Men's Fabric Strap Watch

What sets a men's fabric strap watch apart, measured across our range

We compared these watches with our full range of men's watches. The first difference: 10 ATM water resistance or more is noticeably more common, found in more than one watch in three, compared with a little over one in five for the rest. The second difference: the automatic movement is roughly twice as common. Nylon therefore attracts sporty or tool-style watches, including several Seiko 5 models.

Conversely, the chronograph is half as common: about one watch in ten, compared with nearly one in four elsewhere. The clasp also differs: the pin buckle is fitted to four in five fabric straps, whereas it applies to one third of our men's watches. The case size, however, does not change: a median diameter of 44 mm, a thickness of 11.5 mm and a 22 mm strap width, exactly as across our men's watches overall.

Nylon, NATO, fabric: what you need to know

“Fabric strap” in practice refers to a woven synthetic fibre strap, most often nylon. The NATO strap is one variant: a long, single-piece band threaded under the case between the spring bars, which keeps the watch on the wrist even if one spring bar comes loose. Our product sheets state the material, nylon, and the photos show the fitting: a through-loop strap or a two-piece strap closed by a buckle. Colours range from black and blue, the most common, to multicoloured, green or red straps, and the military style appears far more often here than in our other men's watches.

Light, washable, interchangeable

The first advantage is weight: a textile strap is much lighter than a steel bracelet and is easy to forget, in summer and winter alike. The second is care: once removed, nylon can be washed in lukewarm soapy water and dried flat. The third is standard width: at 22 mm between the lugs, most of these watches also accept a leather or silicone strap of the same width, fitted on spring bars.

You can therefore wear the same nylon watch at the weekend and a leather strap during the week. To compare materials, see our selections men's leather strap watch and men's silicone watch, which is better suited to water. As for water resistance, most are 5 ATM: occasional showering, but no swimming pool. For swimming, you need 10 ATM, and a nylon strap that stays wet for a long time should then be rinsed in fresh water. The sportiest models are also on our men's sport watch page.