# My experience with Zealande straps



## hchj

I came across zealande strap in 2017 when I was looking for an integrated rubber strap for my 2254. I didn't quite like the OEM omega rubber designed for smp 300 at that time because it was hard, not pliable and uncomfortable on the wrist.

Before I pulled the trigger, I did some research on zealande of course. But pictures and reviews were very few on the watch forums. There was one review on TRF though, zealande got bashed real bad in that post... because of that, I decided not to buy one.

Thankfully, there was Instagram... I saw quite a number of nice pics and happy users of zealande straps... that reignited my interest in zealande and set me thinking. 
When I first started this watch hobby, I read tons of posts bashing tag Heuer. I didn't consider buying a Tag heuer till I had a chance to try one on... it did change my opinion on tag Heuer... when I had an offer of more than half discount of the retail price, I bought one. I am still happy with the purchase.

A perfect opportunity came when zealande offered 15% off with free DHL express shipping. Oh well, I decided to pull the trigger.

Talk about ownership changes opinion... I now own not one but 2 zealande straps... they are versatile, pliable and comfortable on the wrist... in my opinion, it is an excellent alternative to Omega OEM rubber strap.

Onto the pics:























Guess what? It happens to fit my aqua racer too... big bonus for me









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## deebee

Those look great!

Weird question - do they 'smell'? I've bought a few rubber straps from other suppliers and many of them have smelled quite strongly of vanilla. 

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## hchj

deebee said:


> Those look great!
> 
> Weird question - do they 'smell'? I've bought a few rubber straps from other suppliers and many of them have smelled quite strongly of vanilla.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk


No smell as far as I could recall.

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## deebee

Thanks.

These look interesting and are about half the price of the OEM strap for the new SMP (and the buckle is extra on top). 

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## hchj

deebee said:


> Thanks.
> 
> These look interesting and are about half the price of the OEM strap for the new SMP (and the buckle is extra on top).
> 
> Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk


I have tried the new OEM strap. A much better/improved strap. But there is no confirmation if it fits other smp 300 models. 
Apparently, Zealande strap fits both the latest SMP 300 and the previous models.

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## Nokie

Nice review. They look like OEM straps from the pictures in your post.


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## WatchObsession

Batman likes Zealande ;-)


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## Chronomatic

Hi all! Sorry to kick up an old thread but did anyone have issues with their Zealande strap and getting the spring bar into the lug holes? 

I have a new Seamaster 300m and I really had to manipulate the spring bar to get it to catch the lug holes. Was just wondering if anyone else had that issue. Thank you all. 


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## duc

Replied in the Omega subforum.


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## Arainach

Today my Zealande strap for my SMPc arrived. I'm thrilled:









*The Good:*
* I love the look. No gap, solid color, great color match - perfection. Easily the best rubber strap (possibly other than OEM) that I've found for the watch.
* Comfort is excellent - light enough that you don't notice that it's there. Real rubber, so it feels solid enough. 
* Dries very quickly after being submerged.

*The Bad:*
* The fit is tight enough that rotating the bezel now requires more force than it did before. At first it was downright difficult, though after spinning it a dozen or so times it is loosening up a bit so I'm hopeful this isn't a long-term issue.
* Installation was a bit of a pain - you have to very carefully manipulate the pins into place (I wasn't able to do it by hand and had to pry with my springbar tool a touch). There's plenty of visibility for the pins from the back, however, so removing the strap won't be a problem.

*The verdict:*
$175 is a lot for a rubber strap. That said, the OEM strap with buckle is something like $500-600, which is downright criminal. If you don't mind flat ends and a strap gap, you can get some great rubber straps cheaper (BluShark, Isofrane, etc.). If you want that perfect fit with curved ends, however, this delivers for less than 1/3 the price of OEM. After searching for a bit, I believe I've finally found perfection, and despite owning way too many 20mm straps have no intention of taking this off my Seamaster any time soon.


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## John Frum

_** Installation was a bit of a pain - you have to very carefully manipulate the pins into place (I wasn't able to do it by hand and had to pry with my springbar tool a touch*_)

I used Omega OEM spring bars, worked like a charm. I fought with the included spring bars for a couple minutes first, no bueno. Zealande needs to fix this, every review mentions installation difficulty. Simple fix for bad press. GREAT strap, not much overlap at all on a 7.25 inch wrist.


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## Rickipedia

Very sharp on the Seamaster!


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## yangmang617

Not to revive an old threat but I want to add an opinion regarding Zealande, from an outside observer perspective.

They have a lot of watch straps for odd models/brands of which one wouldn't expect that a high demand for a fitted rubber strap would justify the cost of creating a new molding. For example, the Vertex M100, which is a watch very few people actually have (due to it's unusual referral method of sale). Or, MeisterSinger.. I never thought a fitted rubber strap was so in demand for a splash resistant watch.

***My hypothesis (untested) is that rather than developing new rubber straps, they have may one or two actual rubber strap models (like at least for the Rolex Sub). Then Zealande goes about renting watches, and testing the fit. If the fit is satisfactory, they take a few snapshots, and put it on the site as having a rubber strap for that particular model.

This might be an explanation for the installation difficulties. The rubber strap was designed for one watch, but repurposed for another. ***

Of course, I would be happy if someone can confirm whether or not straps from different models are actually different moldings entirely.


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