One of the things that attracted me to the original blue FXD was the lovely striped fabric strap that came with it. Whilst it’s not the easiest to use, once on the wrist it melts away and looks the nuts - unique, sporty and purposeful.
But like many owners I’’ve noticed the Velcro losing more and more grip to the point that I resorted to using a 22mm keeper from a cheap NATO strap to stop it releasing. Not great considering I bought mine mid-2022 and I only really wear it on the weekends. It also bothered me that the strap is a fraction short so there was a fair bit of unsightly black Velcro on show at 6.
When I spoke to couple of ADs they stated that it was a wear and tear issue and agreed that it was disappointing given the asking price of the watch. They offered to send the whole watch away to be analysed by Tudor (why do they need to send the whole watch?!), but that in similar cases they have not accepted any warranty responsibility. I was then quoted ‘about £200’ for a replacement (I understand that they have made some marginal improvements with the 2023 version).
All in all I was a bit miffed and resorted to using some cool elastic Marine Nationale style parachute straps. Until, that is,I found a very good replacement on AliExpress https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJlnNpL
The strap landed today and I have to say it is superb - quite frankly amazing quality for the asking price and loads of grip on the Velcro. I’d go as far as to say it is hard to tell much of a difference from the original - perhaps a fraction ‘bluer’ which actually matches the bezel and dial a little better. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking to get the look of the original strap for a fraction of the replacement price.
Here’s the original looking a little tired…
And next to the fitted AliX replacement…
And with the added bonus that it’s a perfect length for my 7.5” wrist ;-)
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