Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Yet another strap entry


This is my latest acquisition and I am very happy with it. This is the Marathon rubber or Caoutchouc strap. I initially had some reservations about the strap as I bought this off the Internet and based on pictures and the fine Marathon name. Boy was I surprised when I received the strap. Marathon is a Canadian company that produces watches that are issued to the military and other government services that require reliable watches for their operations.


The strap is 20 mm at the lug attachment point. It tapers down to 18 mm and the tip is pointed. The strap measures 78 mm on the buckle side and 115 mm on the other side. It is 4 mm thick at the lug and tapers down to 1 mm at the tip. However on the buckle side, it measures 4 mm at the lug and tapers down to 1.5 mm before it expand to a bulb for the buckle attachment. The bulb itself is 3.5 mm in diameter.

Overall the strap is smooth to the touch and I like that. It is soft and comfortable to wear. It is finished matte black. The inside is scooped out to provide some venting. It does not pick up lint and dust as easy as the Tropic that I have. I suspect that is due to the material used to manufacture the strap. The strap does not have the vanilla smell that the Tropic has as well. The strap is Swiss made and is made from real rubber (caoutchouc veritable) and these are clearly marked on the strap.



The buckle is well made and I suspect it is made from 316L stainless steel. There are no markings to indicate the material of the buckle. The buckle is signed 'MARATHON' and I like the font that Marathon use. It is fun and makes the buckle looks great. The signature looks like it is silk printed on and I suspect it may not last. The buckle has a brushed finish and the brushing is very well carried out.


The strap comes with 2 strap keeper and they are thin. I would have preferred if it was a tad wider.


The strap on the Omega SMP. Looks good. The Tropic has been fitted on the Revue Thommen. Not the best choice as the Revue is a pilot watch and the Tropic is basically a divers strap.


Overall, I like this strap. It is comfortable when worn and you can see the quality in the strap.

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