The watch nerd’s rite of passage, regardless of what type of timepieces one collects, is to find the right strap for them. Rarely do brands provide us with exactly what we’re looking for despite their best efforts. While we can pretty much know for sure whether or not a watch will resonate with us before buying it, it is much more difficult to reach that conclusion in regards to straps. More often than not, they are too short, too long, too thick, too stiff, or offered in just one color we estimate doesn’t perfectly cuts it for the dial color or even style of watch. What is also difficult is the fact that there are way too many strap makers/distributors on the market today, all seemingly pretty much selling the same stuff at various price points which is damn right confusing and overwhelming. Especially when it comes to NATO-style straps we tool watch nerds so adore. Which is why today we’re going to chat about the strap maker I keep going back to consistently for those: Phenome Straps in Hungary. 

About Phenome Straps

The first thing we should actually discuss before discussing Phenome and its seatbelt nylon straps is the case of the copyrighting of the terms “NATO strap” by a company called International Watchman Inc. Copyrighting something that has been used for decades by the watch community to evidently make money by forcing Google searches to redirect us to International Wachman Inc. instead of genuine strap providers is silly and dishonest. Countless brands had to find other ways to describe their NATO-style straps, however we all know what we’re talking about when we’re talking about one-piece nylon straps. Don’t we? Why am I getting angry about this, you're wondering? Because the product Phenome Straps hand-makes is superior to most NATO-style straps I’ve gotten hands-on in the past six years and should be allowed to call it what it is. After all, Phenome’s founder, Ákos Balog, was inspired, like many others, by the original 1973 nylon strap issued by the British Ministry of Defense to its armed forces. 

Moving on now to Phenome Straps and its raison d’être, it is the classic and beautiful case of a watch enthusiast who couldn’t find the type of straps he wanted for his favorite timekeeping devices. The perfect middle-ground between quality, style, and price, which we are all, honestly, constantly looking for and which gives us a great many actual and fictional headaches. Ákos’ quest for the perfect NATO-style strap stems from being gifted a Omega Seamaster GMT 50th Anniversary to commemorate getting his Bachelor’s, which led him to dish out 160€ for an Omega-made nylon strap upon his first visit to Baselworld in 2015—he was looking for the perfect casual/adventure combo for the Seamaster. The strap lived up to his quality expectations however, just like any decent entrepreneur-to-be would, Ákos thought he could make his own nylon straps of equal quality but for less money. After one intense year of research and testing, whilst juggling a full-time job and an MBA, he finally cracked the code. 

Ákos found the right supplier for the hardware and nylon webbing to make his own straps, and at first experimented with cutting the fabric himself using a laser machine and enlisted the help of a local workshop to sew the nylon together into straps. His goal, however, was to make the straps himself to ensure the highest level of quality control and consistency throughout all steps of the fabrication of the strap. So he eventually bought an industrial-grade sewing machine and taught himself to use it in order to make his own NATO-style seatblest nylon straps from his home atelier in Hungary, which he has now been doing for the past few years. The result is excellent, of course. 

Specifications & Design 

Over the years and over acquiring, buying, and trading all sorts of NATO-style nylon straps, I’ve come to understand what makes Phenome work better for me than what other brands offer. The concept for this style of strap hasn’t changed since the 1970s as it worked back then as it still does today: a shorter piece of nylon is sewn to a larger piece on one side and linked to it by way of a keeper on the other side, the longer one being threaded through the lugs, and the shorter is then used to secure the case in place (so that it doesn’t slide off) whilst the length of the strap is adjusted by way of numerous eyelets punched into the fabric through which a tang slides before closing onto the buckle. The longer piece of nylon is then tucked away through the keepers. north of the watch. I went through this long description of how a NATO-style strap works to illustrate the first few points which make the Phenome stand apart from the competition and which make a whole world of difference when wearing this style of strap on a daily basis. 

First, the space between the two central keepers (in-between which the watch heads sits) is longer than on most straps which permits for the watch head to always sit centered on the wrist, as one can slide it up and down as needed. Too often the space between the keepers is too short and creates a bulkiness when bending the wrist. (I know, I’m getting into the nitty gritty of things for a good reason.) Second, the third keeper located nearest the buckle is nomadic which permits the wearer to easily catch the tail-end of the longer piece of nylon once it has been folded unto itself, thus preventing to still have a little piece flap around, and for the entirety of the folded piece to sit flush against the rest. This again makes a ton of difference in comfort and looks which is something few brands offer as, more often than not, the two keepers through which we thread and re-thread the longer piece are fixed. The ease of use is further enhanced by the quality of the stitching throughout, which hasn't fretted even after intense use. 

When speaking of comfort, we must of course mention the quality of the nylon webbing which is the coveted seatbelt-like texture which means: a tight weave which is soft to the touch, robust, and comes with a gentle sheen which makes the Phenome straps work well paired with a tool watch (as pictured in this review) or something a bit more elegant (which I have definitely not pictured here.) Moreover, there are two rows of discreet stitching running all around the two pieces of nylon for extra durability. In terms of thickness, Ákos uses 1.2mm nylon webbing which makes the straps comfortable to wear whilst not adding too much bulk underneath the case, and he sized the keepers perfectly so that one or two layers of nylon perfectly slide through them and stay in place. (Sometimes the keepers are too short or too tall which makes the fabric too tight or too loose.) Ákos also thought about the variety of wrists out there by offering two standard sizes: regular of 33.5cm and short of 29cm recommended for wrists smaller than 6.50”/16.5cm. 

I tested the regular and short lengths and both work well for my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist, the regular leaving me on the last two holes depending on the watch I’m wearing but having a longer tail that is easier to tuck back, and the shorter giving me more room for adjustment however a shorter tail. 

Conclusion 

The biggest question for you perhaps is that of price. One seatbelt nylon strap from Phenome will set you back €52,95/$60.50 USD which is more than reasonable when taking into consideration the quality of the fabric and stitching, the clever design of the keepers which guarantee the perfect fit for any wrist, and the equal high quality of the hardware used for the straps. I’ve only used the “Premium” offerings from Phenome which sell at the aforementioned price, but now the brand also offers limited runs of hand-dyed straps which also look quite superb. Lastly, besides being able to choose the length of the strap, you can also choose between brushed, polished, or PVD-coated hardware, and lug widths of 18, 20, and 22mm for most models, as well as a single-layer configuration. Oh, Phenome is also currently offering 14 colorways possible to make sure you will find the one(s) that best matches your watches and personal preferences. 

In this article, I’ve reviewed: the Admiralty Grey, Saraha, Olive Green, and Black.

Thanks for reading.