Artem NATO Style Watch Straps
Disclaimer:
Artem straps provided these NATO straps for review, and I do not have to send them back. I retain complete creative control over this review. Artem had no input into this review and saw it at release.
My Experience with NATOS
I have run through my fair share of straps and bracelets during my two years in the watch hobby. During that time, I noticed obvious differences in quality and pricing in the strap and bracelet market. As a newer watch collector, this has been frustrating because price is not necessarily commensurate with quality.
To that point, I haven't settled on anything as a "go-to" strap company, especially when it comes to NATO straps.
The differences in pricing and quality barely scratch the surface of my issues with NATO straps. Coming from a military background, I have a big problem with a lack of durability in the construction of almost anything I purchase. Especially now that I no longer serve and my life is nowhere near as destructive as it used to be. If something can't take the speed of my lifestyle now, I know I can't recommend the product to my community.
Marketing and distribution prowess does not necessarily guarantee a durable product.
I haven't run across a NATO strap yet that I could recommend to an active duty military member because I know I haven't experienced one that could handle the workload of that role.
This lack of durability across so many brands is disappointing and has resulted in me simply trying to find the best gray NATO strap I can source. I figured that way, I'm not spending a fortune on straps that will discolor, fray, or tear, and if they do, I pick up another cheap gray NATO.
It's a vicious cycle, really, and one I wouldn't wish on anyone.
Rumors
We know that rumors spread like wildfire for those of us in the watch collecting community. One day it can be a new release, a possible collaboration, or a new advancement. Some of these rumors turn out to be accurate, and some don't.
That's how I first heard about Artem straps. Word was going around about their sailcloth straps, and I was intrigued as a newer watch collector. Having little experience with different straps other than traditional NATOs and bracelets made me hesitant to pull the trigger on some sailcloth straps.
I'm still unsure about whether a sailcloth strap is suitable for me. I still work in and around what can be an industrial environment, and I worry about damaging or staining the sailcloth strap. While my watch collecting friends praised the build quality of Artem's sailcloth straps, I decided that the style was not for me.
When I saw that Artem was making some NATO straps, I knew I had to reach out and give them a try. My experience with NATO straps is that they tend to clean up nicely at the very least. Coupled with my associates' exuberance, I decided to give them a go.
Ultimately, I want to recommend products to my community that I feel can handle the day-to-day abuse that life in the military can dish out. While most of the military media is centered around people jumping out of helicopters and boats, I come from the other 90% of the military that they don’t show you.
I was a firefighter in the Navy, and our world consists of hot and humid enginerooms, machinery, and chemicals. I'm not alone in this either. Personnel in the service can often interact with equipment during their intrinsically dirty work. Some work outside all day, in the maritime, desert, mountain, or urban environments, and all present their own unique and inherent dangers to equipment. Service members tend to work in unforgiving environments, and this probably lends even more credence to why most military personnel wear Casio G-Shocks.
But I digress.
I wanted to get Artem's NATOs in and learn about their durability.
Now I have them in, and these are my thoughts:
Visuals
I've always been a detail-oriented person, which helped me in my military career. As a firefighter in the U.S. Navy, one spends most of our time performing or supervising maintenance and constantly checking for fire hazards. That's the paraphrased description of the job, but in the areas mentioned, astute attention to detail is required for success.
All that being said, the very first thing I noticed about the Artem NATO straps sent in was how apparent the build quality was. I'm not generally impressed by most products in any space at first sight. With the ARTEM NATOs, their build quality struck me straight away.
Let's start with one simple yet often missed detail: ARTEM applies what appears to be thermal tape to the hardware on the NATOs for shipping.
Artem protects their NATO hardware in shipping.
I’ve never seen that before.
Thermal Tape? Either way, the hardware is safe until it gets to you.
Seriously.
Details.
I also immediately noticed the fabric weave pattern. Let me start by saying that the weave pattern's symmetry is uniform and consistent. This uniformity and consistency are essential to structural integrity.
One stray fiber and *poof* there goes your strap or, even worse, you have to find a lighter to perform minor surgery. I've had this happen to me when I take the strap out of its packaging (by some rather big-named companies too), and I am sure I am not the only one.
This other NATO isn’t even that old…
It was readily apparent that this would not be the case with the Artem NATOs. Initially, they looked ready to take on anything I could dish out.
Another visual detail that caught my eye was the consistency in color within the individual straps and across the group of NATOs. As someone who can draw and paint, this is impressive. I have purchased other patterned NATO straps and noticed inconsistencies in the dye patterns or thread pattern coloration. That's never a good look and makes my skin crawl.
The striping conventions that Artem chose are fun and somewhat traditional. Nowadays, two offerings strike me as default NATO patterns: the No Time to Die (NTTD) and Bond NATO patterns. Artem doesn't disappoint with these two schemes. Both are rich, and subtly muted-Artem got the coloring just right.
The other two offerings are the "Commander" and an orange pinstripe offering. Both are fun, especially the "Commander" NATO, which has a strong Spring or Summer vibe. The orange pinstripe strap would be right at home around a fall bonfire with some warm beverages.
Feels
Artem's NATOs feel like they can handle arduous work and heavyweight watches. The latter is crucial as I have some beefy timepieces, most notably my Seiko SNM035 "Land Monster" and Marathon Tritium Search and Rescue (TSAR), weighing 113 and 93 grams without bracelets. Both are top-heavy, which has been a problem for most Nylon NATOs I've purchased. Most NATOs, especially "seatbelt" versions, start strong and tap out rather quickly.
I guess that's why some are so affordable.
Anyways, back to the Land Monster/TSAR weight test. Initially, the overall feeling of the strap strength is promising. The build of the Artem NATOs supports the beefiness of the Land Monster and TSAR well. I don't notice the weight of either timepiece nearly as much as I do on most NATO straps; that's saying something.
The Orange Pin Stripe NATO held the weight of the SNM 035 without securing it too tightly, which is why I had an elastic NATO on the SNM 035 previously. Even then, the elastic strap would loosen up over time due to the weight of the SNM 035.
I'm looking forward to wearing these exclusively during the summer. I think they might be up to the task.
Did I also mention that the Artem NATOs are freaking comfortable? Well, they are. I was a little surprised by that.
I'll explain.
During my time in the military, many of my Shipmates nor I would associate "well built" with "comfortable." Still, I get how those in the civilian world might think that those two terms would not be mutually exclusive. Often, comfort and durability are considered in the design of commercial products of all kinds.
In the military, comfort often takes a backseat to function, and I think we accept that over time.
This conditioning is why I was so surprised by the feel of the Artem NATOs after assessing their build. The build, including the stitching, weave pattern, and hardware attachment, is professionally accomplished and appears able to handle general wear and tear but does so in a manner that is so pleasing on the wrist.
Artem put some thought into combining build quality and comfort into the design, and I think they might be onto something here.
These are my initial perceptions, and while positive, I will need some time to finalize my overall opinion.
I will publish an update after this summer.
I want to take my time with these straps. I want to see how these NATOs handle the heat and humidity of my region for the next four months. I will publish a final thoughts article detailing how everything played out when the summer ends.
Requests
As much as I like the Artem NATO straps, I have some recommendations.
Produce some NATOs in solid colors. I have a ton of gray NATOS, and they go with literally anything. I have amassed a collection of gray NATO straps in my two or so years of collecting, but none would make me stop looking around at other companies.
The initial feel of Artem's NATOs could change that for me, but alas, they don't make gray NATOs. Or other solid colors.
Yet.
Go ahead and add some 22mm NATOs. My Samurais scream for NATOs, and providing the second most popular lug width size is a no-brainer. I am sure they are in the plans for Artem, but I want to put it out in the universe, just in case.
Artem should also consider offering brushed hardware options. Brushed finishing tends to hold up better to wear and tear. If I was still on a ship, there's no way I'd wear anything with a polished finish for daily use. It just wouldn't survive.
As lovely as the nylon is on the Artem NATOs, the polished hardware would pick up so many dents and dings that I'd leave the straps for weekend wear only, and that's a shame because the nylon feels durable.
In Closing
The NATO straps that Artem sent in are tantalizing for a watch collector. I appreciate the attention to detail in the design and build quality. There were no stitches out of place, no discoloration, and nothing cheap-feeling about these NATO straps.
If Artem released solid color NATO straps, I have to admit that I'd pick some up and roll the dice.
Especially in gray.
They feel that well made.
Maybe I'll feel differently at the end of this summer, but I don't think I will.
Make sure to check in on July 31st. I'll be sure to give you my final opinion.
Also, I am looking forward to what Artem releases next.
“A special “thank you” to Henderson Horology on IG for inspiring my wrist shots in this review. Gotta love the #HendoHand! I’ll add his IG below. Please give him a follow!”
