Put my Daytona on a NATO strap, it’s cool

[screwbird]

TLDR: I put my Daytona on a NATO. There’s pictures.


Earlier this summer I had my eyes open for my first Rolex, and was fortunate enough to come by a stellar 116520. I was originally looking for a 16570, I like all the brushed finishes and the gmt function, but the fates presented me with a shiny distraction that I couldn’t refuse.



I have to admit, I “get it” now. Plenty has been written about they Daytona, so I’m not going to add anything revolutionary, and the secondary markets certainly support (arguably inflate) its popularity, but now I understand. It’s a great watch! Very cool! Way to go!

I don’t mind the PCLs so much in regards to wear and scratch accumulation. The watch is meant to be worn, etc. and certainly there’s already an unpolished example in Rolex’s vault to be kept for posterity. So it’s not up to me to preserve history

However, sometimes the PCLs feel like a bit too much flash. But you can’t put the Tony on just *anything. I can be very particular about these sorts of things, so I started looking at NATO straps, and Phenomenato kept coming up as a quality option. But I was hard pressed to find any photos of Daytonas with one fitted.

A very small risk to take, but very happy with the result. Honestly surprised there aren’t more of these out there on Daytonas. The straps are high quality materials with great look and feel, and the hardware is nice (my biggest sticking point w most aftermarket options).

Also, a little extra height from the straps underneath the case make for MUCH easier operation of the pushers (unscrewing/screwing) For the price I can’t imagine beating it. I haven’t come across a nicer NATO strap outside of an OMEGA boutique.



Take a look! What does the internet think about why there aren’t more Daytonas on NATO straps? I think it dresses down nicely while still maintaining the elevated feel of a luxury watch, and frankly puts it under the radar a bit. I really like how it makes the lugs look as well. The separation from the bracelet highlights the curve a bit more and looks really nice. Unexpected! Neat!

I set out to make my Rolex a little more low key, now here’s my thread on the internet telling everyone to LOOK AT IT.