Tampa watch strap in Cordura canvas: sporty and elegant

It is not an easy task to find the perfect strap for a sports watch, and diving models are certainly no exception. This includes making sure the materials are resistant, maintaining the original look of a vintage timepiece, but also giving it just the right amount of chic to be able to wear it on any occasion. Avel & Men loves a challenge, and this is exactly what the watch accessory brand is taking up here. Both sporty and elegant, the Tampa watch strap in Cordura canvas is ideal for dressing up your diving watch on any occasion.

Are you ready? So head to Florida for a dive in Tampa Bay!

Visit our shop to purchase our black or navy Tampa watchband now.

Watchstrap Tampa by Avel & Men: let's sail away!

We'll get into the technical details of the Tampa Cordura and leather strap in a second. Before that, we need to start by telling its story. As always at Avel & Men, nothing is left to chance. If you are one of our regular readers, you probably know that the brand of watch accessories for sea lovers was born out of the shared passion of a brother and sister: Xavier and Agnès Broise.

These two Bretons, both passionate about the open sea, exceptional timepieces and a job well done, create accessories that reflect their image. Beyond the technical quality of their designs, they transmit a little bit of their history and values in each of their ranges. Each Avel & Men product thus takes the name of a body of water on which Xavier, a passionate amateur sailor, had the chance to sail.

A tribute to the winter regattas on Tampa Bay

Tampa, of course, is a city in Florida, USA. It is also a bay all North American sailors enjoy going to every March. This is particularly true for Quebecers, who are still caught in the North Atlantic ice at this time of year. Xavier Broise lived in Montreal in 2015. It was then without hesitation that he headed south, following many sailors who left with cars, trailers and boats towards the Florida sun to sail in the middle of winter.

More than the adventure on the water, Tampa implies for many sailing enthusiasts several days of travel to simply join a regatta. In 2015, Xavier Broise was there on his dinghy, for a Fireball regatta that he will never forget.

It is this story that Avel & Men wishes to pass on to you by presenting this Tampa watchband in Cordura.

Characteristics of the Avel & Men's Cordura canvas watchband

The Tampa bracelet is a chic and sporty watch strap. Ideal to dress up diving watches, it stands out on the water as well as in the city. 

• Bracelet: Cordura canvas
• Inner linings: soft leather
• Detail: blue white red stitch, a homage to its French manufacture 
• Colours: Tampa black or Tampa navy 
• Origin: bracelet 100% made in France
• Price: 129 €

The advantages of Cordura, the comfort of leather

Cordura is a family of fabrics well known for their strength. More than a fabric, it is actually a textile fibre first exploited by the army before being brought into public use. It must be said that Cordura has many advantages that easily justify its military use. It is particularly resistant to abrasion and friction. We estimate that for the same thickness, it is three times more resistant than a standard nylon.

However, it does not provide sufficient comfort to meet the exceptional demands of the founders of the watch accessories brand Avel & Men. In order to ensure its customers a level of comfort that matches the aesthetics of this exceptional bracelet, the Breton brand has therefore opted for a technical construction combining Cordura and leather.

As with the sailcloth straps (La Rochelle, Ouessant, Carantec, Hyères and Groix), the Tampa watchband by Avel & Men has leather inner linings. Contact with the skin is soft, providing perfect comfort. 

The elegance of James Bond, an accessory made in France

Do you remember that cult Goldfinger scene where James Bond (aka Sean Connery) briefly  displays his Rolex Submariner on a Nato bracelet? That's called having class. At Avel & Men, we are convinced that the top of the class is not so British but on the contrary anchored in the French tradition. The Tampa bracelet, made entirely in France, is therefore the perfect alternative to Nato bracelets for those who wish to keep a touch of canvas (Cordura), while adding the sophistication, comfort and elegance of leather. 

Tampa watch strap: a sporty chic alternative perfect for divers’ watches

The Tampa watchband is available in two colours: black and navy. In black, it is the perfect choice for all divers wearing black watches. The Rolex Submariner is of course one of them, as well as the equally famous Omega Speedmaster. But these exceptional timepieces are not the only ones. A black Tampa strap also perfectly matches other similar models such as the Prospex Sport from Seiko, the German Steinhart Ocean or the Davosa Ternos.

In navy the Tampa strap can also add a summery feel to watches with silver dials, such as the Datejust, again from Rolex.

Three strap sizes to fit your favourite watch

To offer perfect flexibility and allow you to adapt your collection to the changing seasons and different occasions, the Tampa bracelet comes in three different sizes: 

• 19 mm Tampa Bracelet: on a Yema Superman or a Baltic Bathyscaphe
• Tampa 20 mm: on a sub or a stopwatch
• In 22 mm: on a Seiko diver's watch

These suggestions are just a few of the many personalization possibilities offered by the Tampa wristband in Cordura.

As always with Avel & Men, it is also possible to create your Tampa bracelet to measure, for example with a different lug or strands of a different size. A production lead time is required. 

Visit our shop now to order your Tampa watchstrap in navy or black, or contact us for a custom order.