Matt P. wrote:
Hi. I was given by my dad a 1953 Omega Military watch but trying to find an original Omega Nato strap is near impossible!! Can you help at all please? Matt
Omega '53 "Fat Arrow" CK 2777. Photo: Classicwatch.com
Well, Matt, congratulations on getting such a great watch with family provencance, but it’s not really near impossible to “original Omega Nato strap” for a CK 2777 Omega ’53. In fact, it’s completely impossible. You’re not going to find one because
- The Omega ’53 watches were delivered to the Ministry of Defence without straps or bracelets, so picking the “official” strap from Omega is essentially impossible.
- Omega has never made any G10/”NATO” type straps anyway, for the CK 2777 or any other model
- The Omega ’53 also predates the G10/NATO design by a few years, so such a design could not have been used at least in the beginning.
If I remember correctly, it’s generally believed that the issue straps for these were likely Bonklip “ladder” type steel bracelets, just as they were for the IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre Mk. XI that preceded them in the flight navigation role.
I hope this answers your question, and I’d suggest you ask at the Military Watch Resource for more and better info. There are a number of experts there who can likely provide better insight. And as much as I admire them, I have yet to acquire an Omega ’53 so my advice should probably be considered inexpert at best.
I think I agree there, that the most common bracelet would have been the Bonklip.
I’ve always thought these look a little weird since they’re quite narrow for this particular watch, so it looks better with the G10/Nato.