It is fairly well known among the watch collecting cognoscenti that Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner watch in the early James Bond films—but not on the usual metal Oyster bracelet. Instead, he always wore the iconic dive watch on either a leather band, or more commonly, a regimental stripe cloth strap.
For quite a few years, gray and black striped so-called NATO straps have been popular with watch collectors wanting a “Bond” strap. A similar G10 nylon strap (in a light gray color) has been issued to Her Majesty’s naval forces (especially to Royal Navy divers) in the UK since the late 60s or early 70s. Collectors call them NATO straps because of their NATO stock number. In the UK it’s simply called a G10 because of the requisition form used to obtain goods through military supply channels.
Why were the stripes gray and black? Back in the day when you were watching Goldfinger or Thunderballon TV, Connery’s strap did appear to have alternating stripes of gray and black. Today, thanks to Blu-Ray and High Def televisions, we can see more details. What appeared to be gray and black is now now obviously black and olive green with two smaller red pinstripes. With this discovery and the ensuing discussions about it on the various online watch forums, unprecedented scrutiny has been paid to the original Bond strap. So-called “Real Bond” straps, marketed to satisfy collectors, have entered the marketplace to more closely copy the look of the “Reel Bond” strap. These more accurate reproductions are much more faithful to the original strap worn by Connery.
Buying a ‘Reel Bond Strap’ Today
Several companies now offer excellent examples of the breed. Here are a few tips for selecting one. A true NATO G10 strap has an extra piece of nylon to “anchor” the watch in place, and extra metal hardware to go along with it. The simple Bond strap worn by Connery had none of that. It was just a one-piece strap with one cloth keeper and one metal buckle, a style sometimes referred to as the RAF (Royal Air Force) style strap. Now, strictly speaking, a true RAF style strap has a metal keeper and the Connery strap’s keeper was cloth. So, to be a truly authentic reproduction your Bond strap should have a cloth keeper made of the same striped material as the rest of the strap.
Of the many “Real Bond” straps available today, one of the best is sold by Jim Seal, who is based in the UK. When Jim first commissioned his straps from a UK manufacturer he specified they have cloth instead of metal keepers. He was probably the first “Real Bond” strap vendor to do this. He also took pains to find a more vintage style metal buckle for the strap, and to offer it in brushed as well as polished form to suit different watches. Jim’s earliest straps of a few years ago were nice and the only ones to have an authentic cloth keeper, but the red pinstripes were a little ‘off’ in color. They looked more like a brilliant orange in those days. The latest version gets the red pinstripes just right and even features sewn construction as opposed to heat welded (that didn’t come along until the 1970s) for a nice extra touch of 60s authenticity.
They’re available from Jim’s eBay store, where his name is aliasmarlow.
http://www.ebay.com/usr/aliasmarlow?_trksid=p2047675.l2559