Certain styles of strap suit certain styles of watches and while you might be looking as a gorgeous leather number for your dress watch, your tool watch needs something altogether more robust. Enter Anchor Strap Company, a family run strap company from Washington State who know a thing or two about making straps designed to take on the wilds of their home and the Canadian wilderness just across the border. Today we’re taking a look at six of their straps that will turn your tool watch into an all-terrain master.
AnchorFlex Heritage, £53
The AnchorFlex line is Anchor Strap Company’s premium FKM rubber series, designed to be soft, flexible and extremely durable. The AnchorFlex Heritage in particular takes its design cues from the 1960s when rubber straps started to become popular in tandem with the tool watch boom of that period. That means it has a cool cross-hatched pattern across its surface that serves dual purpose of allowing water to run away from the watch easily. It’s available in a selection of colours such as the Bathyscaphe Black (inspired by the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms of the 1960s) to vivid Buoy Orange with almost fluorescent visibility.
AnchorFlex Original, £45
Alongside the AnchorFlex Heritage is the AnchorFlex Original. It takes the same premium FKM rubber but presents it with an alternative pattern inspired by fabric. It has a tightly woven pattern that gives the illusion of textile, making it a comfortable alternative to canvas or sailcloth straps that can sometimes be stiff. It also has an additional colour option compared to the Heritage line, that being olive green as you see here.
Deployant Nylon MKII, £53
The Deployant Nylon range is designed for people who love the authenticity and feel of a NATO strap without wanting the extra faff of looping ends and bulky double layers of material. It’s made from hard wearing, military-grade nylon in good variety of colours and patterns. The MKII variant introduces an additional silicon notch protector to improve the longevity of the strap. As a note, the deployant clasp is sold separately (£61) or you can fit your own so long as the size is appropriate.
Deployant Nylon MKIII, £53
As you might expect, the Anchor Strap Company Deployant MKIII builds on the basis of the MKII with some subtle changes. Primarily, the strap come with more notches meaning it’s easier to find a perfect fit no matter the size of your wrist. Of note, this means that where the MKII is offered in two sizes, the MKIII is one size fits all, making it much easier to swap between watches or lend out to a friend.
Standard Nylon, £22
For a field watch where the authentic military aesthetic means everything, the Standard Nylon is Anchor Strap Company’s rendition of the traditional NATO. Made from a lightweight, durable and military-grade nylon with a utilitarian sensibility that places practicality above everything. It also has the signature double loop attachment that means if one spring bar comes loose, you won’t lose the entire watch. Available in a classic selection of military-adjacent colours such as black, grey and khaki.
Ribbed Nylon, £22
If you fancy yourself more of a super spy than a soldier, perhaps the Ribbed Nylon is for you. It’s made from the same material as the Standard Nylon but has a more distinctive weave to the material and is available in a wider range of colours including some striped renditions inspired by the straps worn by James Bond in the movies. If you’re really in your Daniel Craig era, the black and grey on an Omega Seamaster 300m is a match made in heaven.
