The rubber strap for high-end watches
The
rubber watch strap is especially suited to sporty, even sporty chic models. And it's not just a matter of style: its strength and flexibility allow for use in extreme conditions, underwater, on land and in the air. Diving watches, pilot watches and aviator watches are, for this reason, often equipped with silicone or natural rubber straps.
One might think the
rubber strap less prestigious than a
leather strap, steel or gold. This would be forgetting that some of the most renowned Houses equip some models with it, including the iconic Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet, Marine by Breguet, TAG Heuer Carrera, and indeed many others.
Rubber has another advantage: it allows everything. From the sleek design of a smooth, black strap to a
silicone strap with flashy or even outright multicolored colors, the choice is almost endless. Provided, of course, that you match the strap to your watch. When TAG Heuer presents a limited "Manchester United" version of its Carrera, the charcoal gray dial responds to a red
perforated rubber strap, obviously in the colors of the legendary club.
For women - and men - who bet on the elegance of their style, the full white can be easily imposed. The
Rolex Air-King watch, for example, is perfect for hosting a white rubber strap in its silver case/white dial version.
High-tech watch bands
While the major
watch brands develop the original straps for their watches themselves, other companies specialize in these high-end accessories and design straps. Although there are universal straps, each model is made for a specific brand, Rolex, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Tudor, IWC...
This is the case, for example, of the Swiss company
Rubber B, a reference in the sector. On its own, it demonstrates the possibilities offered by the rubber strap, with, among others, Couture series (especially for the Rolex Daytona) using high-tech Gore Tenara® and Hydra-Turf® threads, Goldmatic, where 18-carat rose gold is molecularly fused with rubber, and Tuxedo Velour with its velvet texture incorporated into the design.
Another specificity of the rubber bracelet is thus
innovation, with luxury models that are ever more resistant, ever more stylish, ever more comfortable. Rubber B, still it, has thus developed the patented SwimSkin® technology in 100% vulcanized pure rubber for bracelets that are not only fully waterproof but resemble kevlar here and real leather there. One of its latest creations is actually developed for the
Rolex Submariner watch: SwimSkin Alligator perfectly mimics, right down to the feel, alligator skin while offering, the brand says, "the strongest and most durable strap."
Other companies have entered this
high-tech wristband market, offering countless models. The result of years of research and development, they feature polymorphic capabilities (to mimic other materials) and have undergone the most extensive testing in terms of torsion, tensile strength, UV resistance and hypoallergenic testing.