After a rather long hiatus, Watch Strap Review came back in June with a very cool strap. As you might have read in the article; it was a strap that GLC Straps produced using original leather from a Mercedes 190 SL. Some of you asked me where could they find the exact same leather Mercedes used in the 50’s? To clear up any misunderstandings, they peeled off the leather of the actual seats of a car that was being restored in a garage. The restoration included new interior and the old (original) red leather seat became surplus. This is what GLC Straps saved and turned into a limited run of beautiful straps. Today we have another unique strap for your consideration. Though I have to say it is mostly for the Speedy fans, I hope many of you will enjoy reading the piece about the white NASA watchband by Kizzi Precision Flightgear.
Kizzi Precision Flightgear
Our loyal WSR readers might remember that 3 years ago we published a special article under the title; “Authentic” Nasa Velcro strap – Speedy Tuesday Meets Strap Review. To date, that was one of the most extraordinary strap projects I have come across. To sum it up, Phil (or Kizzi as forums members know him) was using original blueprints and period correct material to recreate the famous olive-green NASA strap that astronauts used since the Apollo mission. A lot has changed since 2015, as you would imagine. To start with, Phil created an online shop. Before, you would have to mail him to order a strap, now you can simply visit his shop, Kizzi Precision Flightgear, and order those Velcro(r) watchbands. Aside from the e-commerce, he also wrote a few interesting articles detailing various different Nasa Velcro(r) straps and their features.
White NASA watchband by Kizzi
We learned during our first encounter with Phil aka Kizzi that he is a perfectionist. When the idea sparkled in his head to create this strap (or the previous ones for that matter) he wouldn’t take just any material for the project. He went for fabrics that are either period correct or as close to those as possible. Searching for the right material is a slow process in itself, especially if a few decades have passed since the last time those materials were in use. This is time-consuming work and Phil is a one-man show. Keep in mind that it took him over 4 years to develop this strap. Phil used the original plans and measurements – down to the millimetre – to create the white NASA watchband that looks and feel as it came straight from NASA’s storage. The result is more than convincing.
Strap Story
Kizzi offers two different versions of the white NASA watchbands. The one I reviewed is the Beta Cloth Style (P/N SEB12100030-205). According to Phil “It’s a rarely seen watchband only produced by NASA during the development stages of the Block II Apollo CSM. Though never flown in orbit, they were the current issue during manned Thermal Vacuum testing ” in case you are a true space geek and you need a strap that actually flew you need to look at the second type. It is also a white NASA watchband but has keepers and D-ring (P/N SEB12100030-208). Again to sum up the history of this strap style: “While never landing on the moon, white NASA watchbands were flown on Apollo missions 7 and 8, and used in preparation for Apollo missions 9, 10, 11, and 12. ”. Regardless of your choice, your watch’s level of awesomeness will be elevated tenfold.
Where to get it?
You can find all three types of straps he created categorized by long watchbands, short watchbands and white watchbands on his site. By clicking on the strap, you wish to purchase, you can find a small history of said strap as well as its measurements. I have a rather large wrist at 7.5” and the strap fits me perfectly. The material is sturdy but not itchy at all, a great summer strap. It can also spice up your timepiece for a GTG or a visit to the local Omega Boutique. Please note that in my photos the watch is on the strap “upside down”. It is not a mistake if I wore it like you can see in Kizzi’s photos it bothers my wrist. Not the strap’s fault, just my preference. Kizzi Precision Flightgear is asking €67.94 with your choice of shipping as an extra. You can order your NASA watchband here.
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