The Best Watch Straps for Sports Activities
Staying active is a core component of leading a healthy, happy lifestyle. However, in many cases, it’s easy to find yourself feeling a little stumped about the type of equipment you’ll need. So here at The Thrifty Gentleman, where we sell a lot of straps to people who wear them for sport, here's what actually matters when you choose one.
From the choice of materials and comfort to considerations over durability and water resistance, and how all of these factors impact your performance, we’ll be going over the different options to help you pick out your perfect watch straps for sports use.
Before we go into much more detail in this article, lets take look at our first thoughts towards the important question raised today:
What is the Best Watch Strap for Sports?
The best watch strap for sports depends on durability, comfort, and water resistance. Silicone and rubber watch straps are ideal due to their sweat-proof, waterproof, and flexible nature, making them perfect for running, gym workouts, and swimming. NATO and fabric straps offer a lightweight and breathable alternative, great for outdoor activities like hiking and cycling. If style is a priority, FKM rubber and perforated silicone straps provide both aesthetics and functionality. Choose a secure-fitting, quick-drying, and durable strap for optimal performance during any sport.
Read on as we look into this question in more depth and provide a little more detail to help you find the perfect watch strap for your sporting activity.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Sports Watch Strap
When it comes to your sports gear, it’s easy to focus on items such as your choice of trainers and the type of clothing you wear. However, having a strong and durable watch strap is also hugely important, and there are several key factors to consider as part of this to choose a sports strap that works for your needs.
One of the most important factors to think about here is durability. Indeed, sports watch straps have to go through a great deal of rigorous wear and tear, needing to be able to withstand sweat, heavy use, and potentially even rough conditions. As such, finding materials that offer high resilience and durability is incredibly important. And, along a similar line of thought, if you’re taking part in water sports or activities, water resistance is also a must.
Another crucial consideration is comfort and flexibility. Indeed, given the highly active nature of sports watch straps, choosing a design that won’t cause chafing or irritation is naturally paramount. In addition, you’ll want to look for a strap material and design that’s lightweight and breathable, which helps prevent discomfort during extended wear.
Similarly, a more secure fit is also incredibly important, as this helps prevent your watch from slipping or shifting during use; adjustable straps are naturally important for this goal as they allow you to achieve a snug fit.
That sounds like a lot to weigh up, but in practice it comes down to one question: will this strap get wet or sweaty? If yes, choose rubber or silicone. If not, you've got a lot more choice, and we’ve summarised several further pointers as follows to help.
Best Materials for Sports Watch Straps
By now, we’ve mentioned some of the different considerations when it comes to sports watch straps, but that alone doesn’t necessarily help narrow the choice down. As such, knowing about the best materials for sports watch straps can potentially help, and some of the most popular include the following.
Rubber and Silicone Watch Straps
First of all, rubber and silicone watch straps are often among the best choices for many people. Indeed, these are among the best sports watch strap materials thanks to being comfortable, flexible, and able to cope with rapid wrist movements, which helps prevent discomfort; moreover, they are also highly durable, waterproof, and sweat-resistant - all critical features of the best watch straps.
This makes silicone and rubber watch straps perfect for most activities, including running, swimming, diving, and gym workouts.
Perhaps the only main drawbacks are that they may attract dust and lint and, in some extreme heat conditions, they may feel a little sticky.
With this in mind, some key sports watch band recommendations for silicone and rubber straps can include:
- FKM Rubber Straps
- Textured Silicone Straps (waffle and tyre-tread patterns grip without pinching)
- Heavy-duty Silicone Dive Straps
NATO & Fabric Straps
Rubber and silicone watch straps are often among the most popular for sports use, but NATO and fabric watch straps can also offer excellent solutions. Notably, these materials are very lightweight and quick-drying, making them great for outdoor sports, while the strong woven nylon fabric used for NATO straps is capable of offering exceptional durability. Moreover, their adjustable nature also allows for a snug, secure fit.
Of course, while NATO and fabric straps are generally quick-drying, it’s worth pointing out that this does highlight a significant issue: these straps aren’t waterproof, which means that they’ll absorb both sweat and water. Plus, fabric straps may be more prone to fraying over time.
Metal Bracelets
If you’re looking for a stylish watch strap that can also be used for sports, metal bracelets might be ideal. These excellent watch straps can potentially be good choices for their durable design and classy look, while many modern options are also relatively resistant to scratches and daily wear and tear.
However, metal bracelets are somewhat less practical for regular or intense sports applications due to their heavier and less comfortable design. Don’t forget that chlorine may also cause corrosion, so metal bracelets shouldn’t be used for water sports.
The Best Watch Straps for Different Sports Activities
By now, we’ve given a brief summary of the different types of watch strap materials out there - however, not every type of strap will work for every sport. Given this, depending on the type of sport you’re partaking in, you may want to choose different sports watch strap materials.
For running and gym workouts, perforated FKM rubber or silicone watch straps will often be ideal, most notably because these provide breathability, a secure fit, and don’t absorb sweat.
For swimming and diving, waterproof silicone, FKM rubber, or heavy-duty silicone dive straps will often work best thanks to their resistance to chlorine, saltwater, and other such extreme conditions. Notably, you should also avoid any straps that absorb water or are prone to damage for this purpose.
Meanwhile, cycling and outdoor adventure sports need a strap that’s focused on durability and comfort. NATO, ballistic nylon, and rubber straps are excellent choices in this regard. Along a similar line of thought, hiking and climbing sports do best with ballistic nylon NATO straps thanks to being quick-drying, durable, and capable of withstanding a great deal of wear and tear.
Finally, what about team or competitive sports? Since team or competitive sports are often high-impact and fast-paced, you’ll want a strap that’s able to fit comfortably on your wrist even with rapid movements; a material such as FKM rubber or perforated silicone can potentially be an excellent option to this end.
Quick Picks By Sport
| Sport | What we'd choose | From |
| Running | Universal Soft Silicone Sports strap. It's light, fits 12-22mm and doesn't hold sweat. Step up to Honeycomb FKM rubber if you run most days. | £11.99 |
| Gym | Universal Silicone strap with a stainless steel buckle. Rinse it after each session. | £11.99 |
| Swimming | Divers Heavy Duty Silicone, the thickest and most secure strap we sell for water. | £12.99 |
| Cycling | NATO G10 strap. It passes under both spring bars, so if one ever fails, the watch stays on your wrist. | £11.99 |
| Hiking and climbing | NATO or two-piece military nylon. Light, tough and quick to dry. | £11.99 |
| Apple watch workouts | A silicone sport band from our Apple Watch sports straps. | £14.39 |
If you wear an Apple Watch in the pool, our guide to Apple Watch straps for swimming goes into more detail.
Getting the Size Right for Sport
The question we're asked most about sports straps isn't which material to choose. It's "will this fit my watch?" Here's how to check:
Measure the lug width, the gap between the two lugs where the strap attaches, in millimetres. Most men's sports and dive watches are 20mm or 22mm, so start with our 20mm watch straps or 22mm watch straps (although make sure you measure your watch too be certain). If you're not sure, email us the watch model and we'll be sure to help.
Go for quick release if you'll swap often. Quick-release spring bars have a little lever, so you can change from your gym strap to your work strap in under a minute, with no tools. Several of our silicone straps come with them.
Wear it snug, not tight. For sport, the strap should stop the watch sliding around when you move but still let a finger slip underneath. If your watch reads your heart rate from your wrist, wear it a finger's width above the wrist bone and a notch tighter while you train, then loosen it afterwards.
Why We'd Have Two Straps, Not One
Here's the honest bit most sports-strap guides leave out: the best strap for the gym is rarely the best strap for the rest of your day. A silicone strap that's perfect for a sweaty session looks out of place with a shirt, and a leather strap that's perfect with a shirt is ruined by one run.
So instead of looking for a single strap that does everything, have two: a sports strap that lives in your gym bag and an everyday one for the rest of the time. With quick-release bars, swapping takes seconds. It's the same idea behind everything we sell: one watch, more than one strap. It's also why so many of our customers come back for another. Buy two at once and you'll get 10% off both. Buy three and you get 15% off. Buy 4 or more and that discount increases to 20%.
How to Maintain Your Sports Watch Strap
Whichever strap you choose, a little care makes it last much longer: make sure you rinse your watch straps off to remove sweat and salt, and after cleaning, always ensure the straps dry fully.
In addition, keep in mind that even the most durable sports watch straps will still get worn over time; as such, if your straps begin to lose elasticity or show signs of wear, it may be time to consider replacing them.
Final Verdict: The Best Watch Strap for Your Sports Activities
Overall, it’s safe to say that rubber and silicone watch straps typically make the best types of sporting straps, simply due to their durability and lightweight feel. However, there are other materials that might still lend themselves well, such as NATO straps for a lightweight fabric option.
In the end, this choice comes down to your own personal preferences and sport-specific needs; for example, if you’re doing water sports, water-resistant sports straps are a must. But, in any case, today’s sports watch band recommendations should help you find the perfect strap.
However, not all watch straps are created equal, and there can be a huge amount of variability in terms of quality and durability when it comes to watch straps. Fortunately, this shouldn’t prevent you from finding the perfect straps - so if you're not sure what will fit, email us here at The Thrifty Gentleman with your watch model and we'll point you to the right one. Sports straps start at £11.99, every order ships free in the UK, and you've got 60 days to send it back if it isn't quite right.
Sports Watch Strap FAQs
What is the best watch strap for sports?
Silicone or rubber for anything sweaty or wet: running, the gym, swimming. A NATO strap for cycling, hiking and outdoor sports, where light weight and security matter more than waterproofing.
Is FKM rubber better than silicone for sport?
FKM is denser and tougher, and copes better with heat, sun cream and daily wear, but it costs more (ours start at £29.99). Silicone is softer, lighter and cheaper (from £11.99). For a few sessions a week, silicone is plenty. For daily training or diving, FKM earns its price.
Are NATO straps good for the gym?
They're secure and comfortable, but nylon soaks up sweat, so you'll want to wash it regularly. If you train hard, silicone is easier to live with.
Can I wear a leather strap for sport?
We wouldn't. Sweat and water stain, stiffen and eventually crack leather. Keep it for the office and swap to a sports strap for training.
What size sports strap do I need?
The same as your watch's lug width, usually 20mm or 22mm on a sports watch. Measure between the lugs, or email us your watch model and we'll check for you.