Brass Hardware NATO Straps for My Dad's Vostok
Posted: October 9th, 2025, 1:20 pm
I am sad to share that my father passed away 2 weeks ago. He was a little bit of a watch guy. He had a couple of Datejusts, and a vintage Hamilton. But the watch he wore most, and the watch that I associate with him the most is his Vostok (pictured below).
Much like the man, it was a no frills tool that got the job done. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't particularly well made, but it got the job done. I doubt he ever even gave the watch much thought. He always wore it on the original plastic strap that it's pictured with (yes, plastic. Not rubber).
I will always love the other watches for what they were, and I will always have a sentimental connection to them.
His steel DateJust was purchased (used) by my mom for his birthday some 40 years ago. "I bought it for $300 at a time when $300 was a lot of money for us".
His gold DateJust is an absolute hodgepodge (it was purchased used that way)- aftermarket diamond bezel, a non-original-to-the-watch President bracelet with diamonds around the "hidden" clasp. This watch has a lot of oxidation on the gold, and I absolutely love it. I will never change the bracelet, remove the aftermarket diamonds, or polish it. I want to remember it for what it was- a symbol that my dad had "made it", to some extent. As well as being my father's watch.
Wear your watches. Beat them up. Give them scars. When you pass them on to your children, let them look at it and remember that the watch had already lived a life, with you. Let them never forget that it was your watch first- nothing could mean more to them.
With that said, the Vostok will likely be the watch that I will wear the most. It's the most casual, and it's the most "his", in my mind. The watch has a polished brass finish on the case and bezel. I wore it with the plastic strap for a while, but it just wasn't comfortable at all.
I'd like to get a few NATO style straps to wear it with, but I'm having trouble finding straps with polished brass hardware. If you have any leads, please let me know. If I need to go custom, please let me know who you recommend. I'd love this watch to be comfortable so I can wear it a lot.
Thanks for reading
Much like the man, it was a no frills tool that got the job done. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't particularly well made, but it got the job done. I doubt he ever even gave the watch much thought. He always wore it on the original plastic strap that it's pictured with (yes, plastic. Not rubber).
I will always love the other watches for what they were, and I will always have a sentimental connection to them.
His steel DateJust was purchased (used) by my mom for his birthday some 40 years ago. "I bought it for $300 at a time when $300 was a lot of money for us".
His gold DateJust is an absolute hodgepodge (it was purchased used that way)- aftermarket diamond bezel, a non-original-to-the-watch President bracelet with diamonds around the "hidden" clasp. This watch has a lot of oxidation on the gold, and I absolutely love it. I will never change the bracelet, remove the aftermarket diamonds, or polish it. I want to remember it for what it was- a symbol that my dad had "made it", to some extent. As well as being my father's watch.
Wear your watches. Beat them up. Give them scars. When you pass them on to your children, let them look at it and remember that the watch had already lived a life, with you. Let them never forget that it was your watch first- nothing could mean more to them.
With that said, the Vostok will likely be the watch that I will wear the most. It's the most casual, and it's the most "his", in my mind. The watch has a polished brass finish on the case and bezel. I wore it with the plastic strap for a while, but it just wasn't comfortable at all.
I'd like to get a few NATO style straps to wear it with, but I'm having trouble finding straps with polished brass hardware. If you have any leads, please let me know. If I need to go custom, please let me know who you recommend. I'd love this watch to be comfortable so I can wear it a lot.
Thanks for reading