2026-05-31
Best Watch Straps for the Steinhart Ocean 39
Best Watch Straps for the Steinhart Ocean 39
The Steinhart Ocean 39 is the watch that proved a German company could make a Swiss watch better than most Swiss companies charge for. Steinhart Watches GmbH was founded in Augsburg, Bavaria in 2001 by Günter Steinhart — an engineer who built the company on a single principle: sell direct from manufacturer to customer, spend nothing on advertising or distribution, and put every saved euro into the watch itself. The result is a Swiss Made automatic diver with a Sellita SW200-1 or SW330-1 movement, sapphire crystal, 300m water resistance, solid stainless steel bracelet with screw pins, and a case finished to a standard that Swiss brands charge significantly more to match.
The Ocean 39 family is Steinhart's most versatile range — a 39mm case with a 47mm lug-to-lug that wears proportionally on wrists where the Ocean One 42mm is too large. The range covers a standard diver, a GMT variant, the Adventure Classic (an Explorer-inspired design with Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9), and ceramic bezel premium versions in black, blue, green and two-tone configurations. All share the same 20mm lug width and the same fundamental case architecture.
Steinhart Ocean 39 Strap Size
The Steinhart Ocean 39 uses 20mm watch straps lugs — confirmed by Steinhart's own official product specifications ("lug width of 20mm"), multiple independent hands-on reviews, and owner measurements across all variants. 39mm case, 13mm thick, 47mm lug-to-lug.
Ocean 39 standard diver (all bezel colours) — 20mm watch straps. Ocean 39 GMT Premium 500 — 20mm watch straps. Lug width 20mm confirmed by Zaltekreviews hands-on ("Lug Width – 20mm"). Ocean 39 Adventure Classic — 20mm watch straps. Confirmed by multiple independent reviews ("20mm lug width, 47mm lug to lug"). Ocean 39 Double Green Ceramic Premium — 20mm watch straps. Confirmed by Steinhart's own product page ("lug width of 20mm"). All Ocean 39 variants — 20mm watch straps.
The factory bracelet tapers from 20mm at the lugs to 16mm at the clasp — standard 20mm watch straps fit all Ocean 39 variants. Lugs are not drilled — standard spring bar tool required for strap changes.
The Ocean 39 Variant Logic — Which Watch, Which Strap
Standard diver variants (black, blue, green, red bezels): Classic dive watch brief. Rubber and nylon are the primary materials. Leather creates the most surprising transformation.
GMT variant: Two-tone red/blue or black/red bezel. The GMT complication and aviator-adjacent heritage suits leather and nylon equally. The Pepsi colour scheme creates specific strap colour opportunities — same logic as the SKX009.
Adventure Classic (Explorer homage): Black dial, no bezel markings, Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9. More dress-adjacent than the standard diver. Leather suits this variant particularly well — the clean dial reads as a sport-dress piece on brown leather.
Ceramic Premium variants: Higher specification, higher price. The ceramic bezel's scratch resistance makes these the daily wear champions of the range. Any strap material works — the watch can handle it.
Best Rubber Straps for the Steinhart Ocean 39
Tropical style FKM in black at 20mm watch straps — the most celebrated Ocean 39 rubber combination. The vintage basket-weave and honeycomb patterns reference the professional dive watch culture the Ocean 39 draws from. Black tropical FKM on a black dial Ocean 39 creates a unified dark vintage combination.
Brown tropical FKM at 20mm watch straps — for the most warm vintage character. Particularly effective on the blue bezel variants where warm brown creates a striking temperature contrast against the cool blue.
Classic FKM rubber in black at 20mm watch straps — the most practical active upgrade from the factory bracelet.
Blue FKM rubber at 20mm watch straps — for the blue bezel variants. Tonal coherence between rubber and bezel.
Green FKM rubber at 20mm watch straps — for the Double Green ceramic variant specifically. Green rubber on green bezel creates a unified monochrome combination.
Best Nylon Straps for the Steinhart Ocean 39
Single-pass nylon — Original at 20mm watch straps with the CNS solid buckle. Most appropriate Ocean 39 colourways:
- Black — the most operationally unified for any black dial variant
- Navy — for the blue bezel variants. Tonal coherence between strap and bezel
- Olive / khaki — for the Adventure Classic and any green variant
- Admiralty Grey — the most composed operational colourway
- Black and grey — the most understated collector combination
GMT Pepsi bezel colourways:
- Black and red — references the red half of the Pepsi bezel directly on the strap
- Navy — follows the blue half of the Pepsi bezel
Marine Nationale elastic at 20mm watch straps — the most comfortable Ocean 39 daily wear option. The French Navy professional dive heritage connects directly to the Ocean 39's own 300m water resistance.
RAF single-pass nylon at 20mm watch straps — for the most specifically European military heritage combination. Steinhart's German heritage and the RAF strap's British service specification create a compelling cross-European military watch combination.
Canvas at 20mm watch straps in olive — particularly suits the Adventure Classic's Explorer-adjacent character.
Paratrooper elastic at 20mm watch straps — the most comfortable daily option.
Best Leather Straps for the Steinhart Ocean 39
Leather on the Ocean 39 creates a genuinely impressive transformation — the 39mm case and 47mm lug-to-lug make it more proportionally suited to leather than the larger Ocean One 42mm. The Adventure Classic variant in particular reads as a compelling sport-dress piece on brown leather.
Leather watch straps in dark brown at 20mm watch straps — the most celebrated Ocean 39 leather combination. Warm brown against the brushed steel case creates a warm-cool contrast that reveals the Ocean 39's character as a versatile sport-dress piece. On the Adventure Classic, brown leather specifically references the Explorer tradition — warm leather on a precision instrument.
Leather watch straps in black at 20mm watch straps — the most formally correct combination across all variants.
Leather watch straps in tan suede at 20mm watch straps — the most relaxed leather option. Particularly suits the Adventure Classic's sport-dress character.
Leather watch straps in navy at 20mm watch straps — for the GMT Pepsi and blue bezel variants. Navy leather creates tonal coherence with the blue bezel in a formal register.
Leather watch straps in dark brown suede at 20mm watch straps — for smart-casual contexts across all variants.
Why 20mm is the Ocean 39's Advantage
The Ocean 39's 20mm lug width is the most widely stocked strap size in the world. Every material, every colour, every construction is available at 20mm — giving Ocean 39 owners access to the same strap rotation as the most popular watches in the world. This is the Ocean 39's practical advantage over the Ocean One 42mm's 22mm lugs, which — while also widely stocked — has a smaller selection than 20mm.
The Steinhart Cluster
Steinhart Ocean 39 — 20mm watch straps. The 39mm Swiss diver.
Steinhart Ocean One — 22mm watch straps. The 42mm Swiss diver.
Recommended Combinations
Most celebrated — black tropical FKM at 20mm watch straps.
Most warm vintage — brown tropical FKM at 20mm watch straps.
Adventure Classic most characterful — leather watch straps in dark brown at 20mm watch straps.
GMT Pepsi most coherent — black and red nylon at 20mm watch straps.
Most comfortable daily — Marine Nationale elastic at 20mm watch straps.
Most operational — black single-pass nylon at 20mm watch straps.
Blue bezel most coherent — navy Marine Nationale elastic at 20mm watch straps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size strap does the Steinhart Ocean 39 take? 20mm watch straps — confirmed by Steinhart's own official product specifications and multiple independent reviews across all Ocean 39 variants including the standard diver, GMT, Adventure Classic and ceramic premium versions.
What is the best strap for the Steinhart Ocean 39? Black tropical style FKM at 20mm watch straps for the most characterful active combination. Dark brown leather for the most celebrated dress-sport transformation — particularly on the Adventure Classic variant.
Does the Steinhart Ocean 39 have drilled lugs? No — the Ocean 39 does not have drilled lugs. A standard spring bar tool is required for strap changes. The non-drilled lugs are consistent with the vintage Oyster case design the Ocean 39 references.
What is the difference between the Ocean 39 and Ocean One? The Ocean 39 has a 39mm case with 20mm lugs and 47mm lug-to-lug. The Ocean One has a 42mm case with 22mm lugs and 49-50mm lug-to-lug. Both are Swiss Made with similar movement specifications. The Ocean 39 suits smaller wrists and a more vintage-proportioned aesthetic. Both take standard CNS straps at their respective lug widths.
Where is Steinhart made? Steinhart is a German company — founded in Augsburg, Bavaria in 2001 — but all watches are Swiss Made, using Swiss movements (Sellita SW200-1, SW330-1) and assembled in Switzerland to the Swiss Made legal standard. Steinhart sells exclusively direct from manufacturer to customer, which is why their pricing is significantly below comparable Swiss Made alternatives.
All CNS straps for the Steinhart Ocean 39 are available at 20mm watch straps. Standard delivery worldwide. 30-day returns.