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The NATO strap – a simple, yet iconic watch strap with customisable stripes – has stood the test of time. For more than 50 years, the strap has proven to be a trendy accessory, popular with military members and civilians alike. Today, you can get NATO straps in a wide variety of colours and sizes, to match your personal style. Originally, of course, the traditional NATO strap was more limited – designed for military practicality.
Photo credit: Getty Images/Artfully79
The NATO strap was created by the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 1973. Back then, there was only one version and it had a singular tone: admiralty grey. It was nicknamed the G-10 because British Special Forces were required to fill out a G-1098 form before being issued the strap.
The material of the strap was nylon and had a width of 20mm. The buckles were chrome-plated brass – durable in any operational conditions. The strap was also longer than a normal watch band, with two spring bars and added length so troops could wear their watch on top of their uniforms.
Photo by Francis Flinch
Soon after the initial roll-out to the British Special Forces, the strap was modified with different designs to represent different British military regiments.
So why did it become the "NATO" strap? The answer comes from NATO's standardization policies. In line with NATO-wide standards, the British MoD (like many other Allied militaries) created alphanumeric codes to identify all standardised material items of supply. In the United Kingdom, these codes were called NATO Stock Numbers (NSN). The NSN for the distinctive strap was eventually shortened to just be called a "NATO" strap. So, while the NATO strap is not actually a NATO-branded strap, it is an important article of clothing that was used by forces of a NATO member country.
What truly made the NATO strap iconic, however, was another famous British creation: James Bond.
Sean Connery in Goldfinger (1964)
Ironically, the first appearance of a NATO strap in a Bond movie – where Bond consults his wristwatch before a timed explosion in 1964's Goldfinger – is not a NATO strap at all. In fact, Sean Connery is wearing a Rolex Submariner with a striped regimental strap. Although many watch enthusiasts credit this scene as the start of the Bond-NATO strap trend, the NATO strap would not be created until nine years later in 1973.
Even so, the striped nylon band used in Goldfinger has become an iconic symbol of Bond-chic style, to the extent that this strap design is sometimes called the “Bond NATO”. And, in more recent Bond movies, costume designers have merged the two styles together – using an actual NATO strap with the Bond NATO dual-stripe design.
For example, during the filming of Quantum of Solace (2008), producer Barbara Broccoli presented Daniel Craig with a Rolex Submariner which was mounted on a genuine NATO strap, thus reinforcing the connection between the two.
