Straphabit Premium Sailcloth Quick Release IME Camo watch strap
January 10, 2024
Some things exist for no other reason than to make you smile. Like Golden Retriever puppies or a flash mob, simply being in the presence of such things creates a spontaneous endorphin release. In this engineers opinion, the world needs more things like this right now. The strap I have been enjoying for the past couple of weeks taps into this same ethos. So far as I can tell, its sole purpose is to make the owner a bit happier than before he/she wrapped it around their wrist. Forget about heavily waxed 75 step tanning processes here. Forget about deep historical military history dating back to the leather straps that secured duffle bags to Sherman Tanks. This new strap from Straphabit more closely echoes the Jokers tag line ‘why so serious’, but without all the creepy murderous connotations and such. Like the myriad of colorful watches hitting the market from every brand imaginable, this strap is about joy, happiness, and yes, fun.
Normally at this point before I get into the official Strapsense review, I like to quote the description given to the strap by the strap maker. I thought I would change things up for this review since no great amount of Shakespearian prose was spent on romantic descriptions of 4000 year old tanneries that got their start making leather out of T-Rex hides (raised sustainably, of course). Rather I thought it would be more interesting to quote the origin of the name of the strap instead which perfectly illustrates the lighthearted nature with which this strap was created. I give you the I.M.E. Camo strap from Straphabit.
I.M.E. Camo: “It Matches Everything.” This camo has so many colors in it that it must match some part of your watch.
The jovial and quite blunt nature of that description was part of the reason I had to try it out. I enjoy being around people who do not take life so seriously all the time and this was a breath of fresh air. Alright, let’s talk about this strap in a bit more detail
DIMENSIONS
My strap was 20mm in diameter. But it is available in 19mm, 21mm, and 22mm as well which is a lot of unexpected variety and opens this strap for use on most watches. My strap has a fairly uniform thickness of about 2.2 mm which is a decent universal size that can handle the bulk of most watches on the market today as long as they are not on the overly bulky side. The strap starts out at 20mm at the lugs (19.7mm by my calipers) and tapers gently down to 17.8mm at tip. The buckle end is 74mm long, and the free end’s length depends on which one you choose. Straphabit offers two swapable free ends with every premium sailcloth purchase in two different lengths (115mm/125mm) so that everybody regardless of watch / wrist size can enjoy some color on their wrist. I am using the shorter free end and on my nearly 7 inch wrist I am on the 5th of 9 adjustment holes. Fitment for any watch should be a non issue. Frankly I really admire companies that offer this kind of flexibility and service to the end user.
DESIGN
This strap is a two-material layered construction with satin sheen nylon on the outside surface and pale blue leather on the inside. They are held together by full boxed stitching in a wonderful light (Tiffany?) blue that matches the reinforcement strip of the adjustment holes and the leather inner lining. This is topped off with an easy to use and very much appreciated quick release spring bar. Also of note, Straphabit did a good job of rolling the ends of the nylon around the outer edges of the strap so no rough or sharp threads rub against your skin. This strap is properly sized and built with care while being well appointed with everything one may expect from a modern watch strap. However, none of that matters the instant you take one look at the colorful pattern and all sense of logic and order are politely moved to one side. This is a strap made to derail your stoic sensibilities and allow you to have that extra scoop, jump that higher ramp, whatever it takes to replace the norm with something more exciting.
I rather enjoyed showing this strap off to my usual cadre of friends and acquaintances in the Strapsense Universe. The most popular descriptors that came up were, Lego, Minecraft, and Tetris. Is it any wonder why this strap does so much to inspire fun and creativity. It pulls heavily on nostalgia playing a musical rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme song on your heartstrings. The shape of the strap leans more modern than vintage. The taper is hard to notice until the strap reaches the end of the free length, where it narrows and then is cut flat parallel to the spring bar. Overall, the whole design ethos feels 80’s to me with the bright colors, bold stitching and full on glorious 8 bit graphics.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
The strap uses the two keeper system in the standard configuration, which is one floating keeper and one sewn fixed. They are made of the same nylon as the outer strap material and are just barely large enough for the free end to easily glide through. The pattern makes them almost invisible, but they do the job of keeping the extra length in place where you left it.
This strap could have gone with Velcro in lieu of a buckle and keeper (would have amped those 80’s vibes that much more), but I was very pleased with it as it came as they offer a rather nice buckle. The buckle was obviously treated to a level up bonus (that was probably one metaphor too much, right?) as it is mostly polished with only the crossbar being linearly brushed with a very nice etched ‘Straphabit’ logo ever so lightly added. I found myself shocked at how nice this buckle was for a watch that was clearly more about the color. However, this was marketed as Premium, so I certainly appreciate the effort put forward here.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
If I am to take the makers description at face value (I.M.E.) it does in fact match nearly everything. But should you put this on any watch made? Well you could, but I do think this strap fits some watches better than others. For instance, while the nylon outer is durable and will wear extremely well over time, the leather is not going to like water, so I would say if you spend large quantities of time underwater this is not your strap. Otherwise, be as bold as you dare. Daily wear watches with a simple dial I think are the perfect genre for this strap (think half or all of NOMOS’s catalog). I had this strap on my Oris Wings of Hope Big Crown, which is a calm austere watch, and the strap absolutely shined on it while pulling out the reds and blues. It ended up on the titanium Khaki, which is a rather serious watch, but somehow the colorful urban camo pattern just made it seem almost joyful. Aside from dive watches that get used, I would also recommend staying away Overly complicated watch dials or watch cases as they will tend to compete with this strap. It would be like wearing stripe pants with polka dot shirt. Just do not do it.
Some straps play the supporting actor role very well. They provide the perfect backdrop or soundtrack to make the watch feel that much more special. This, however, is not that strap. This strap begs for attention and rewards those who take notice with a slice of fun and lightheartedness. This strap is all about unexpected fun. Like wearing Converse All Stars with a tux to your own wedding.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
Right now, I am wearing this watch strap and it is practically invisible. It weighs nothing and when combined with my titanium Khaki, the color has more weight than the watch. Still, it was not immediately like this. When you first receive your StrapHabit Premium Sailcloth strap it will feel slightly stiff like a sheet of very thin cardboard. However, after you bend it and twist it the tight knit nylon eases a bit and the whole thing becomes more flexible. It took 3 days of wearing for this to become limp and lose all memory of ever being packaged flat. Your patience will be rewarded. I also initially felt the seam where the keepers were sewn together, but like the strap that eventually went away and the nylon is starting to feel a bit more like cloth. As a rule, I like to work my straps heavily with my hands before I ever put them on the watch. It helps to ease the rigidity and hysteresis of being cut, sewn, and packaged flat for a long time before it arrives in your mailbox.
The strap has proven itself to be color fast, and durable. No stretching, fading or bleeding has been noticed. The leather reinforcement strip bolsters the adjustment holes giving this strap decades of potential use. I found this strap contours very tightly against the skin and stays comfortable and ‘barely there’ for hours at a time.
WHERE CAN I GET ONE
After purchasing many straps from Straphabit, Nick at Straphabit was kind enough to send me one of these to try out. I found his website to be well made and logically organized. It is clear and easy to navigate with fast checkout. This is where you can get an I.M.E strap of your own.
SUMMARY
We all sometimes need to view the world with a new perspective and a new attitude. This watch strap connects you to a simpler 8 bit time and is akin to a verse of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ on your wrist. I would recommend you find something in your life that makes you smile and keep it close to you. If you cannot take your Golden Retriever puppy with you everywhere (or for some reason do not have one), why not take this watch strap instead. Dare to smile at the world and let it smile back.