Help me understand NATO straps

I’m a bit of a mad nato fan. Treat yourself to a nice colour coordinated seatbelt type nato and see how you get on. They can be a bit thicker, but have a luxurious feel. Barton have some nice ones on Amazon. 👍

Quality wise: yeah the basic ones are kinda boring and if they’re very cheap, they can feel pretty awful on the wrist. 

I'm pretty lukewarm on NATO straps, some are great, others are just ok. I've found that my ideal solution is a MN strap like Erika's, due to it's adjustability. Second to the Erika's MN straps are Crown and Buckle Chevron straps, they are adjustable single pass NATO straps, so you always have a perfect fit. 

Have you tried wearing them in the underslung manner? I greatly prefer this as it really balances things out. Doing the two layers under the watch is a big puzzler and annoyance for me as well. I tend to prefer single pass straps, preferably adjustable ones.

https://www.watchcrunch.com/Scaramanga/posts/how-to-properly-wear-a-nato-strap-4746

And yes, heavier watches need beefier bands, and there is huge variance. The most economic ones are unsurprisingly not the best, not that one need spend that much.

Nailed it! 👏

Try using a single pass nato or a perlon strap to avoid the double layered feel in the standard nato.  You can trim off the lower strap on a standard nato to make a single pass one.  Nothing more comfortable than a broken in nato.  Lastly, natos are great on hot days or for active outdoor activities!

NATO's are overrated.  Glad I found someone into Orient and also not into NATO's!

If you want to try rubber, try the Uncle Seiko GL831 rubber strap. I have had success pairing these with Orient watches. I have the "short" variants for my wrist size:

Rubber isn't as comfortable as a quality nato. It doesn't breath and the black gets hot in the sun. Vented silicone is not half bad but not in black. Besides they are cheap and so easy to change its a new toy every day.

I’m lukewarm on them as well. Heavier watches like a Turtle I have to use a bracelet or rubber. I did have success with a nato style on a light watch like my luminox. But it was a “single pass” nato which I prefer immensely. Try Crown and Buckle HD NATO if you’d like to go that route. But like you said, if the watch is heavy then it just runs around too much. 

NATOs to me really depend on the watch also. Some Dive watch don't work to well with NATOs due to the thick back case. My love for NATOs are mostly for Field watches.

I absolutely hate Nato straps.  I just bought another watch yesterday and I didn't realize it came with a Nato.  I immediately took it off and replaced it with one of my closet full of black leather straps.  I don't get them at all.   lol.  I really hate them.  lol

I really tried to like Nato Straps also, I’ve tried cheap ones, expensive ones, single pass thru, seat belt, pretty much all variations and they never feel right. I’ve concluded I’m a bracelet guy or two piece watch strap when a bracelet doesnt suit the watch. Only watch I prefer on the nato is my G-Shock.

My advice is don’t be like me accept the fact your not a Nato fan and save some money. I have a box of Natos I likely will never use.

I don't like double pass Natos with all the extra length you need to double back and it makes a lump on the side of your wrist.  Give me a single pass perlon or three ring Zulu, better still, a two piece Zulu - super-comfy, inexpensive and very durable. 

I always wear my NATO straps in the underslung manner, as that is actually the way NATOs were designed by the military to be worn. It also helps as I have a small wrist (6.25 inches around, 51mm width). @OscarKlosoff aptly referenced a post by @Scaramanga you can check out. Try also watching similar YT vids of how to wear NATOs in several styles/ways. 

The other gents already gave good suggestions above -- quality brands, nice color ways, single pass version, seatbelt fabric variant. But, if all of these still don't help address your main concern re. aesthetics -- "top heavy", "if the lugs arent straight" -- then it's ok not to force your time pieces to wear a NATO. Some stunning watches can look ugly on NATOs. Other pieces look smashing in them. While others are so versatile, they are strap monsters. So, find the strap variant that will really suit your watches, and make you happy. 😉  

NATOs can look great but they suck for comfort. Won't wear one. 

The Nato or originally the G10 is an interesting design proposition however it’s functionally meant to be worn with a military or field watch. I blame james bond for subverting it’s original function. 

I think the reason you're uncomfortable with it is because of the position of the buckle when you install the strap the usual way. Try installing it the other way. 

1st Watch I owned that came stock with a Nato was a Resco Gen 1 Patriot. Love that watch & still own ot BTW. Once I put a neoprene strap on versus the Nato BOOM! 1000% better feel on my wrist.  Natos dig into my wrist. Not a fan for me. Rubber or neoprene feels so much better. Some watches just feel best with a bracelet.  Last option for me is a Nato. I get it 

Yup, spot on. 

It all depends on the watch, and you personally. So wear what you enjoy and celebrate it!  🍻 🥳

That Columbia looks tough! 💪🏻

Btw, I know you're gonna love this man, so... Hala Madrid!!!! 🥳🥳😂

I don't like natos because of the height they add to the watch. Two piece fabric straps I have no problem with. Some are great.

!

The Columbia actually has a new lease on life, with its newly replaced Seiko VJ32 quartz movement. But, the piece itself is almost vintage as I received that about 17 or 18 years ago. It's been with me through many "mountains, hills, and valleys".

Yeah, HALA MADRID!!! 💪🍻🥳😎

Cool story!

Yeah, I'm quite delighted that I got it a new movement. And, I gave it a good simple water scrub cleaning last week, which somehow brought out some shine from its brass alloy (I think) case.  

Singlepass natos are better because the safetyloop add noe extra security, only height! Geckota makes good Nato's IMO ☺️ Among others

Okay, I'm not a big lover of Nato's, never have been and I've tried a lot and I mean a lot of them over the years. The only ones I do find reasonably comfortable are single pass Nato's and then it depends on the watch it's self as to whether it works for me or not.

I've opted more for the Marine National or Paratrooper straps which I find thin enough not as to bulk up the watch or make the watch head wobble around on top of your wrist, and they are more or less a single pass style so no double layer to contend with.

Here's a Marine National on some of my watches.

I was never a NATO fan, but resently I've changed my mind. But I do find the fit varies, I think this can be due the thickness and length of a watch. There are interesting videos on Youtube that show how you wear a NATO in dlfferent ways. An alternative is the Marine National Strap. It looks like a NATO, but the strap is constructed by simply taking a length of chord and folding it over itself. At the crease is a sewn in buckle (hook) and holding the two lose ends together is a metal ring that the buckle engages. It is a simple and effective design. I found the easiest was to use the strap, is to size it then fix the ring in the hook. The strap is elasticated, so it easily slips onto the wrist. Trying fix the ring to hook when the watch is on the wrist can be a bit of a faff.

I thought I'd update everyone--my mind has been changed. I just received a seatbelt strap NATO (sure, it's from Benchmark Basics), and definitely get what people were saying. It's SO comfortable, secure, and stable. That's what I get for paying ~$20 for one strap, rather than ~$15 for five.  As things so-often go with watches, the strap seems to be made to more-exacting tolerances. It fits my SPB143 perfectly, and neither the strap or the watch fee like they're needing adjustment. 

Got this for $4 and it feels very comfortable. 

This is quite an old reply but thank you for your comment. I never thought to try this.

I have just made some single pass NATOs out of standard (double thick) straps that pushed my watches too high off the wrist.

Cheers you legend 🍻