Artem Khaki Green Loopless Sailcloth Strap with Deployant Buckle
June 20, 2023
Inspiration comes from a myriad different places when I decide to write a strap review. Usually, a kernel or seed of creative energy forms naturally when a word or phrase solidifies out of the chaotic ether that is my memory. This time around while I was fishing, I glanced down at my watch and had to stare at amazement at how well this strap and watch worked together. Neither taking the limelight from the other. In fact, both were elevated by each other’s presence. Rarely is this power balance so appropriately displayed. As this mutually beneficial relationship accompanied me all week, I had plenty of time to ponder this pairing and it became more and more clear how much these two items (watch and strap) had in common. I was trying match words to my thoughts and feelings, when I realized that what they had in common was, of course, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Confused yet, I will explain.
Oliver Napoleon Hill was one of the greatest American self-help authors of all time. His list of famous and inspiring quotes could fill enough books to make your coffee table’s legs nervous. It would be difficult to choose just one as a cornerstone for this article, but after reading a few hundred motivational quotes not only did I feel great about being me, but I also found the one quote I was looking for which paraphrased says.
“Do one thing and do it better than anybody else”
I recall in the 80’s Colonel Sanders on every KFC commercial said that. Do one thing and do it better than anybody else. Now being half a century old, my wiser self knew that ‘the Colonel’ most likely did not invent that saying. As it turns out Mr. Oliver Napoleon Hill did way before KFC fried its first chicken. That saying, which was paraphrased from the slightly longer version, made as much sense to me then as it does now. Direct one’s energy into a singular specific pursuit with the goal of reaching perfection without ever allowing yourself to think you have achieved it. It is this unwavering discipline to forever improve which all truly great things are achieved. Which brings me to the subject(s) of this article. The Grand Seiko SBGM247 and more poignantly the Artem Loopless Khaki Green Watch Strap.
If you have been with me since the beginning, you may recall I first reviewed my first Artem Sailcloth watch strap back in March of 2020 (https://strapsense.com/2020/03/10/artem-straps-sailcloth-watch-strap-with-grey-stitching/). Artem was a younger company then but had a very good marketing theme going which kept me, at the very minimum, interested. They simply stated they make the finest sail cloth watch straps in the world. Full stop. Bold, simple and very effective. However, hype never lasts long if the product cannot back it up. In my review, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out how much they lived up to their own hype and how much I did enjoy their watch strap and the customer service that accompanied it. Three years later and I am reviewing an evolution of that strap and I can see the fruits of that relentless pursuit of sail cloth perfection. Artem has moved the bar even higher. Before I get into my specific review here is what Artem says about their strap.
“Our highly requested “Loop-less” sailcloth watch strap is designed specifically for the deployant clasp. Unlike standard watch straps, this strap requires minimal bending when putting on the wrist, and the excess strap length is neatly hidden underneath. Inspired by the Omega Speedmaster Snoopy, it is the premium alternative to your OEM strap or bracelet.”
–Artem Straps
DESIGN
Artem graciously sent me this strap and deployant for review and they resisted my request to pay them. I will do my best to appear impartial and give a clear impression of what it is like to install and wear this fantastic strap. When queried, I asked for a 20mm strap to review. Mine comes in at 19.8mm at the lugs with a slight taper to 18mm at the loose ends respectively. The previous Artem strap struck a nice balance with padding and taper and this one keeps that DNA alive. At the lugs the strap is a respectable 4.8mm thick at the padded central portion and almost dress strap like 1.8mm thick at the buckle. These sizes tell me a great deal about this strap. It can support a great many active and adventure ready watches as it has the bulk to handle divers while the taper and slimness at the buckle means it will wear comfortably. On my ~7″ wrist, I am on the second to last adjustment hole for that perfect fit.
From a strictly historical point of view this strap is not sailcloth. Artem has a wonderful Q&A section on their website that goes into more detail about what sailcloth was, what his has been, and what it is now. Always one to trust but verify, I did my own research and came up with same ten-thousand-foot view Artem did. Sailcloth in its inception was made of flax fiber during the period when England, France, and Spain were all trying to sink each other’s ships as fast as they could in search of total naval supremacy. Any advantages that could be gained would keep more wood floating above the water line than beneath it and sailcloth, which was already in existence, was refined in terms of the size and weave pattern that was possible. Sailcloth provided its users a very strong fabric that could survive the wind, the salt and the wear of being on the water for weeks at a time. The USA was the first to introduce cotton as a replacement to flax keeping all the properties but improving the texture. As time marched on, synthetics replaced natural fibers as it further elevated the performance of the sails / clothing that used sailcloth while reducing the price to produce.
The outside surface of the Artem Sailcloth strap is a synthetic material that is embossed with a sailcloth like weave. This material choice affords the user a nice texture and luster to the strap while providing incredible resistance to scuffing and wear (I dug my fingernail into this strap dragged it across the weave with zero results). The khaki green of this strap screams of vintage military jackets and old backpacks to me. The modern construction and materials run a fantastic opposition to its humble texture and color. The underside of the strap is leather that is coated in caoutchouc (read as natural rubber extracted from a gum tree) rubber which is totally water resistance and feels smooth to the touch. The ARTEM name is proudly embossed on the underside of this strap along with the strap width. Joining these two surfaces is very neatly done stitching that is precisely color matched to the strap. The seam between the two materials is, for all practical purposes, imperceptible so well done is the construction.
All of this was true of the last Artem Sailcloth strap I reviewed however, this new strap has some subtle design improvements (that is before we even talk about the buckle) that I find myself smitten by. The most notable is the shape of the strap has been slightly modified. The old Artem strap I have is a pleasant strap to look at and wear but was very rounded. The padded portion and the way the sailcloth upper wrapped around the sides of the strap was all very curvaceous. There was not as straight line on the old Artem strap. However, this new strap I think has made some small but perfectly placed improvements. The strap has flat sides. Why does this matter and why does it make such a difference? Glad you asked. Keeping the sides of the strap flat creates a visual edge that breaks up the top of the strap from the sides. This acts exactly like colored sealant does on a leather strap. It adds depth and dimension to the strap. A flat side of the strap also will transition from most lugs in a more integrated bracelet kind of way.
The other improvement is that Artem reinforced the adjustment holes on the strap with a piece of color matched material (not sure if it the same as the strap or not). Again, this is a small change, but adds volumes to the wear resistance and durability. It is another example of Artem incrementally moving the bar upward.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
In this section I usually say that this strap uses the typical two keeper system with one that floats and the other is fixed. But not here! Here we have a fully realized and engineered solution that looks as good as it works. Yes, we can talk about the origins briefly, to get that out of the way. Artem on their own website says they have taken inspiration from the Omega Snoopy Speedmaster deployant clasp. A quick search yields photos of this well executed clasp on many an Omega watch (Speedy, Aqua Terra, etc). I am not going to focus on this as pin and buckle style clasps are rarely designed by the watch maker either, rather they are an off the shelf (e.g. onyx) unit customized with a brand logo. Often times, watch makers and strap makers cut corners here and I have no issue calling out those with an afterthought clasp. Artem chose to skip the low end altogether here. Offered for your enjoyment is an architecturally (dare I say art deco) sculpted deployant with a twin trigger release that has a satisfying click when engaged. The surfaces alternate between linear brushing and polished surfaces the outermost of which displays the tasteful Artem Logo.
When the deployant is open all the machined surfaces are revealed. You will find all the surfaces clean with well chamfered edges that are smooth to the touch. The twin triggers release with even pressure applied smoothly without any graininess or harshness. The strap attaches on one end with a simple spring bar. The to attach the other end you simply squeeze the strap and select the correct adjustment hole with the pin on the deployant and then release the strap and tuck the edges. A firm press and you are set to go.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
After the strap is adjusted the clasp closes with a very delineated detent. On the wrist the strap deployant balanced out the watch head very well visually. The strap sits close to the wrist and is all day comfortable. The natural rubber was smooth on the skin and never irritated or caused any issues. I wore this strap for going on 3 weeks and adjusted it time and time again to test for wear and degradation of the material. None was noiticed. This strap shrugged off fishing, cleaning gutters, dishes, mowing the yard, planting some trees, and rewiring my boat. It still looks brand new and could be sold as new.
All the design improvements on this strap have moved this strap up to a particular level many watch straps never obtain. So complete is the design and fit, and so well optioned is the whole package (did I mention quick release spring bars and buckle colors are options you can pick) that this watch strap blurs what can be considered aftermarket and what can be considered OEM. Grand Seiko makes particularly nice straps and hardware. Such is the finishing and construction of this strap I do think it is superior to the majority of cloth straps Grand Seiko offers in their sport line. At the very least it equals them. I stand by that as I have had two sporty Grand Seikos with fabric straps.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
Khaki green is a polarizing color. It is not a whimsical shade of green like the new Kermit Oris, or an opulent shade of green like British Racing Green. Khaki green is all business. When I saw it, I immediately thought that it could match my Grand Seiko, which before I saw this strap, thought would have been impossible. My advice to most watch strap shoppers is to never try to match any blues, greens, or reds on a dial with a strap. If you cannot 100% nail the color match, it will look awkward and disjointed like bad collision repair work on a panel of your car. As a rule of thumb, I usually recommend going to a contrasting color to help bring out the dial more. However, if you own a Grand Seiko SBGM247 you need to buy this. Just stop looking and buy it. The color match is not close, it is perfect. I have only seen this happen one or two times tops in all my time reviewing straps.
But what if you do not own a SBGM247? This strap has the design and color to shine on anything that has field watch or adventure watch ambitions. Hamilton Khaki, Formex Field Watches, Oris Divers 65 all would work beautifully on this strap (it comes in black and blue as well). The same characteristics that gave this strap nearly indestructible construction guides use on any nearly indestructible watch. But at the same time the quality of the strap and its attached hardware would shine on any Omega Aqua Terra as well. Artem has an Instagram account full of incredible watches on an Artem strap. All of them look quite at home and this loopless design only adds to the envelope of what watches can not only work with this strap but will shine with this strap. In many cases it will be better than OEM.
WHERE CAN I GET ONE
At this moment the best place to get an Artem strap quickly and very well packaged is from Artem straps website. Here is a link to this strap:
SUMMARY
It is not often I can find a strap that comes this close to being a direct replacement to a luxury watch strap provided by one of the big Swiss or Japanese makes. This strap delivers on its promise as being the best sailcloth strap you can buy. The color palette is very universal, and its fit is clean and unapologetically business. Everything just works harmoniously. Nothing is out of place or ill thought out. If I had to make a request it would be to add more lively colors. The past 3 years we have seen colors explode on the watch scene. An orange or yellow or tan strap would add some vivid colors and open the options for those who choose to put one of these fine straps/buckles on their watch.