Here’s a modification some might find interesting, if not appealing. Theoretically, one drawback of Nato straps is that on a watch with conventional spring bars, there exists the risk that the soft, flexible material of the strap will snag one of the shoulders of the spring bar and pull it out of place under sufficient pressure at the wrong angle.
Of course, it would have to happen to both bars for the watch to be lost, but because I have two dive watches I only ever wear on a growing collection of Natos anyway, I decided to install Marathon "single shoulder” or “shoulder less” spring bars, intended for use with drilled lugs.
On un-drilled lugs, this is a semi-permanent modification requiring the destruction of the bars for removal, and it also prevents the potential snagging issue completely. Also, contrary to fixed lug bars that are a permanent part of the case, this setup will probably break away before the wearer's hand is de-gloved, in case the watch gets caught on something and pulled hard. I bought the bars online from Windy City Watch Collector (a Marathon dealer to which I have no connection) for less than half of what Amazon wanted.
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Originally Posted by Le Français
