Parachute straps will make you forget your NATOs

I’ve been enjoying some watches a lot more ever since I tried these so I thought I’d share my experience and the advantages over NATO straps and bracelets.

[@cedshred1676]

I’ve worn Erika’s MN straps for several years and love them. Super comfortable and less bulky than a NATO strap. The best feature for me is the infinite adjustability. You can get an absolutely perfect fit.

[@bryanb4308]

Does the watch stay put where you set it, or have you noticed it loosening on its own?

[@cedshred1676]

@@bryanb4308 I’ve got four Erika’s, three stay put and one loosens a bit.

[@khyoon14]

@@bryanb4308I have only one but it stays put

[@nr1416]

These straps are a game changer for the Tudor FXDs. Best strap I've ever owned!

[@UptickWatchReviews]

I still haven’t seen an FXD in person actually!

[@highwaystar3780]

OK Next Step.....they'll have to design One so I don't need to Remove Pins !

[@AR-hw9zi]

@@highwaystar3780you never have to remove the springbars, remove the buckle and slide it under and then apply the buckle again once its through like a nato

[@2K9s]

@@UptickWatchReviewshopefully you have by now, FXD’s are awesome… especially for us strap aholics 😅

[@TheGrenadier97]

I've got a MN recently. Biggest pros i've noticed are safety (same springbar failure protection of NATOs but closed loop, so won't fall while you're putting it) and comfort (one layer underneath as showed and better wrap around the wrist). Cons are they're less distinctive and beautiful than NATOs and despite their historicity looks like smartwatch straps, which i hate.

[@Nachovalenti899]

The Tudor GMT looks great with every single strap. NATO, leather, rubber strap or bracelet. The majority of the time I'm wearing the bracelet but I change it sometimes for a NATO or leather strap. Thanks Uptick for another great video.

[@GonzoJamie]

Very interesting design - can see how that would work really well and be extremely comfortable.

[@KJ-kg8kc]

Just installed one on my Fortis GMT and it made it so much more comfortable to wear over the NATO that was quite bulky. Very adjustable especially on a hot day. 👍

[@idrinkwine]

I have zulu straps made out of a similar, if not the same, material that stretches. It gives me in some ways the best of both worlds. Very comfortable with the nato advantage of being able to swap straps quickly if I want a different color for the day. I don't need to remove any pins, and it works with the military watches that have fixed pins. That said, I will look into getting one of these straps to try for fun.

[@GregJGreen]

I like it, reminds me of the old sliding Seiko buckles back in the day. I'm going to order one, thanks for the vid. 👍

[@obijac]

In the start of the video you question what the connection to parachutes is. Apparently the reason is that the French Marine Nationale soldiers recovered the elastic straps from the parachutes to sew them back on and adapt them to their watches.

[@TheGrenadier97]

More accurately, the parachutist' kit bag. There was an EL32 model bag available on Ebay that had two of the same green-yellow strap found on a 1977 Tudor used by french naval personnel.

[@chriscole4559]

Great review for a newbie. Thanks. Getting a new Citizen field chronograph for xmas, and while the leather strap it comes with is nice enough, it's not what I want, and while my default is going to be a NATO G10 strap, the parachute strap looks like a worthwhile alternative to try.

[@js887744]

Upvote for sure. I started using them on some field watches and now I'm hooked. Starting to put them on divers.

[@odysseas01]

These straps have to be t i g h t to be secure and when tight they are uncomfortable in hot climate. Also they stretch in water and if you move your arm too fast (like swimming briskly) they also stretch by the weight (inertia) of the watch, which unpositions the watch on the wrist and hinders further excercise or work. The steel bridge for clasping also moves on the strap so the strap gradually comes loose. And you have to pull the pins to fit them. Pass for me.

[@BatCountryAdventures]

Yep, love Erika's. Perfect for "dressing down" so the watch looks less extravagant and more down to earth. The comfort level is just phenomenonal but it does soak in the sweat. The colour matching opportunity is cool too. Nice highlight to make the bezel or hour/minute hands pop. I have the Grey with orange strip to go with my Exp2.

[@EddyTeetree]

Best sports strap is the Tropic. I’ve even put one on my Calatrava. Tough yet elegant exceptionally comfortable and some great colours. Size might be a problem for many at 20mm x 16mm tho. Fits Omega pro diver 300 I believe.

[@Mark..P]

Never seen these before. Great alternative 🙏

[@scottt.4596]

Great video! More like these, please.

[@pacovl46]

The MN straps are definitely better when it comes to fit, but they don’t look as nice and shiny as nato straps, there’s way less color options and I miss the fold over of the nato straps because it looks better. Having said that, I’m bit by bit switching all my watches over to MN type straps.

[@RC30Kay]

Great video! I also have the Sahara MN from Erica's originals and I've been wearing it for 2 years on my Tudor black Bay 58 'guilty' dial, it's quite wonderful, I've had many comments on how well it suits the watch and I love the way the fabric has aged over the years from regular machine washing, ( Looks better than new.)

[@brucebarlow6604]

Totally agree and would also recommend these straps

[@michaelfritzell9352]

They look better than NATO for the Seiko. Perhaps a blue one to match the colour of the dial?

[@born7thjuly]

Great video!, next trap will be the parachute strap that you got. Will look sick on the explorer 2.

[@DBR6464]

Just placed an order. Thanks!

[@jamespalsson746]

Yep, never looked back since I got Erika's; it's like a second skin

[@camarocarl7130]

Much better than nato IMO.

[@FT__Cool_Stuff______-of5pi]

IMO elastic/stretchy straps are a bad idea. I was using one for a while and when I took off a jacket, the jacket sleeve caught the watch/strap, pulled it off my wrist, and it fell to the floor. Never used that stretchy strap again.

[@aussieexpat]

Im purely guessing. But if your watch gets caught by something, the elasticity will likely simply expand to allow your hand to slip through. Potentially avoiding an injury.

[@KillroyLP]

Funny, after trying this strap, I am definitely going back to NATO.

[@wardog5537]

Why?

[@luftclub]

MarkH is the strapman 🤘

[@artistfkaW]

enjoyed the video and your take but I gotta disagree. I wear nylon straps as summer alternative on the weekend so when I sweat I can throw the nato in the laundry and pop a fresh one on and I’m out the door. Having to mess around with the spring bars defeats the purpose imo

[@MaramRohan]

I have a cheap parachute strap that does not fit well on my small wrist. The strap is long and there is no 'Real' adjustment for length.

[@robertbidochon7949]

thank you for the heads up! is there any other type of similar straps like these two?

[@omri1]

Thanks.

[@hulk1568]

These don't fit a G-shock with adapters ??

[@rascal3042]

Never seen them come off (comes off as he's saying it).

[@thattablebloke]

Is there a way to thread/change the strap without taking off the spring bars each time?

[@lbco5229]

I’ve found ‘parachute’ straps are only good on very light watches and you must wear them a bit tighter than other straps.

[@sandsgrainofsand5320]

so they go great with gshocks : )

[@richardlaporte4843]

Merci pour la vidéo.

[@bernardtan1]

You will remember your NATO straps when that elastic strap lose it's elasticity, NATO is alot faster when it comes to switching straps.

[@paulleigh7792]

Made of M.N. nicker elastic!

[@Dr_LK]

i would assume that for a top heavy watch, as the tudor gmt is, it would be better to have it on the bracelet...to stop it flopping around?

[@UptickWatchReviews]

It actually doesn’t move at all on this strap so it does handle relative weight without a problem.

[@sami507-m8]

Hi, great video👍. Do you recommend this kind of strap as a solution for heavy watches? because I have my Citizen promaster diver and it’s uncomfortably heavy on my wrist. And if not, what do you suggest?

[@UptickWatchReviews]

It works quite alright since you can have the strap quite tight and the watch close to the skin. I remember trying them on my Seiko MM300.

[@ernokirnyan9984]

Doesn't smell bad in the summer as leather?

[@GinsuSher]

I tried them and they're not for me They're too fiddly when I'm just trying to wear a watch in the morning.

[@strandvaskeren]

Just clamp the hook shut on the adjuster thing, don't bother fiddling with it and just take advantage of the strap being elastic - it doesn't get any simpler than just putting your hand through an elastic hoop, it's as simple as putting on a sweat band.

[@theslapchanel]

During sex it comes off all the time. Needs a better buckle system, but its the most comfortable. I cant wear anything else

[@johnnyboy1586]

Why you leave the watch on? Are you timing yourself?😊

[@schnaps54]

I don't know if it is durable...mais je ne pense pas qu'il tienne plus longtemps qu'un nato😁

[@jerrythetester]

what are the brand of these straps?

[@Alex-vr9vh]

Did you buy them from Erika or what brand are these?

[@UptickWatchReviews]

I get those from Mister Chrono. I think it's their KronoKeeper brand

[@saf00]

any rubberized strap will lose its tension over time & prolonged use.

[@ThePoshPrince]

CNS sells paratroopers strap and MN straps, are they different?

[@strandvaskeren]

Yes. I have a couple of Erika and a bunch of CNS paratrooper straps, the CNS elastics are softer and more stretchy than the Erika, you have to pull harder on the Erika to stretch it the same as the CNS. The design is also different, if you accidentally bump the hook lose on an Erika, the strap just gets a bit looser, but stays on your wrist. Then CNS drops the watch to the ground if you bump the hook out of the slider, so the Erika design is more secure, unless you do as I do and just clamp the hook shut once it is in place. The hook makes no sense to me on either strap, the straps are elastic so I just put my hand through the loop when putting the watch on or taking it off, I wish both designs would just get rid of the hook and sew the strap straight to the slider part for added simplicity. Price wise they are worlds apart, you can get like 20 CNS straps for the price of one Erika and as the Erika straps are made to order there is a long wait. Also CNS has way, way more colour options. Both brands tends to lose elasticity after a couple of years, similar to the elastics in your underwear, only faster as watch straps are more exposed to weather and sun - unless you're Superman and wear your underwear on the outside. My Erika straps are from 2018 and 2019 and none of them are elastic anymore so I've stopped using them, some of my CNS straps has gone old and unelastic too, but at typically $5 a piece I just get a batch of new ones.

[@ThePoshPrince]

@@strandvaskeren thanks a lot for this detailed comparison

[@johnnyboy1586]

Nice strap but there is a way to wear a nato with a single pass

[@joaofelipeoliveiraabreu5094]

Hi! Wich tudor is this?

[@mbrum3230]

i feel like these will fall off unless really tight. nightmare.

[@xusmico187]

crap. not anygood in the extended field use. wears out, breaks too easy

[@joseoliver534]

Aussi laids que des natos,horribles.... 2 pieces oui... mais natos(j ai un poignet de 20 cm),ce types de bracelets ....jamais....

[@DecemberNames]

These things are like 50 rmb on mainland. May have to drop some RMBs to try it. Fire.gif