The James Bond 007 Strap (Mafia Strap)

The trend of NATO Watch straps
The NATO straps were an essential part of the British military uniform during the Cold War. The grey coloured, nylon straps became extremely popular amongst the common population towards the end of the war.

007 and the ‘Bond NATO’

The debate about whether Sean Connery’s watch strap in the early Bond movies was a NATO, and its colour. After numerous threads and years of speculation, the argument seems to have finally been resolved with the release of high definition blue ray videos of Goldfinger and Thunderball.

Bond’s 1960s strap was not a NATO

For decades, it was generally believed that Bond’s big-crown Rolex Submariner 6538 was on a NATO band with black and grey regimental stripes. The black with two grey stripes subsequently became known as the ‘Bond NATO’ among watch enthusiasts and 007 fans. Despite the films being made about 9 years before the publication of DEF STAN 66-15 (so the strap couldn’t have been a NATO). As we can see the strap consist of only 1 metal buckle,1 cloth and a strap which closely resembles a RAF style strap hence it was definitely not a Nato strap.

Analysis of close-ups in Goldfinger

Close analysis of the watch and strap during several close-ups in Goldfinger is revealing. Even before film restoration, it’s clear that Bond’s strap is less than 20 mm wide. Estimates put it at a spring-bar-revealing 16 mm due to lack of a suitably wide over-and-under cloth strap for the Sub’s 20 mm lugs. Suggestion that the strap was a hurriedly-purchased 16 mm nylon – especially given that 16 mm straps were common in the early 1960s.

We can now see that the strap actually our famous vintage-bond color

Now, the Daniel Craig in Spectre. Not only is Bond’s watch now an Omega, but it’s on an updated NATO-style strap. Again, because it’s striped, this strap is clearly inspired by the original NATO spec rather than being a genuine military strap.

Our Mafia Strap

Now, if you want a vintage style strap, you can always take a look at our Mafia line, it is closely inspired by the bond movie. Having a wider stripe surface area which most strap retailers don’t offer. This clearly mimics the Bond strap in the past. Perfect for any watch, modern or vintage.

If you wan a more Genuine one, we have it too.

Not just the bond

We also have a wide selection of colors in our Mafia line.

If you want something more luxurious, you can try our Vintage Bond Strap from our LuxNato collection. Click here