Watchstrap NATO crocodile 20mm Blue GMT

Blue and red: the Pepsi bezel, on the wrist

The crocodile is blue, the stitching is red. On a Rolex GMT Pepsi, those are exactly the two bezel colours. This is not a convenient coincidence: the strap was composed for it. The wrist reads as one piece.

Genuine crocodile, not embossed calf

The market is saturated with calf stamped to look like croco. The difference is visible to the naked eye once you know where to look. On a genuine hide the scales never repeat identically: their size tapers gradually along the strap, and the relief stays irregular. Embossed leather loops its pattern — follow the strap and you will watch it come back.

With time, a genuine hide patinas and the scales gain depth, where embossed calf simply flattens.

Why a leather NATO strap is hard to make

Nylon is just over a millimetre. Leather, lined, should be double that — and would no longer pass under the case. Our artisans hold under 2mm with two thicknesses of leather, one a hypoallergenic lining. No lug-to-case clearance causes difficulty.

Arezzo leather, by hand

Tuscany has worked leather for centuries, and Arezzo is one of its centres. Our NATOSCAN straps are hand-assembled there, exclusively for La Boîte à Montres. Every piece leaves a workshop, not a production line.

Tool-free fitting

The strap travels under the caseback and wraps fully around the wrist — the NATO principle, transposed to leather. Nothing to dismantle, nothing to force. Both spring bars carry the watch: one lets go, the other holds. Stainless tongue and keepers.

Fitting on video — removing a Rolex bracelet

The video shows a nylon NATO strap, but the movement is exactly the same: the strap passes under the case, the spring bars stay put, no tools are needed. Leather fits precisely this way.

Not for diving

Better written here than left for you to discover. This strap is not waterproof and never will be: it is leather. If your watch goes in the water, you need a nylon NATO strap alongside. Many of our customers own both and switch by season.

Fits 20mm lug width

Tudor Black Bay 54, Tudor Ranger, Seiko SPB143, Seiko Sumo, Seiko Alpinist. Measure the gap between your lugs, not the case diameter.

The range has variations: see the black and red NATOSCAN and the black NATOSCAN. Everything is here: Arezzo leather straps 20mm.

Find the essentials in our guide to picking a strap. Made famous by 007 — see the origins of James Bond's NATO strap.