Best of Ali-Xpress STRAPS (bracelets)

Ali's summer sale has started. I think it goes through July 1st. Lots of stuff 10% or more off. A San Martin I bought for $326 is now $266 (might have to pick up another one at those prices, lol).

Wish they sold the buckle alone, that looks like a good one. How did you get a $60 strap for $40?

another_shawn said:

This is really the upper limit for what I’d pay for an AliE strap, but for the approx $40 I paid for it I recommend it, but with caveats.


US $60.90 30％ Off | San Martin Watch Bands Rubber Straps 20mm 22mm With Folding Clasp Diving Watchband Waterproof Wrist Belt Soft Bracelet Durable

57.42US $ 34% OFF|San Martin Watch Bands Rubber Straps 20mm 22mm With Folding Clasp Diving Watchband Waterproof Wrist Belt Soft Bracelet Durable - Watchbands - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

I have it on a Seiko Monster, and the thickness of the strap suits a heavy watch well. This strap is also the first I’ve had with an adjustable clasp. Thats such a game changer.

That said, I mounted the 22mm version of this strap on a 42mm Glycine Combat Sub. It was way too much strap for that watch.

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Yep, probably my favorite store. Their FMK straps are wonderful. Pains me to pay 30x as much for something similar sometimes.

DC Lavman said:

Big thumbs up to the Juelong vulcanized FKM rubber straps, particularly the one with the "lock" in the keeper. They're very comfy right out of the gate and attract zero lint or dust. Best part is the length. On my 17cm wrist there is no long tail that even needs to be kept. It's possibly the perfect length.

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That is an interesting idea. Personally, I'll sometimes trim a mm off each side to get it to fit. Actually, a +4mm strap sometimes looks best trimmed like this, as it tends to match the (external) width of the lugs, but works best with a strap with a good amount of taper.

another_shawn said:

Here's a 22mm silicone squished into 20mm lugged case. (Just use a 20mm spring bar.)

This is the least "dusty" silicone strap I've bought, so I give it a thumbs up. That said, the 20mm version of this strap is oddly shaped. Don't recommend it. You can buy this strap with a brushed keeper or silicone keepers. I'm OK with either option. I showed a couple close ups on wrist so you can get an idea of how it looks.

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Techme said:

You mind posting a link to an Omega deployant clasp.

Like this?

AU $10.92 25％ Off | 16 18mm 20mm Deployment Watch Buckle for Omega Leather Strap Rubber Band Black Silver Gold Steel Folding Clasp Accessories Tools

7.27US $ 25% OFF|16 18mm 20mm Deployment Watch Buckle for Omega Leather Strap Rubber Band Black Silver Gold Steel Folding Clasp Accessories Tools|Watchbands| - AliExpress

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Personally I found the ~$10 to be kinda junky. not horrible, not good. I just can't tell that from the pictures though.

I bought this one - although its now $10 more than when I originally bought it. Still, the $30 ones seem to be well made with tight tolerances. I just won't wear an inexpensive one.

BA11 said:

Thanks!! And for the second one I guess I didn’t put it the right way, I didn’t want to know all the one but more like wanted to know there 1-2 dealers who stands out if you remember.

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I'll second JUELONG.

FMK rubber is as nice as stuff 10x the price
Their Natos are as good as stuff 4x the price.

I make my own straps, and often use their hardware. Cheap hardware is a pet peeve of mine - Some Ali stuff looks great in photos, but has poor tolerances and is just stamped steel twisted into shape to make a pin or buckle.

Juelong has some great hardware - often machined rather than stamped. Heck, their Natos are cheap enough that I'll buy them, strip the fabric off them, and make myself a leather nato with their hardware.

frogles said:

thanks
what is the advantage of this ribbed compared to a seatbelt (with good hardware)?

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Nothing.

The ribbed dries fast and is good in water (see picture above). It doesn't hold water and dries quickly. Its a bit stiff
seatbelt is much smoother, tends to be thicker, and tends to hold water a lot longer and is softer.

Personally, I've never liked seatbelt material and was shocked when they started making watch straps with it. It tends to be fairly thick so a double pass Nato is gonna raise the watch up a bit. Does work well with a Bond style nato though.

Mostly its about whatever style you like.

Techme said:

I find the ribbed straps more comfortable than the seatbelt ones. The reason is that ribbed natos are a bit more rigid - not hard though. I almost exclusively wear divers, so unless the holes are in the perfect location on the seatbelt nato, the watch head can flop around more. Plus, the seatbelt natos are thicker and jack the watch up.

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well put. Stiffer doesn't have to be less comfortable, but they do work well with heavier watches - certainly don't flop around as much. Silky they are not.

StephenR said:

So, can we talk about tropic, sailcloth, hybrid etc straps for a minute… Two questions: one, can anyone recommend any good ones in 19mm? And B, has anyone had much luck (and not a horrible experience) squeezing any 20mm ones into a 19mm watch?

I’m looking for some summer options as I’m considering taking just my SBCJ021 on vacation. Saying that, I’m also open to any recommendations on strap/colour combinations (but that’s probably a thread for the Seiko forum!)

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B: In a bind, I've cut off 0.5mm on either side of the lug hole.

sopapillas said:

Do you have any photos/ how did you do it?

I tried cutting a couple of 24mm rubber straps and rounding with a dremel to fit my Aquis lugs but nothing even comes close to the OEM Aquis strap (which makes sense because it was like $250 or something).

Probably a skill/tools issue but I’m curious how yours turned out.

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I use a new X-acto type knife, razor sharp. 20 -> 19 (0.5mm per side) is relatively easy, although it is easy to cut too much off. I left a tiny notch in mine, but it is hardly noticeable. Cut one side (just a sliver really), made sure it was still slightly too big, then cut the other. The trick is not cutting too much in the corner - better to cut too little then just pull it out.

Oris Aquis would be a PITA as you are cutting 6mm off each side. I've made leather straps for that case, not too easy. Cut angle should be less than 90 degrees to make sure it presses up snug against the case - otherwise there is likely to be a gap (esp when the clasp is tightened, strap will pull away from the lugs a little. Oris OEM straps actually have a "C" shape grove, so it fits up tight to the curved lugs - that would be hard to do with a knife.

I bought an Oris strap off of Ali-X, but it is horrible - most of the rubber on Ali is stiff and uncomfortable (FMK from Juelong rocks though).

frogles said:

OFF: does CNS hold BF-days?

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They are constantly having sales. I make my own straps, and find it cheaper to buy a close out strap than to try to source my own hardware (so I just strip out the fabric and put leather in).

frogles said:

OFF: does CNS hold BF-days?

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Promo Code = blackfriday

Ends midnight GMT 27th.

thelonious said:

It's Aliexpress and the tannery stamp is just debossed by the strapmaker. May be a nice strap, but no reason to assume it's actually Horween, Crazy Horse, etc, no?

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Ya made me laugh.

True it is though. The stamp is on the liner, not on the leather, so it really does not mean anything.

Technically Horween comes out of a single company in Chicago, and best guess is this isn't source from Chicago!!!
Kinda like buying Champagne from Italy or california. Legally it ain't champagne (so its called Prosecco or sparkling wine)

It's probably a shell cordovan, which is nice enough in itself (you know, the shiny stuff). But cordovan leather isn't really anymore expensive than any other leather.

Techme said:

Has anybody found a decent 16mm clasp they can recommend? 18mm and larger are in abundance, but anything smaller is elusive. I don't

This one looks good, but I can't find smaller than 18mm https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005038144664.html
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Who hasn't got one of these! I have some in 16mm that game with watches, but can't find them on Aliexpress https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003594630409.html
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Long Island Watch has them, but the price + shipping to Australia are off the scale. Stainless Steel V Clasp Double Lock Diver Buckle, Brushed #CLASP-02
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I'm trying to replace the superb clasp on my San Martin, which I can't get the perfect fit with.

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Just buy from San martin, no? About $30 i think.