Many concerned about the rubber strap. Here's my opinion as a tiny 6.3-6.5 inch wrist guy.
Günter steinhart was very kind to provide me with a rubber strap that has yet to be released into the market.
This strap is made for ocean series casing, in the past, ocean watch owners squeeze their 24mm rubber strap into the 22mm lugs. But lo and behold, now steinhart has released a 22mm version that is not that similar to the 24mm version.
Make and material
The strap is made of a good material. At least it felt good, I'm not a snob where I go: "silicon melts my skin, silicon breaks." Silicon is used to hold up stoves for years on end with no maintenance and constant exposure to heat, it will hold your watch just fine.
But I guess it's made up of rubber and maybe abit of resin or similar to the 24mm(which I have not owned)
It doesn't attract lint all that much and has a satin matte feel throughout.
The clasp is of a brushed steel finished butterfly deployant clasp (BDC).
Installation
Firstly the installation is abit inconvenient compared to the bracelet, it requires two flat head screw drivers to work on both ends.
The BDC has 4 holes for micro-adjustment on both ends but if you use 2 spring bars to hold the strap onto the BDC, you will not be able to make any adjustments at all.
Design and fitting to the watch
The strap is attached to the first middle link from the stock bracelet instead of the lugs. Fit and snug is well engineered. The screw holes are placed nearer to the top, so that it is flush with the end links. It looks radical more than weird. Because seems like the designer had his dimensions right, nothing juts out of place.
The clasps is thick so that it is proportionate to the rubber strap as well.
Comfort
The strap is thick so it's typically not comfortable for small wrists, in the watch world, it is dominated by 7 inchers so girly wristi have no choice but to go with it.
However, this strap in my opinion is great, it doesn't feel like a thick strap, I have thinner leather straps bringing me more discomfort than this rubber strap here, you don't really feel it but end of the day, it gets in the way still being thick and chunky.
Conclusion
I use rubber strap for practical purposes such as traveling and diving so deployant clasp is out for me, I may wanna strap my watch above my suit and also most importantly, I may wanna strap it against my buoyancy suit.
This rubber strap do not exactly promote quick changes for the fickle minded strap changers.
Traveling with this strap, if you want to change straps nid trip like from a swim to a formal dinner, you need 2 screw drivers instead of one or for me I only want to bring a strap change tool.
One thing is that I can do is I could custom make leather straps to fit this clasp.
The rubber/resin/silicon is made from a great material
Doesn't attract lint or grips onto surfaces.
Doesn't feel sweaty wearing this in a Singapore hot day.
Feels like it isn't there, despite it's thickness.
Quite worth the value if you wanna go rubber strapin'
Steinhart BDC is a beauty of its own. Can use this for leather straps too.
Cons
This strap is made for people with bigger wrists for sure.
Despite the strap being so comfortable, the clasp is bulky and it gets in the way of office activities.
The lug design is quite new style not commonly seen. Make take some time to get used to.
Point to note, when rolex explorer II came out, no one liked it either.
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