We all know we want one of these terrifically fun pieces from Spinnaker

No Black Friday shopping. Just grabbing groceries and what not for our first real accumulation of snow this year. Omega Seamaster homage on a Bond NATO.

Apparently the lume from my nightstand watches is creeping out my wife at night. Can’t imagine why.

My darling wife is in a cleaning frenzy- swapping out fall decor for Christmas. Yes, Thanksgiving is in a week but our schedule is very tight this year. I’m just here to provide the physical labor. At least I get to choose lunch.

As someone that wears a lot of NATO straps, I have tried several brands. My current usage comes from two very different price points. On the Addiesdive is my BluShark AlphaShark army green NATO. 290mm long and 1.4mm thick. Deluxe stainless steel buckle and seatbelt weave. The texture is sublime and feels great against the skin. I’ve worn it for over twenty four hours in a row while traveling and had zero issues. The one pictured has been in use for six months and has shown no signs of wear. It’s truly luxurious and at $33 per strap is reflected in the price. Note that BluShark has packs of four available at a discount and their default pricing is buy 2 get 1 free bringing your costs down to $22 a piece. The Steeldive is on a Watchdives nylon band. 300mm including the buckle but I’m unsure of the thickness. Overall, it’s a fine strap that walks the line between value and price. The stitching is clean but not as robust as the BluShark. In fact, I had to trim a few loose threads out of the package. The weave is fine against the skin but not as inviting as the BluShark. Akin to wearing a wool sweater after cashmere- it’s fine but you notice the difference. The strap is a tremendous value though. I ordered this one on Amazon for $7.99 (normally $9.99) and Watchdives website has them for $3. It’s difficult to find fault with this strap at this price. Verdict- the BluShark is top tier. I am confident it will stand up to abuse and is the choice I’d make for my favorite or high dollar watches. The Watchdives has no shame in its game and definitely wins “bang for the buck” award where most of us keep our collections.