When I reviewed the Prometheus Piranha, I loved everything about it – except the strap. Not that it was a bad strap. I liked its Isofrane style, but didn’t really enjoy the polyurethane from which it was constructed. I spent the next year or so swapping it onto various leather and rubber straps but was never satisfied. The broad-shouldered, angular case needed something else. It needed a stainless steel bracelet with the same chiseled features as itself. Lucky for me, Strapcode had just the thing: the MiLTAT Super Engineer Type II. It costs $72.99 and looks like a million bucks.
I finally broke down and bought one last week, ordering through Strapcode’s Amazon Prime store to take advantage of the 2-day delivery option. It arrived promptly and in typical Amazon fashion, in an air-pillow filled box that dwarfed its contents. The bracelet was packed flat in a sealed plastic sleeve, shrouded in contact wrapping, with rubber caps protecting the end links and holding a pair a fat spring bars in place. That last bit might be overkill, but it is a clever touch.
Like the vast majority of watch cases, the Super Engineer IIis constructed of 316L stainless steel. Its 4.6mm bracelet and end links are solid, something you will appreciate the moment you pick it up and sample its 125g (4.4 oz.) weight. Strapcode offers it in sizes 19-24mm (including the uncommon 19.5mm found on some Seikos) and a variety of end links and clasps. I chose a 22mm with straight end links and a push button, flip-lock diver’s clasp.
Strapcode lists this model as having a brushed finish, but the photos tell you it as polished sides. This is exactly what I wanted to matched the polished bevels running down the Prometheus. Its chamfered links present a geometric pattern as the light falls between their angled ends and reflects off their flat, brushed tops.
The bracelet is 195mm long so I had to shorten it considerably to fit my 6.5″ wrist. Fellow pencil-wrists needn’t fret. Between the removable links and the three micro adjustments on the clasp, there is more than ample range for adjustment. I generally hate sizing bracelets but this one was a breeze. The links are secured with screws that are threaded into the opposite end. No pins and hammers. No fiddling with two screwdrivers. Everything is precision fitted and smooth as silk. I think I set a personal best in bracelet sizing. Reassembled, everything was tight, secure, and rattle-free. The clasp snaps shut with authority, and pops open smartly.
So there it is. For $72.99 I’ve got a high quality bracelet that’s pleasure to use and looks like it was made for my watch. You really can’t do better than that.
