, three or five rings, for £12.95 or $21.53 USD.
The Glenwood leather NATO was the
real beauty of this set. The strap is made of golden brown Italian
leather that is brushed on top, sueded on the bottom, and wonderfully
soft. The hardware is the slim, squared style you expect on a NATO, but
in a brushed finish with a removable buckle. The primary strap is two
layers, sewn with matching thread, while the secondary strap is a single
layer. That double thickness leather can be a challenge to fit on some
watches, so check the clearance between your watch watch case and lug
bars first. I put it on my Nixon Mellor, whose wire-look lugs will
swallow just about anything, and it looked amazing. On the wrist, the
strap is wonderfully supple, and with some careful positioning of the
watch head, the 270mm length did not leave excess tail. The strap
usually sells for £19.99 but is currently on sale for £14.95 or $24.85
USD.
The straps are every bit as nice as
Victor & Wells promised they would be. As for pricing, I believe the
leather offers excellent value for the money, and the NATO is in the
ballpark, but at over $20 USD the Zulu is more expensive than its competition. Shipping is free in the UK, and $5.80 to the US but orders
over £50/$83 ship free. UK purchasers will be getting the best deal,
but I recommend my fellow Yanks have a look as well. The Glenwood
leather is a particularly nice strap and a heck of a good deal right
now.
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