It's Memorial Day weekend here in the US - the unofficial start of summer. For me one of the rituals that comes with the warmer weather is picking out a few watches that will be my summer standards and then fitting them up with straps that are waterproof and can't be damaged by the ocean, swimming pool, or generous doses of perspiration.
Besides the durability factor, a nice silicon rubber strap can make any watch more comfortable to wear and give it a sporty look that works well with the more laid back pace of a hot summer day. The whole 'personality' of a watch can be changed by simply changing a strap. Even with a suit, the case of a stainless steel watch shod in a black rubber dive strap definitely conveys the message that there's another side of you that isn't at all uptight.
How do you change a watch strap? The process is simple: measure the strap you have at the lugs of your watch (mm's please) - the strap sizes are shown as width at lugs / width at buckle (some silicon straps come with a buckle so this measurement doesn't matter) and then length of long side / length of short side (most rubber straps will fit any adult wrist), find a quality silicon strap that will fit your watch, remove the strap that's there now (a simple process requiring either a watchmakers screwdriver or a springbar tool) and install the new strap by just reversing the process. 10 minutes if you've never done it before and aren't particularly good with tools - 2 minutes if you're an old pro. The reward is what will look and feel like a brand new watch.
