Wristwatches date back to the 1500s but were mostly worn by women and easy to damage. It was in the 1800s that wristwatches became designed better and for more than just women. During WWW1, wristwatches were often worn by soldiers. Soldiers for both the Central Powers and Allied powers wore wristwatches. By the 1920s, it was official wristwatches were here to stay. Popular luxury brands like Rolex use metals to create durable wristwatches and to produce a polished look. In the past, rubber watch straps were uncomfortable and prone to cracking. With the latest advances in rubber technology, rubber straps have now become comparable to metals in regards to cost, durability, strength and other factors.
Why rubber watch straps are becoming popular
Advances in rubber technology have allowed manufacturers to create completely new designs. Using rubber allows designers to play with a variety of shapes and features, like anti-bacterial treatments.
The 1960s
Rubber watch straps became mainstream in the 1960s and were a popular option for divers. Rubber watch straps were a great choice for individuals involved in water sports. Rubber is light and is great at resisting the effects of water and sweat. Although rubber straps sounded like a good idea on paper, there were many complaints about the comfort and durability of the material used for these earlier rubber straps. Some companies like Rolex and Omega dive used Tropic straps. Tropic straps used a unique blend of rubber that had better durability and comfort than the rubber used by other companies.
The 1980s
The founding Hublot, a luxury sports watch brand, helped to transform rubber watch straps into luxury watches. No longer would rubber straps be strictly for sports or considered the cheaper option. Major watch manufactures like royal oak, and Bonetto Cinturini followed suit.
The 1990s
The early 1990s became the decade that manufacturers began to emboss rubber straps with patterns. Manufactures like Chopard who produced the Mille Miglia, Patek Philippe’s who produced the Aquanaut and Audemars Piguet’s who produced royal oak offshore collection. Manufactures could now emboss rubber watch straps with all sorts of designs like tire tread patterns.
Present
One of the most notable manufacturers transforming the way the Public reviews the use of rubber for watches is Richard Millie. Richard Millie continues to partner with other companies to create revolutionary product designs. Richard Mille has partnerships with companies like Mclaren and Airbus Corporate jets. For the rubber strap of the RM 50-03 Mcflaren F1, Graphene was injected into the strap to increase flexibility. The addition of Graphene into the rubber of watches straps resulted in the RM 50-03 officially becoming the world’s lightest watch. The RM 50-3 was inspired by the wishbone structure of the Mclaren-Honda F1 racing cars. The partnership between Richard Millie, McLaren and the University of Manchester is more than just big news for avid watch collectors, Industries like automotive and aerospace could also find uses for this new material.
Future
The future will probably produce rubber watch straps that are stronger and thinner. Along with stronger and thinner rubber straps, manufactures still have plenty of color options to start producing. There is also still the possibility of luminescent rubber straps. The manufacture Panerai became famous after the Italian military used its radioactive watches for diving purposes because they glowed. Who knows, there may be Panerai rubber straps that glow in the dark next. Panerai is currently bringing to light its Panerai rubber straps by offering 33 buyers of its green limited edition PAM00961 the chance to dive with an Italian Navy diving unit. Continued partnerships and acquisitions in the watch market will continue to drive innovation in the industry.