While browsing CWC Addict blog (wonderful site by the way), I happened to stumble upon a 1981 photo showing King Charles III wearing a Hamilton 6BB chronograph. What a remarkable photo. The presumption that he got it issued while following a long-standing tradition of the Royal Family serving the Armed Forces made it all the more remarkable.
But this post is not about what he’s wearing. It’s the way he wears it.
Do you see the D ring on his NATO strap? Notice anything? Normally, the signature D ring should be positioned at 6 o’clock lug instead of 12 as pictured. My initial thought was, “he must be wearing the strap in reverse.” That is, inserting the strap from the 6 o’clock lug, which would leave the buckle side at 6 with the D-ring threaded at 12. (Some people wear it that way, especially with NATOs, to make the watch sit evenly on the wrist). The drawback to this approach is that excess tail of the strap faces you. Most people would hate that, me included. King Charles’ NATO was different, however, because the excess tail was facing “away” from the wearer, which happens when a strap is worn normally. Hmmm…
The same blog referenced another photo of King Charles III wearing the same watch taken in 2008.
Assuming the strap is worn the same way as before, notice how the holes appear right next to the 6 o’clock lug with the buckle just a few holes away. The only logical explanation seemed he wore the NATO without threading it beyond the D-ring. Like this, for example:
My hypothesis was confirmed when I found another photo of King Charles III wearing the same configuration. It was taken at Wattisham Flying Station, Suffolk, Britain on 9 May 2013:
Perhaps King Charles III is unaware of how a NATO strap works or simply too busy to give it serious thought. This is not a criticism. Rather, I would like to humbly propose that this is the “Royal” way of wearing a NATO.
So I wore my NATO the Royal way for a few days and found it surprisingly comfortable. Probably had to do with the buckle sitting away from the center of the wrist.
The downside of wearing it this way was that the watch almost slipped away from the strap when I was putting the watch on my wrist. It wouldn’t have happened had the strap been properly worn, for a D-ring at 6 o’clock would catch the watch.
But it’s comfortable and feels royal. And that’s all that matters!
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