GMT-C & Grand Canyon & Rubber B

[sheldonsmith]

In July 2011, I took my GMT-C along with a Rubber B strap to spend 7 days on the Grand Canyon floor. I chose to take a Rubber B because on an earlier two day trip four years ago, I noticed pitting in the clasp from the gritty Colorado River water. On this trip, both the GMT-C and the strap weathered the trip just fine.

Starting from the top left going clockwise:

• Short runway turbo-prop plane that took us to Lees Ferry the head-end of the trip, the Grand Canyon floor on a typical morning,
• A view of Marble Canyon (upper Grand Canyon) cutting into the Arizona desert viewed from the plane on the fly into Lees Ferry
• The helicopter that takes use out of the Grand Canyon at the Bar-10 Ranch seven days into the trip,
• Lower Deer Creek Falls
• A typical riffle (small rapid),
• Upper Deer Creek Falls
• Wading in waist high water to Mohawk Canyon Falls with my GMT shown on my wrist
• Random shot at one of the many picturesque stops in the Grand Canyon.

If you have not spent any time on a raft at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, it is definitely worth putting on your bucket list. Although I have now spend time at the the bottom of the canyon on two occasions, I see myself going for a third time.

Taking the strap to the Grand Canyon was a good choice as the gritty Colorado River water does have a tendency to get things gummed up. The camera that shot these images was dried over the evening camp stove on two occasions, and the ceramic bezel on the GMT-C did not rotate very smoothly. Unlike the my traditional GMT (16710) worn on an earlier Grand Canyon trip, the grit easily washed out after running it in clean tap water at the hotel after the trip ended. The Rubber B strap did have a little less sheen after the trip, but a little Armor All cleaned the strap such that it looked like new. I also learned that the Cartier Cleaning Gel for Cartier rubber strap watches also makes the strap look as good as new.

-Sheldon

[RBLU]

Thanks for sharing your experience and photos! It is a definitely a breathtaking rafting trip!

It seems to me that you are one of the few who are taking the GMT to such a trip.
I share the same experience that rafting trips can be very hard and abusive to the watch.

Was there any particular reason to prefer a rubber band over a NATO band?

PS Maybe, you can share some more photos with us.

Cheers,
Bernhard

[sheldonsmith]

With rubber, I did not have to sorry about the cloth of a Nato getting dirty, and the springbars are protected well as the Rubber B had a perfect fit against the watch head. Also, the strap is vulcanized and real strong, akin to a automobile tire on my wrist. I would feel differently of using a rubber strap if it were just silicon as I dont think the support would be there for the springbars.

There are some higher res version posted http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/a...e800x600-1.jpg

and

http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/a...on_Collage.jpg

-Sheldon

[[Dents]Milchschnitte]

I still don´t get theses Straps.
What´s the point if you have to use the original clasp after all. It´s the part of the bracelet that´s scratch prone the most. If you are worried about losing the watch a G10 style strap would be way better as the watch won´t come off when one sprinbar fails. If it´s about scratches then why don´t the offer a version of this strap with a normal buckle - like the rubber strap for the Omega Seamaster???

For me this does not make any sense - and I´ve been wanting a rubber strap for my Rolex Sports Models for years so I´m not gainst the whole thing.

[sheldonsmith]

Yes, only saved the links, but with the gritty water that gets into the bracelet, I did not want to promote any more elongation (aka stretch) of the link pins by having liquid sand paper working inside the links. Used the original GMT-C clasp, which got scratched, but those are easily fixed and what I call souvenir scratches.

Black bezel, black face, black strap all seems to work insofar as appearance, but yes, the strap does change how the watch wears.

-Sheldon

[sheldonsmith]

I forgot to mention that the watch lume glowed all night after being in the sunlight all day. Who says that Rolex lume is sub-par. The watch was very readable at night.

-Sheldon