I have been buying and trying straps for this piece (about eight now) in order to find the "perfect" one. I even procured the $1,000 X45 bracelet! The original issue NATO is great, but a little too bulky to wear every day. It took me a while to realize that a light brown would bring out the browner tones in the dial -- at first I thought it would be a dark brown because it is supposed to be a "black" dial. I found that a dark grey or slate works well, too, but this one looks the part best! And the minimalist thread is a good one for all speedies --