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Steve Laughlin 3T WIS 
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Here is my Sea Devil on an "Italian Rubber" NBR Strap. This is a genuine vulcanized (NBR) rubber strap that is not made from Silicone and does not attract lint and dirt. It is ridgid when it is new, but it does break in over time and becomes very soft and flexible. I submerged mine in near boiling water to accelerate the break in and give it more curve. As far as rubber goes, NBR is the best. I wrote a long post a while back on another forum discussing the difference between Silicone, NBR, Natural Rubber, and Seiko's Urethane plastic straps, It is educational for those confused about rubber and I even got feedback from Bill Yao of MKII Watches on that post, but his comments have recently been removed... I think he was giving too many secrets away. I will post my research below the photos for anyone interested in what rubber straps are made of... Thanks, Steve also the buckle is an upgrade, screw in 22mm from waccex in Germany. Very nice buckle that fits perfectly with the strap.   --RUBBER STRAPS RESEARCHED-- ok, I like you, are obsessive. I want a good rubber strap and will pay good money for one, but this is what I have discovered. 1. I don't like Silicone, it is sticky and picks up lint and dust... literally sucks it out of the air. It is sticky on the wrist and not very comfortable in my opinion. 2. I have a so-called Natural rubber strap from Marathon, and it does not pick up lint, and it is very comfortable. but try finding another manufacture that makes natural rubber!!! I found 1, MKII has natural rubber in 20mm and 22mm, great! but what about 24mm! no one. 3. I found this so-called Italian Rubber? which some sites call natural rubber, and some sites call Silicone. The price ranges from $10.00 - $30.00 and I don't trust that this is Natural Rubber, I believe it is Silicone with a marketing spin. I ordered a "Italian Rubber" from one site and got it last week and it is indeed Silicone, it looks good when you open it, but within seconds it is grey with lint and dust. unacceptable for me. 4. last night I found something called NBR Rubber / "Italian Rubber". This sounds more legitimate because they are not claiming natural rubber, and they say it is the best rubber available for straps and it is around $30.00, so I ordered it and am hoping this is what I am looking for. I looked up NBR... Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) is a family of unsaturated copolymers of 2-propenenitrile and various butadiene monomers (1,2-butadiene and 1,3-butadiene). There is no Silicone in the ingredient, but it is not called "Natural Rubber", which makes me wonder a few things... A. Are the straps people claiming as "natural rubber" actually NBR Rubber? B. Why aren't more manufactures using NBR instead of Silicone? if NBR is actually the best rubber available for straps (there is only 1 style I have found online for an NBR Rubber strap) C. Should I get into the rubber business and manufacture my own dive straps to solve what I consider to be problems? I will have my NBR Strap in a week or so and be selling of my Silicone straps at a very cheap price. I would like any insight into this if you have any. And I would really like to know where Bill Yao gets his "Natural Rubber" Straps from Switzerland. I wonder if they make a 24mm? Bill? Steve Laughlin Kansas USA Bill's reply was basically that I was right, NBR is the best, it is also called "Vulcanized Rubber" and all rubber is treated or created some how, there is nothing "Natural" as far as pure rubber from the tree or anything. Also he would not tell me where he gets his awesome straps made... somewhere in Switzerland is all I know. ***also- don't be confused! this same strap mold is also made in Silicone and sold at a cheaper price. there is a way to tell the difference. The NBR strap has 1 strap keeper, the silicone version comes with 2 keepers. both are advertised as "Italian Rubber" on some websites, but only the NBR is Italian made, the silicone I believe is from China. Last edited on Thu Mar 26th, 2009 11:24 am by Steve Laughlin |
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Tony Duronio 3T WIS 
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Steve...maybe post up a link to their sitehand6.gif |
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Skipdawg 3T WIS 
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Nice looking combo Steve and looks cumfy. ;) hand6.gifhand6.gif |
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Steve Laughlin 3T WIS
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Watch Prince has them... http://www.thewatchprince.com/watch-band?search=md+italian+rubber Last edited on Thu Mar 26th, 2009 11:29 am by Steve Laughlin |
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oagaspar Site Founder 
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Awesome research Steve...TY  ...the Devil looks great on the NBR and is cool that the supplier is a 3T friend as well hand6.gif |
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Skipdawg 3T WIS
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I was thinking Doug had them but had not looked to verify yet. So very cool. Just bought some replacement tools from his this week. ;) |
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Paladin 3T WIS 
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Thanks for the post Steve. I've gone ahead and ordered one of these bands, gonna give it a shot. "I have had all the silicone I can stands and I can't stands no more!"  Bill Last edited on Thu Mar 26th, 2009 08:29 pm by Paladin |
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Steve Laughlin 3T WIS
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haha, awesome! I am glad my frustration is helping others with their frustrations. I still think I should invest some money in producing my own NBR Straps and sell them to everyone else frustrated with Silicone. The other frustrating thing is there is not enough NBR Straps out there, I like this one pictured above, it is simple and sturdy and has good design lines, but it is really one of the only options out there. Hirsch makes a nice one, but it is close to $100 |
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Paxman 3T WIS 
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Great info, Steve. I've got one on my Vixa and it is primo. You'll see in the beach picture here almost no sand sticks to it. Great straps and this reminds me a need a cache of them! Thanks for the great info! |
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pallet spoon Guest
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I agree with you on every point. I hate silicone and have for a very long while. I have 2 Hirsch Extreme straps that are natural rubber refered to as "caoutchouc" in EU I believe. They are pricey, but worth every penny ... also available in 24mm. Last edited on Sun Mar 29th, 2009 08:19 pm by |
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StrapR 3T WIS
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Do they make one that will fir a 8 3/8" wrist???????????watch2.gif |
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Nabco 3T WIS 
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Great info Steve...I'm with you on the silicone straps, I'm going to have to order me up a couple of these. One question though...did it hurt when you stuck your arm in the "near boiling" water to accelerate the break-in  |
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teddyhanna Guest
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Steve I like it......hand6.gif |
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smith1792 3T WIS 
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Also Chris (a.k.a. Darkman) from Bali Ha'i has these too. Very comfortable. Stu |
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bigrustypig 3T WIS 
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Great info and review from Steve. I benefited a lot and will check out watchprince to get me a few. Just an input...... the thickness of the keepers should at least be equal to or greater than the strap's thickness because if they aren't, the keepers go kaput way, way ahead of the strap. This keeper "breakdown" problem is from desk work by desk divers like me using laptops on table surfaces, aside from the rigors of daily activities. This was my experience with the main keeper of my PAM Sub. Buying a new strap just to get a keeper was absurd so I had to use a leather strap. With Steve's great input, I know where to go now. Thanks Stevehand6.gif Learning from this, whenever I buy a leather strap, I always ask for an extra leather keeper. I also noticed the grade of the keeper is generally lower than that of the strap. |
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smith1792 3T WIS
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StrapR wrote: Do they make one that will fir a 8 3/8" wrist???????????watch2.gif They should fit you fine. I have two (2) on other watches and my wrist is 8.25 inches. Trying to find one with orange stitching and a deployment buckle/clasp for my SD. Stu |
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Steve Laughlin 3T WIS
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bigrustypig wrote:Great info and review from Steve. I benefited a lot and will check out watchprince to get me a few. I am learning this to be true with this strap. the strap breaks in nicely, but it is a little bit long for my wrist. and the one keeper it comes with is not enough, and it is too small. I think for this strap a stainless steel keeper would be the best, but impossible to find, it would need to be custom made. Last edited on Sun Aug 2nd, 2009 11:54 am by Steve Laughlin |
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Bazza 3T WIS 
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I too have been on the search for the perfect rubber. My Debaufre Triton came fitted with the NBR Rubber strap that Steve was referring to. It smells like vanilla and has been very comfortable and durable. Another good quality strap that I have found is the Hirsch Pure which is "caoutchouc" rubber and is very comfortable. It is about $50 which is a bit more expensive but it is also very nice. The main difference between this strap and Steve's fromt he beginning of the post is the thickness of the straps, as the Hirsch is a bit thinner. |
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