Watch Strap Review: Woukup Military-Style Nylon Watch Strap

Replacing watch straps or bracelets is one tried and true way of sprucing up a watch collection. NATO-style military watch straps bring a rugged look and a lightweight feel to most watches. NATO straps are also very affordable. That's why I chose the Woukup nylon watch strap off of Amazon.

Woukup Nylon Military Watch Strap

The Woukup Nylon Strap is constructed of 1.2mm thick ballistic nylon with a ribbed texture running the length of the strap. It's a nice detail that results in a put together look. 

Ribbed text along the length of the strap

The clasp and keepers are made of 316L stainless steel. This is where military grade ruggedness comes in.

The eyelets are laser cut to prevent unraveling. Most importantly, this strap fits wrists from 5 to 8 inches in diameter.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with Woukup NATO-style nylon watch straps. I've actually purchased three of them for various projects. For under $15, they are a great deal.

You can get this one via my affiliate link here on Amazon.

Watches Under $40: A Minimalist Men's Relic

Minimalism has been a trendy look for watches for many years now. There are many models to choose from. However, it doesn't make much sense to pay a maximum price for a minimal watch. Fortunately, Relic has some very sensible choices for minimal prices. For example, this Relic comes in at under $40. It's an amazing quartz watch for the price.

Fossil Men's Quartz Watch (Amazon photo)

This 40mm diameter watch offers a practical 30-meters of water resistance, a silver-tone alloy metal case, a genuine leather strap, and a scratch resistant mineral crystal. This watch doesn't have a date window so it's very easy to grab and go with it.

It's a steady seller on Amazon, gets 4.4 stars, and accomplishes the time telling mission.  Relic is a Fossil brand so you get a basic expectation of decent quality. You can check this great looking watch out here on Amazon!

TGIF: Over 4 million visits to The Watch Dude!

I'm truly honored and amazed that, thanks to your visits, this little hobby watch blog has just blown past 4 million hits.

I really appreciate your continued readership and support. Let's keep going!

I'm going to continue to focus on watches we can all afford--with an occasional dream watch thrown in just in case our lottery numbers come up. There are plenty of great looking watches to be excited about and I look forward to bringing them to your attention. There are also many angles to watch collecting just for fun.

Thanks again and happy reading!

Watch Deal Alert: Bulova Series A Automatic

I found a new deal on the Bulova Marine Star Series A Automatic! This one claims 49% off of the full retail price. I suspect that the venerable Seiko subsidiary is playing Invicta games with this one. But, anytime you can find this watch for less than $350, you are doing very well on price. I like this model because it brings alot of watch goodness together in one package. This watch has a 45mm diameter stainless steel case that is 13.45mm thick. As an automatic, the watch has an aperture allowing a view into the movement. It has a bright orange silicone strap and 200-meter water resistance. As a former sailing enthusiast, the bright orange of this watch strap reminded me of the foul weather gear I wore so many years ago.

Bulova Marine Star Series A (Amazon photo)

This striking watch offers the winning combination of a storied brand, rugged build quality, nautical inspiration, Roman numeral sophistication, and a Miyota 825S automatic movement with an approximately 42 hour power reserve.

You can check this Bulova Marine Star Series A Automatic here on Amazon. As the holiday gift giving season approaches, this Bulova watch would be an inspired gift for a boater, sailor, or yachtsman.

What is a flieger watch?

 A flieger watch is a watch inspired by the German Luftwaffe aviation watches of World War II.  The German word "flieger" literally translates into aviator, airman, and flyer. The original flieger watches were designed with very large dials--especially by the standards of the era and emphasized readability and reliability. Dials were around 55mm in diameter and long straps allowed them to be worn over flight gear.  The original makers of flieger watches for the World War 2 Luftwaffe were:  A. Lange & Söhne, IWC, Laco, Stowa, and Wempe. These companies still make watches and some flieger models, but the most affordable mechanical ones are from Laco. I've posted about that company and their watches in my post Watches A to Z: Laco.

There were two main styles of flieger watch, Type A and Type B.  The Type A flieger watch was for pilots and had large readable arabic numeral hour markers around the dial.  You can check out a contemporary Laco Type A flieger here via my Amazon affiliate link.

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Laco Type A (Amazon Photo)

The Type B flieger watch was intended for navigators who needed to know the minute precisely for their duties.  It had minute markers with arab numerals around the outer edge of the dial and a small inner circle with hour markers. You can check out the Laco Type B flieger watch here via my Amazon affiliate link.

Laco Type B Flieger (Amazon photo)

Flieger-style watches are practical and popular. Many people collect them and many companies offer variations on the theme. If you are looking for an affordable quartz Flieger Type B, check out the Mil-Tec Vintage Aviator here via my Amazon affiliate link.

Mil-Tec Vintage Aviator (Amazon Photo)

If you look around, you'll start to see Flieger-style watch dials everywhere. It will be fun to see what pops up.

Twenty Dollar Tuesday: US Polo Assn Men's Quartz Analog Bracelet Watch

Now that the Ten Dollar watches are mostly in the rear view mirror, we can cruise at more exclusive levels. At the twenty dollar level, you can join the ranks of the US Polo Assn. Your friends may start to call you Big Money, your barrista may look at you with newfound respect, and the waitress at Waffle House may call you honey, baby, or even sugar. They should because this US Polo Assn Quartz Bracelet Watch with a Blue Dial with gold tone bezel and two tone stainless steel bracelet is a genuinely nice looking watch.

US Polo Assn Men's Quartz Analog Bracelet Watch (Amazon photo)

We laugh, but Amazon sells over 500 of these watches each month and they've earned a 4.4 star rating in over 682 ratings. Customers usually keep this watch due to its appearance and value for the money.

The case has presence at 44.4mm in diameter and 11mm thick. The case is likely based metal, but the ad copy claims the bracelet is stainless steel. The ad copy also claims no water resistance, but the specifications say it has 100-feet of water resistance.  At less than $20, you can leave it in a shoe by the pool. One thing casual wearers will like is the wide range of adjustments on the clasp. Most buyers won't have to remove links themselves.

US Polo Assn Quartz Watch Profile (Amazon Photo)

US Polo Assn watches are made by Accutime. Over the years, I've never had a problem with any of the countless watches the company makes. This one is  a fashion watch for sure, but Accutime brings a level of quality control to watch production and this one looks good. You can use my affiliate link to check it out here on Amazon.

For more on US Polo Assn and their watches, read my post Watches A to Z: US Polo Assn.

For even more US Polo Assn watches at great prices, check out my Amazon affiliate Storefront.

Timex Under $60: Timex Expedition Gallatin!

The Timex Expedition Gallatin is a great watch for armchair commandoes and cat burglars. It simply has the commando look at a very affordable price point under $60.

Timex Expedition Gallatin Watch (Amazon Photo)

This 42mm diameter watch offers 50-meters of water resistance, a black resin case, an acrylic crystal, a non-rotating bezel, a date window, and green silicone band. It also has indiglo back lighting. Most importantly, it has looks that rival watches costing thousands more. You can check this great looking watch out here on Amazon!
For a full review of this watch, check out my Timex Gallatin review post.