I was looking for a band for my JLC Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph – a massive beast of a watch that has specially designed bands that pull up against the side of the case. These bands, which are basically higher end diver bands, cost $500 or so in rubber and a heady $2,500 for a steel bracelet. So I said thanks but no thanks.
I swapped a few bands onto this beast including a nylon NATO but came away upset. So I looked up “rubber diver” and found Isofrane.
These things are a modern marvel. The website hasn’t been updated since 2013 and the bands come to use from the heady days of vanilla-scented rubber. But the most important thing is that they’re really great.
First, they’re surprisingly thick but light. They go with the JLC perfectly even if they don’t wrap around the case and the buckle is imposing and exciting. They also come in some nice colors including a yellow so bright you can use it to hail passing UFOs.
You can find similar straps on Amazon right now for far less but I doubt they’re the same quality as these retro monsters. The $129 Isofrane bands ship from Switzerland and are packaged quite nicely. Putting it onto my JLC was wonderfully simple and they fit perfectly. And now my wrist smells like vanilla.
