The Spinnaker sailcloth rubber watch strap for 18 to 22 mm lugs

Sailcloth on a rubber base

The Spinnaker is built in two layers. On top is woven nylon sailcloth, a tight crosshatch weave like the cloth on a sailboat. Underneath is a black rubber base. It forms the textured underside that rests on your wrist and shows as a thin black edge around the cloth. The keepers are sailcloth in the band's color, and a silver-tone pin buckle closes it.

The cloth gives the band its color and its relaxed, sporty look; the rubber takes the wear against your skin. Rubber doesn't soak up sweat or water the way leather or a cloth lining does, so the Spinnaker stays comfortable on a hot day and after a swim.

There are seven solid colors, with the black edge as the only contrast:

• Black, Navy and Gray for everyday wear and steel sports watches.
• Olive for field and pilot watches.
• Red, Orange and Yellow for dive watches and summer, where a bright band is part of the look.

It suits dive watches, chronographs and field watches with standard straight lugs, and it works well as a second band for a watch that usually wears a bracelet. It doesn't fit watches with an integrated bracelet or smartwatches with their own connector. Not sure whether sailcloth, rubber or leather suits your watch best? Our guide on which watch strap to choose compares them.

Five widths, including 19 and 21 mm

The Spinnaker comes in 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 mm. Besides the common even sizes, that covers 19 and 21 mm, two odd widths that fewer bands come in. A watch with 21 mm lugs, like the Orient Bambino, needs a 21 mm band: a 20 mm one leaves a gap at each side and slides along the spring bars.

Measure the inside distance between your watch's lugs, where the band meets the case, and order that number. Our fit guide shows how, with a ruler or a caliper. For 16 or 24 mm lugs, browse our watch bands by width.

Like a leather strap, the band narrows toward the buckle end, and the buckle matches that width:

• 18 mm: 16 mm at the buckle.
• 19, 20 and 21 mm: 18 mm at the buckle.
• 22 mm: 20 mm at the buckle.

The Black comes in 18, 19, 21 and 22 mm, but not in 20 mm. The other six colors come in all five widths.

Fitting it to your watch

The Spinnaker comes with quick-release spring bars fitted in both pieces, so you can fit it by hand. Each bar has a small lever that pulls its tip in. Work over a soft cloth:

1. Hold the lever back so the bar gets shorter, and set one tip of the bar into a lug hole.
2. Line up the other tip with the opposite hole and let go.
3. Put the buckle piece at 12 o'clock and the long piece at 6 o'clock.
4. Pull gently on each piece to check that the bar has clicked in at both ends.

If your current band sits on plain spring bars without levers, a spring bar tool gets it off; the Spinnaker then goes on by hand.

Water, sweat and care

The rubber base doesn't absorb water, and the sailcloth dries in the air. After salt water or chlorine, rinse the band in fresh water, shake it off and let it air dry. The band doesn't add water resistance to your watch, so go by the watch's own rating before you swim.

For dirt in the weave, use a soft brush and a little mild soap, then rinse. Bright colors like Yellow and Orange show marks sooner than Black or Navy, and a quick rinse after a sweaty day keeps them looking fresh.

Delivery and returns

Delivery is $6.95, or free on orders over $49. The delivery time for your country shows on each product page and at checkout.

You can return an unworn band in its original packaging within 30 days of delivery. Return shipping is paid by you, unless the item arrived faulty or incorrect. Read the full terms on our delivery and returns page.