Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Seeking watchband

Whatever happened to that grosgrain black nylon USD$2 watchband I used to get every few years at Meijers’Thrifty Acres in Ann Arbor MI? Mine's badly worn-out now.

I’ve just spent a few hours on the phone & on-line, trying to track down a black grosgrain nylon watchband for a wristwatch I’d thought I had lost, but suddenly found again.

Most dept. stores no longer sell watchbands alone; watch shops that do, don't seem to grasp what a grosgrain watchband is like anymore (Asians may be expecting me to call it a watch-strap.) Rubber, yes, nylon, no; velcro yes, grosgrain, no. It seems to be mainly USN SEAL gear nowadays.

Military suppliers do have it (in 16-20-22mm Kevlar), but won't sell to the public; so-called army & navy suppliers do, but only in lots of 3; Chinese manufacturers, in lots of 100. I may just have to get a D-ring style band custom-made in NC for USD$8.95; I expect to hear back from them tomorrow if I can get it in black. (I can't.)

Fortunately, I got a tip to look at Long's (soon CVS) where I found a TIMEX black nylon 18mm watch band for USD$4.95; Made in China. (I'd forgotten that drugstores sell watchbands.) Slid into my Armitron wristwatch, it's a tad tight, but functional.

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