MoT's WDF

Most here know Vario for their vintage-inspired trench watch - I have one of those on the way for review as well. But today I have 4 Vario watch straps in for review. Vario offers a surprising variety of different straps, including tweed, leather, silicone and three types of nylon natos. Here are the 4 I have in for review:



I will post each as their own mini-review to this thread. First up is the Oiled Leather Cinnamon Brown Watch Strap for Casio AE1200WH World Time Watch:







This one is a 9 out of 10. The leather is high quality and the band is thick yet soft. The stitching and finishing is top quality. The fit to the AE1200 is precise and perfect. The buckle is a bit thicker than the typical cheap chinese ones in this shape, and it is etched with the Vario name and drilled for easy removal of the spring pin.

Specifications: 18mm lug width and 24mm strap width tapering to 20mm buckle width, approx 4.9"/125mm long portion, 2.9"/76mm short portion and 4mm thick

The strap wears very comfortably (using the fourth hole for my 7.5” wrist). The keeper securely holds the loose end. The leather smells great and if early indications hold, it will wear / patina well.

For €24 this band is a steal. If you have an AE1200 and want to change from the factory cheap bracelet, this is the band for you.

A great match for the watch! Thanks for the review, [mention]watchpalooza[/mention]!

Adding to the above review….

The calf leather strap
This is one very soft strap, not rigid at all. It is very comfortable to wear and has a lovely curved taper. The blue color is rich and vibrant with a slight lavender hue and a speckled pattern that adds some depth. The holes are evenly aligned and with smooth edges. Stitching is even and without defect. Also to note it comes equipped with quick-release spring pins and a stitched (not glued) keeper. The quality is evident, yet it is a fairly thin strap. The buckle is signed and of fair quality - they could have done more here to upgrade from the standard plain boxed buckle to something a bit more distinguished, but this is personal taste.






Here also a video showing the variety of available colors, and demonstrating the softness of these straps. I would again say this is a quality watch band, its thinness making it suitable for lighter or vintage watches without much headroom on the lugs.

Next up is the Vario “Soft Silicone” strap. The strap is well-made and comes with a signed buckle. It is very comfortable to wear, breathable, and I believe in the upper quadrant for quality as far as silicone straps go.

This strap is literally 100% the same as silicone bands from Amazon and Ali Express that I own and purchased for a lower price…exactly. The same silicone, same holes, stitching, even the buckle is the same (minus the Vario logo). I wish they would have at least replaced the buckle with a nicer one. So while this is a quality silicone strap, it is far from being a value relative to other available options as there simply is nothing to differentiate it from the competition.

The Cordura Nylon nato strap is quite a different story. This is one helluva strap! It is thicker (2mm), more durable and better made than all of my previous zulus or natos. It is made from 1000 denier coated nylon fabric and lined with cotton, and the superior feel and quality is very noticeable. When it arrived, it was pretty stiff, but was quick to soften with a bit of rolling in the hand. The stitching is straight and consistent, and each of the keeper rings is individually stitched in place. The holes are each riveted to prevent wear - a feature I appreciate as this is where many of my natos and zulus have started the show wear. The hardware on mine is a dull gold tone with a vintage vibe, the rings and buckle are thick and have a “heavy duty” feel. The buckle is signed, though fairly hard to see.

The length of these (26.75cm) also makes them suitable for larger wrists - for me the second to lowest hole works, and there are 10 holes.

These come also with polished chrome hardware, though at the moment there is not a brushed option.

I definitely recommend these to anyone looking for a quality pass-through / nato.