When it comes to straps, we’ve probably been guilty of spending rather more time than is strictly healthy thinking about the things that hold our watches on our wrists. But then again, the strap is not really an accessory in the disposable sense of the word. It is the part of the watch you feel all day, the bit that determines whether a watch disappears comfortably or constantly reminds you that it is there.
Back in 2023 we spent time with Artem’s sailcloth straps and came away impressed by the way they balanced the practical benefits of a technical strap with a more refined look than most rubber or NATO options. Since then, Artem has continued to build out the range, and the latest Loop-less HydroFlex straps look, at least on paper, like the most complete expression of what the brand has been trying to do all along: a premium, water-friendly, low-profile strap with no keepers, no flapping tail, and no obvious compromise.
So, are they meaningfully better than Artem’s already very good Loop-less standard Sailcloth straps, or are we simply looking at another variation for those of us who have long since accepted that the strap drawer will never truly be complete?
Artem has made its name by offering premium aftermarket straps that aim to sit closer to OEM quality than the usual third-party fare. The company’s standard and Loop-less sailcloth straps use an embossed synthetic upper rather than literal yacht sailcloth, with the underside treated for comfort and resistance to sweat and water. That distinction matters. Genuine sailcloth may sound romantic, but it is not necessarily the material you would want rubbing against your wrist all day.
The Loop-less concept is Artem’s tidier take on the deployant strap. Instead of using a traditional buckle and loose keeper, the excess length is tucked beneath the strap once the clasp is closed. The result is a very clean appearance on wrist, closer in spirit to the way Omega’s Cordura or rubber deployant straps wear, and noticeably neater than a traditional pin buckle setup.
The Loop-less HydroFlex takes the existing Loop-less idea and pairs it with Artem’s more rubber-forward HydroFlex construction. Where the standard Loop-less Sailcloth strap is more structured and textile-like in character, HydroFlex is designed to bring greater flexibility, water resistance, and immediate comfort. Artem describes the newer Loop-less HydroFlex as using advanced FKM rubber, giving it a softer and more pliable feel while retaining the visual language of a stitched, sailcloth-style strap.
That is the appeal here. It looks less like a conventional rubber strap than most rubber straps do, but behaves much more like one in daily use. For a modern sports watch, diver, chronograph or anything that might reasonably find itself near water, that is a compelling proposition.
Out of the packaging, the Loop-less HydroFlex feels notably more compliant than the standard Loop-less Sailcloth strap. That may not sound especially exciting, but it matters enormously. A strap can be beautifully finished and still spend the first week fighting the shape of your wrist. The HydroFlex does not do that in the same way. It has enough substance to feel premium, but not so much stiffness that it needs to be bullied into shape.
The stitching is neat, the surface texture gives the right impression of technical fabric, and the overall finishing is reassuringly crisp. The clasp remains the defining feature. Once sized correctly, you close it, the tail disappears beneath the strap, and the whole thing presents as a clean continuous loop around the wrist. No keeper wandering around, no loose end working itself free, no need to tuck anything back under itself.
On the wrist is where HydroFlex makes its case most convincingly. The standard Loop-less Sailcloth is already a very good strap, but it has a more padded, structured personality. That gives it a dressier, almost OEM-style presence, especially on watches such as a Speedmaster, Seamaster, Tudor Black Bay, or similar modern sports watch. It looks expensive, and it makes the watch feel more deliberately styled.
The HydroFlex feels more relaxed. It conforms to the wrist more readily and has the easygoing comfort you expect from a good rubber strap, while still avoiding the overly utilitarian look that can make some rubber straps feel better suited to a wetsuit than a shirt cuff. It is sporty, but not crude. Practical, but not cheap-looking.
The absence of keepers also changes the wearing experience more than you might expect. If you are used to conventional rubber straps, you will know the small irritation of keepers moving around or trapping the strap tail at an odd angle. Artem’s Loop-less system removes that entirely. It is a small thing, but small things are often exactly what determine whether a strap stays on a watch for a week or ends up back in the drawer after an afternoon.
HydroFlex versus Loop-less Sailcloth
The easiest way to separate the two is not to think of one as better and the other as worse. They do different jobs.
| Feature | Loop-less HydroFlex | Loop-less Standard Sailcloth |
| Character | Softer, sportier, more rubber-like | More structured, dressier, more textile-like |
| Comfort | Very supple from the start | Comfortable, but more shaped and padded |
| Water use | Best choice for swimming, summer and daily abuse | Water friendly, but feels more like a refined technical strap |
| Appearance | Technical, modern and slightly more casual | Closer to an OEM-style sailcloth deployant look |
| Best suited to | Divers, modern sports watches, travel watches and warm-weather wear | Chronographs, sports watches, smart casual wear and office-friendly setups |
The standard Loop-less Sailcloth remains the more elegant of the two. It has that slightly firmer, more tailored feel and suits watches where you want to lift the presentation without making the watch feel too casual. If you like the idea of a strap that could pass as something a manufacturer might have offered as a premium deployant option, the standard Sailcloth is still very much in the conversation.
The HydroFlex is the one you choose if you actually want to use the watch hard. It is better suited to heat, sweat, water, travel and the sort of daily wear that makes leather a poor idea and cheap rubber a depressing one. It is the more comfortable strap from day one, and it arguably makes more sense if the watch in question is a diver or a modern tool watch.
Where the Hydroflex wins big is comfort. There is less of that initial strap stiffness that can come with sailcloth-style options, and the rubber construction makes the HydroFlex feel more forgiving as your wrist expands and contracts during the day. In warmer weather, that counts for a lot.
It also feels like the more honest all-weather strap. Many straps are marketed as water resistant, but still give you a moment of hesitation before you actually get them wet. The HydroFlex invites fewer second thoughts. If you are packing one strap for a holiday, or want one strap to take a watch from office to airport to poolside, this is the one that makes the stronger argument.
The standard Loop-less Sailcloth has not been made redundant. Far from it. If anything, the arrival of HydroFlex clarifies its role. It is the smarter strap. It has a more formal structure, a more pronounced sailcloth identity, and a slightly more considered look on the wrist. On the right chronograph or sports watch it can feel very close to an OEM upgrade.
If your watch spends more time under a cuff than underwater, the standard Sailcloth may still be the better choice. It dresses a watch up rather than simply making it more practical. That distinction may sound subtle, but visually it is quite important.
Deployant clasps tend to divide opinion. Some people love the security and convenience, others dislike the additional metal beneath the wrist. Artem’s Loop-less system makes a strong case because it does more than simply replace a pin buckle. It changes the whole profile of the strap and solves the problem of excess length in a very clean way.
It does, however, need to fit you properly. As with any deployant system, wrist size and clasp position matter. If the clasp sits in the wrong place on the underside of your wrist, you may notice it. Once dialled in, though, the experience is excellent. It is quick to put on, secure when closed, and it avoids bending and stressing the strap in the way a traditional buckle can over time.
Artem straps are not inexpensive, and there is no point pretending otherwise. This is premium aftermarket territory, and the full strap-and-clasp combination is priced accordingly. But value in this space is not simply about the cheapest way to attach a watch to your wrist. It is about whether the strap feels appropriate on the watch you are wearing.Put a flimsy strap on a good watch and the whole experience is diminished. Put a well-made strap on the same watch and it can genuinely feel refreshed. Artem understands this, and the Loop-less HydroFlex sits firmly in that category of strap that makes sense on watches where a cheaper option would feel like a false economy.
The Artem Loop-less HydroFlex is not simply a rubber version of the standard Loop-less Sailcloth. It is a subtly different proposition and, for many people, probably the more versatile one. It keeps the clean, keeper-free brilliance of the Loop-less design, adds a more compliant and water-ready construction, and ends up feeling like a genuinely useful evolution rather than a marketing-led variant.
If you want the smartest-looking option, the standard Loop-less Sailcloth still has a strong claim. If you want the easiest strap to live with every day, especially through summer, travel, water and general wear, the Loop-less HydroFlex is the one we would choose.
In short, Artem has closed the loop rather neatly. The standard Sailcloth remains the polished choice; the HydroFlex is the practical one. The fact that both make sense is probably the clearest sign that Artem knows exactly what they are doing.
Artem’s Loopless Hydroflex straps are available globally at www.artemstraps.com from £177
