# Can someone tell me about Ball Rubber Straps



## kevinfcharles (Jan 27, 2009)

I'm thinking about getting a rubber strap for my Spacemaster. I've never used a rubber strap before because they have always seemed like they'd be sweaty and uncomfortable. How do they compare to leather straps in turns of breathability and comfort. How much could I get a Ball rubber strap for ?
Thanks


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## samanator (Mar 8, 2008)

I live in South Florida and we always have humidity and for a good portion of the year some serious thunder showers. I actually prefer a rubber strap since it is very likely to get wet and I don't really see any difference between them and a leather strap for comfort. The Ball rubbers straps are high grade and have that vanilla sent. I really liked the Night train strap on most of the 21mm watches. I'm considering getting one of the rubber straps for my Spacemaster also.


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## ppatel19 (Sep 17, 2007)

I am too


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## timefleas (Oct 10, 2008)

Ball's rubber straps are as stated above, great in humid situations, underwater, and so forth. They of course don't really compare to most leather straps, as the rubber has just about zero breathability, only the slightest of softening after "breaking in" (though they are pretty soft to begin with) and they tend to wear much worse in extremely cold temperatures. They are great for warm/hot/tropical climates, though personally I don't like putting anything plastic on my Balls (including carbon fiber or nylon), and would use a SS bracelet in these climates, or perhaps a weatherproofed/water resistant aftermarket leather strap instead. The actual price of a special order Ball rubber strap was around $160 last I checked--way too much for me to spend on a rubber (strap)--even if it is vanilla scented!


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## nelsondevicenci (Nov 30, 2009)

The rubber strap is really nice fits very well, very comfortable like you don't have the watch the only bad is they are too short.


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## waruilewi (May 18, 2008)

samanator said:


> I live in South Florida and we always have humidity and for a good portion of the year some serious thunder showers. I actually prefer a rubber strap since it is very likely to get wet and I don't really see any difference between them and a leather strap for comfort. The Ball rubbers straps are high grade and have that vanilla sent. I really liked the Night train strap on most of the 21mm watches. I'm considering getting one of the rubber straps for my Spacemaster also.


I had to look at my rubber straps to spell this right... Caoutchouc = "India Rubber" - the natural latex sap that comes from rubber plants and secreted as a by-product - thru a manufacturing process which originally hailed from the West Indies IIRC. In terms of rubber watch straps, I think the source material for most of the higher quality ones now come from Brazil, eg Hublot's and IWC's, so maybe Ball's as well. Definitely preferred over the (IMO) underwhelming synthetic vulcanized variety used on some watches, like the rubber straps used on even the newer TAG F1 timepieces. Wrote a review about that actually a couple of months ago here:

https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=323461

My understanding is that the vanilla scent is added during the production process to block our perspiration smell from prolonged wearing. And since the cultivation of vanilla just so happens to be in the same growing environment as rubber, it's logical to see its properties utilized for this purpose. FYI - Ball's rubber straps, like all Caoutchouc rubber straps, will lose a small bit of its elasticity and satiny finish over time, eventually wearing out to a harder, more glossy finish. I personally really dig the scent. Here's mine on a Ball deployant clasp.


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## cschmelz (Sep 29, 2009)

I also got the stock (and a stock leather) band with my Nighttrain. I originally was going to swap the rubber one out right away but I've kept it on, it is very comfortable and much classier than you'd think after years of Casio cheap-o rubber bands.


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## pwong017 (May 7, 2009)

rubber doesn't stick to you when you sweat as much as leather straps do, they are water resistant, and wont stratch. Make sure you get a hefty high quality one though or they will look cheap!


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## yenfoolun (Feb 12, 2008)

i wear my hydrocarbon tmt with rubber....
its very very comfortable.... staying in a country that make u sweat all years.... so ball rubber strap is just nice even i do think the bracelet look better on hydrocarbon series ball watches


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## morrison2951 (Apr 14, 2008)

DLC NT on OEM rubber is my everyday watch and it still feels and looks great!


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## Hot Karl (Feb 29, 2008)

I recently purchased the Ball Rubber Strap for my Storm Chaser and find it to be a huge improvement over the leather strap in terms of fit, comfort, and look.


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## GatorJ (Feb 26, 2006)

Does the vanilla scent last the life of the strap?


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## Freeze (Jun 3, 2010)

One thing I have noticed is that if I perspire at all the rubber actually gets slicker instead of "sticky". I've had some cheaper watches on rubber straps that tend to cling and stick to the skin as they get wet. The Ball DLC strap does not have this characteristic. Very comfortable and enjoyable... Even wet.


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## swampfox (Jul 16, 2010)

have rubber on my dlc and it is working great. never take it off except to re-set time or date, showers included. scent seemed much stronger when new, to me more like talc than vanilla, after 6 months it is still detectable but toned down.


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## westcoastbay (Jun 9, 2008)

Does any one of you shorten the rubber strap before?


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## Rhyalus (Jun 5, 2010)

First, I think rubber straps are an atrocity on mid and high end watches, unless it is a diving watch. This is a personal opinion, and I am sure that most do not agree with me. I thought that the crap that Breitling provided with the Avenger Seawolf was horrific, and I imagined these fat executives laughing their butts off as they sold a multi thousand dollar watch with a strip of rubber from some old tire.... (ok, I know it is not THAT bad)....

Anyway, I did not like the rubber strap on the Diver TMT, which looked like the same one in waruilewi's post in this thread. I could not get it off of the watch fast enough.

I am impressed though, by the strap on the Diver Worldtime, which looks and feels more like leather. There is a nice white stitching down either side, and at first glance it does not look like rubber at all. Still has the vanilla scent, though...

R


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## GatorJ (Feb 26, 2006)

Rhyalus said:


> First, I think rubber straps are an atrocity on mid and high end watches, unless it is a diving watch. This is a personal opinion, and I am sure that most do not agree with me. I thought that the crap that Breitling provided with the Avenger Seawolf was horrific, and I imagined these fat executives laughing their butts off as they sold a multi thousand dollar watch with a strip of rubber from some old tire.... (ok, I know it is not THAT bad)....
> 
> Anyway, I did not like the rubber strap on the Diver TMT, which looked like the same one in waruilewi's post in this thread. I could not get it off of the watch fast enough.
> 
> ...


OK, so you are impressed with a rubber strap with white stitching, but you don't like a plain black rubber strap? Tastes obviously vary considerably.


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## Rhyalus (Jun 5, 2010)

GatorJ said:


> OK, so you are impressed with a rubber strap with white stitching, but you don't like a plain black rubber strap? Tastes obviously vary considerably.


GatorJ,

The rubber strap on the Diver Worldtime is really very different, in my opinion. This new one is not as "leathery" as the one that used to come on this watch, but it still makes some effort to look nicer than a plain piece of rubber.

Have you checked it out at an AD?

Regards,
R


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## ~tc~ (Dec 9, 2011)

Does anyone know which model came with a stitched rubber strap and what colors stitching are available? (preferably orange for my fireman I)


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## 80s casual (Jan 1, 2012)

i have a rubber strap on my gmt diver which does not come with ss also i have never handled a ball ss bracelet as im new to the brand .

my quirey is yes the rubber strap is ok but cheap as rubber is its nothing to shout about where i read all posts about how good ball ss bracelets are on most of their watches -high quality,not hollow,superbly finished ect but looking at the prices of watches that come with a rubber or the option of an ss the price is usally an increase of 100d dollors or less for the same watch with ss ? how is that possible if the quality is so good?

take a breitling for instance where a rubber would be a few hundred dollors but an ss would be more to 2000 dollors ? really carnt see how ball bracelets are as good as i have been reading on these forums --any info would be helpfull & sorry if im a bit of the topic with that one .


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## samanator (Mar 8, 2008)

Maybe you need to wonder why others charge so much for their bracelets? I personally can't wear a Breitling on a bracelet due to comfort (Except for the mesh). So I don't understand why they charges so much and I really only ever liked the bullet band. Ball Rubber Straps cost about $165-$170 so this is in line with other high quality Italian rubber straps. I personally like them a lot plus there are some of the newer versions that are stitched or look like high end leather.


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## SectionEht (Apr 23, 2009)

80s casual said:


> my quirey is yes the rubber strap is ok but cheap as rubber is its nothing to shout about where i read all posts about how good ball ss bracelets are on most of their watches -high quality,not hollow,superbly finished ect but looking at the prices of watches that come with a rubber or the option of an ss the price is usally an increase of 100d dollors or less for the same watch with ss ? how is that possible if the quality is so good?


Many brands do this. When I purchased my Omega Planet Ocean, the retail cost difference between the bracelet model and rubber strap was about $100. Omegas sells the bracelet by itself for over $700! It's usually good advice that if the watch is available on bracelet to purchase it that way and then purchase the strap separately. I have heard that Ball is actually reasonable with the cost of their bracelets compared to other brands though.


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## nicholasivanclark (Nov 16, 2011)

Just ordered a rubber strap from local AD for 140 and said about 1 week to get in. I went back and forth on getting a cheap rubber or the factory and finally decided on a factory strap. You can get the deployment clasps for an extra 90.


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## roberev (Mar 15, 2006)

I am waiting to hear feedback from forum members who have acquired Ball's new 20mm mock alligator rubber strap that comes on the Victory. Someone here coined the term, "mockadile" a few months ago, which still makes me smile. I'm seriously curious to hear how comfortable it is and how close it approximates the real deal, visually speaking. That's a strap that could work on myriad other Ball models, letting us truly test water resistance.

I have the first generation World Time Diver strap, wearing it regularly with my Aviator. I love the look; however, the strap is too thick, too stiff (even after one year of heavy wear and three rounds of boiling water), and too short. Aside from the rubber Hydrocarbon straps, Ball consistently makes rubber dive straps that are ever-so-short. I don't see how anyone ever could wear its rubber dive straps over a wet suit. I can barely fit the 20mm EMII Diver, 21mm Night Train, and 22mm World Time Diver straps around my 8.1" wrist.

Case-in-point (World Time Diver strap):









Rob


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## Astropin (Dec 13, 2008)

nelsondevicenci said:


> The rubber strap is really nice fits very well, very comfortable like you don't have the watch the only bad is they are too short.





Sha43Gal said:


> you don't have the watch the only bad is they are too short


Ha! I wear my Ball EM II DLC rubber strap on the second to last notch (as in tightest notch) The 7th notch out of 8 total.

Granted I have very small wrists but you guys must have huge (> 8") wrists.


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