Jack Foster Custom Black Leather NATO strap
April 4, 2020
Having something custom made for you is always a treat. Often times a product gets close to how you like it with the exception of one or two tiny details and you end up with a case of the, ‘if onlys’. You know that annoying little qualification statement that comes into your mind when you describe an item and say this is perfect, if only it had this. With the nearly limitless amount of watch straps a mouse click away it would seem that we would be spoiled by choice, and indeed we are. However, rather than click away trying to find something, you can contact the fine folks at Jack Foster Leather and just tell them what you want.
Today however, I am reviewing a strap that is not even on their website. Why review a strap that is not officially offered? I believe this strap shows how customer service oriented Jack Foster Leather can be. They make themselves available to having a conversation with the potential buyer. It is not often we are given this amount of creative freedom. Having reviewed one of Jack Fosters amazing straps previously, I knew he would be willing to work with me and I was not disappointed. I have always wanted to try a leather NATO. The chance to pick one in the color I liked, with the width, length and stitching color all at my fingertips was too good an opportunity to pass up. Jack Foster was eager to oblige.
So given the choice to have absolute creative freedom you may expect me to pick something that really pushes the bounds of what a leather NATO can be. Nope, I picked an all-black Chromexcel with White stitching. I can see you scratching your heads in bewilderment. Let me explain why I did this. The true measure of how much quality and craftsmanship a company puts into anything can be accurately measured by the least complex product in the catalog. It is easy to build a fantastic product when money is no object and all options are on the table. It is easy to marvel at the wonders of a Mercedes S class, but take a long walk to the other end of the dealership and have a close look at an A class. That particular car will let you know exactly what is the minimum Mercedes feels is worthy of brandishing their three pointed star.
This Simple Black Leather Strap from Jack Faster is very much at the bottom end of what they are capable of. I wanted a simple Leather NATO for my review and what they gave me was typical high quality Jack-Foster design. I normally let the vendor insert some of their own words before I kick off my review, but since this is not a product they currently carry, my review will have to do. Allow me to begin.
DIMENSIONS
I asked Jack-Foster to make a black 20mm single pass NATO. What showed up was exactly that. It measures 20.3mm wide to that was on the money. The length of a NATO is so critical. Too much and you cannot neatly stow the extra strap. Too little and it will not fit through both keepers, or worse, won’t fit a large swath of potential customers. This strap is approximately 10.5” long, which is just shy of the standard 11” length of a normal NATO. Reason for this is I asked the kind folks at Jack-Foster to make me a single pass NATO for a 7” wrist. 10.5” is about the sweet spot.
The strap is a uniform thickness of 1.5mm. This is not at all abnormal for Chromexcel. It is a standard thickness sold from Horween. However, on some watches where the spring bar is really close to the case, this may cause you to have to put the spring bars on after you lay the strap over the back of the watch. When you pull a leather strap through a spring bar as you would with a Nylon NATO you can mar the finish of the leather where a nylon would hide any such abrasion marks. Just note that if you cannot easily get the strap through with the spring bar installed, take it off and do it the hard way. As Alton Brown says, “your patience will be rewarded”.
DESIGN
The design is simplicity itself. A raw black dyed piece of leather cut to width whose singular feature is a well-placed fold over to hold whatever keepers and buckle may be installed. It would seem there is not much to talk about and I should move on. But that is not quite true.
Each feature has a noteworthy design ethos behind it that is worth a bit of a closer look. First, the leather. Chromexcel is an exemplary material as it is a very durable and flexible leather, which just happen to be two ideal characteristics which are perfectly suited for a NATO strap. I have had a dozen or so watch straps made of this material and can eagerly vouch for how well it wears over time. While some leathers from the Chicago Tannery Horween have incredible pull up, this version has been color fast and its black dye is not easily marred. This is not a leather who will look older than it currently is. This will take years to age as it accompanies you on adventures and any scar it pics up will be well earned. The sides and underneath of the Leather were left raw as this strap puts on no heirs about being anything but field ready. It is a charming simplicity that I find endearing and welcome as this NATO strap is true to its roots of being 100 percent function.
The leather is folded over and white stitching holds the hardware in place. The freehanded nature of the stitches invokes an heirloom piece of furniture or a hand sewn garment to me as it is obvious a human made these, rather than a large industrial machine. This human connection is indicative of all Jack-Foster goods I have handled. The color of the stitches I chose were white but like all straps sold by Jack-Foster, you can customize them for your particular need. Have a watch with a stunning yellow seconds hand, they can give you stitches to match that. It is this level of customizability that allows you a part in the creative process.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
The keeper and buckle that came with my strap were the rounded ones that I have seen on other straps like a Maratac or some other NATO strap vendors. They are very sturdy and without a sharp edge to be found. They appear to be a mild steel and will pick up a scratch or two if they should meet a brick wall or rock (as I have done). The buckle is identical to the keepers save for the inclusion of a tang to hold the strap on your wrist.
The rounded nature of the keepers means the strap will need to be fed through the middle of the keeper as that is the widest point in any circular object. This was noticeably more difficult than rectangular keepers, but only marginally so. Still worth mentioning.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
I found this to be a very comfortable NATO strap. Leather even in it its most raw and simple form has a bit of give. All living things move and flex so the leather I found was more comfortable than a Nylon or Seatbelt style NATO whose job originally was to NOT move or give. I found the best way to wear this was to put it a tad bit tight for the first few days and allow the leather to relax on my wrist. Eventually it become that perfect blend of comfort and snugness.
This elastic nature of the leather also kept the watch head directly on top of my wrist without cutting off the necessary blood to my fingers. What this leather gives up in water resistance, it makes up for in comfort and wearability. With that said, I have been incredibly harsh on this watch strap. I have thrown caution to the wind and dared it to fail. I have washed the dog with this, I have washed the car. I have rearranged plants in the pond, mowed the yard, watered the lawn, worked in the wood shop on projects. It has been exposed to everything from water and dog drool to mineral spirits to clean brushes. For the most part, the leather is totally unharmed. I have a few feint scratches from my Britany Spaniels teeth, and some creases from where I had it on various watches but over time those have almost vanished. I almost hope they do not as those are all great memories I would love to have 10 years from now.
I am not saying go swimming with your leather straps, and I am sure Jack-Foster would not encourage that behavior as well, but I am saying that this is a truly durable and wearable strap that may very well out live the watch it is holding (Better get a back up).
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
Take all your delicate and highly finished dress watches and put them back in the box. This strap begs for a field watch or your favorite beater. Neither the hardware nor the simple monotone construction will make this a dress strap. However, with the choice of leather and stitching color, it should be very capable of taking your everyday watch to new heights. This is a NATO strap lovers NATO Strap. If you have a Luminox that you take the Shooting Range, this is your strap. Do you want to butch up your Khaki Field? This is your strap. If you wish something elegant for your JLC Reverso, this is probably not even remotely close to your strap. In fact, this strap would not even know who to call.
This is one of those straps that is singular in purpose and adds nothing to the mix that is over the basic recipe. It is what a leather NATO should be and absolutely nothing else. It was a perfect match on my Serica WWW black dial.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
You will not find this strap at Jack-Fosters website. However, you can get one made and he will work with you on options and what is available. If you have ever wanted a strap that is totally customized, but did not know who you could trust. Give them a call. Here is the website:
SUMMARY
I just started making products customized to my customer’s needs (the Strap Butler in the Strap Box shop – check it out). I know the connection you can form with people when making things from scratch to suit their particular desires and dreams. It is a very special thing to bring that product from concept to creation. The craftsman at Jack-Foster put their talents and skills to work for you. I am a nobody in the watch world and they were happy to make me this beautiful strap. In fact, this was the second NATO they made me. The first when it arrived was far too long for my wrist. This was the first single pass NATO they had made and they made assumptions on the length as best they could. When I called them up and showed them a picture, they were not dismissive or angry, they were happy to have the feedback and they said they would be proud to make me another. I am very happy with this strap, but the joy of having a quality product is nothing compared to the thrill of knowing and working with the people who made with it with such love.