The story of the Nato Strap

It was dark and a stormy. I could hear the waves crashing onto the beach. Felt like it was getting high-tide as there was so much volume and power behind the waves breaking. It made me shiver, nervous. 

I was on a mission though, an important one. Losing myself in my emotions is not an option. Emotions are what you have, not who you are. I kept saying to myself:

“I am a warrior. I can do this.”

Driven by my goals, my mission and the fact that I had to do this for the team I could relax a bit again. It was only 4 am and in 3 hours I had to blow up the bridge. At 7 am sharp it had to happen.

I decided to go for a quick nap, trying to get an hour of sleep. I turned around and slowly drifted away, I remember waking up twice by my arms shocking, you probably know that feeling.

When I finally felt being caught by a dream I heard jeeps coming on the beach. It was about 200 meters from where I was hiding. WTF is this? I have to get out of here. I have to move.

I started running with my head held low. Making my way through the dunes. I realized it was not just one jeep, but over 10, including some tanks. What the hell is going on? This wasn’t planned. I speeded up finding a path. Every second I ran faster and faster. Suddenly I tripped.

A freaking tree root in my way.

I got back up again as there was no other way than to continue. One hundred meters further I felt I was missing something, my watch. It is crucial to blow up the bridge precisely at 7 am, my team is counting on me.

I ran back and felt such a relief when I saw my watch there, covered with a bit of sand, but clearly lid by the moonlight. I picked it up and saw the metal strap was broke. Let’s deal with that later, I now have to keep moving as there is no way I could fight with the limited amount of guns I had on me.

After some minutes I found a place to hide and rest, far away from noise, but also from the bridge, the target. The 9th division chose me for this mission because they know I make things happen, no matter what.

I rested for a bit and started thinking about how to fix my watch. No tools with me at all, but the watch and the timing were crucial to my mission. Suddenly I hear a voice in my head. My dad, who passed away over a decade ago. He was whispering to create a strap from my t-shirt. I remember saying out loud

“Thanks, dad, I owe you!”

I ripped off a part of my shirt, put the watch pins back in and started playing around. No way to connect it to the pins themselves so I pushed the t-shirt strap below the watch, behind both pins. I made a knot on the bottom and was wearing my watch again, and more steady than ever before. A strap with light admiralty grey making my military watch suddenly fit for watch enthusiasts. A felt like James Bond. 

It even felt more comfortable and stronger. Not bulky, but smooth. Before the war, I was a big watch fan, you can call me a freak, a fanatic or even an idiot if you please. Always in love with the Swiss Watches, the premium ones. But today it wasn’t about being pretty, it was the most important tool to help me fulfill my job.

My military watch showed 6.14am

It was 6.14am and I have to get back on schedule. It’ll take me 15 minutes to go back and a bit of time to place the bomb, or as we always said with the team, la bomba. To just give it a bit more flair. In the camp we were listening to South American music, just to release the stress a bit.

Half an hour later I did it. I attached la bomba to one of the first pillars of the bridge, this should be sufficient. I silently made my way back to the dunes, knowing that my detonator has a 1-kilometer range. It was 6.55, the strap got very dirty, but was still comfortably on my wrist.

Ah man, if you would have known how much adrenaline and gratefulness was running through my veins. Again dad, thanks for whispering in some creativity. Thanks for being my guide.

Five minutes later, at exactly 7 am and not a second later I pushed the button. With a lot of noise, an enormous bulb of light the bridge was destroyed. Crashing into the river, taking its pieces to the ocean.

Mission accomplished

I knew I had accomplished my mission. I knew my men were on their way. I knew our plan would come together and we were one step closer to freedom and justice. I gave my watch a little kiss, looked up to the sky and felt an enormous amount of love for mankind.

I wore this strap and some new ones I made ever since. Up until today, it is the most comfortable, good looking and strong watch strap I ever saw. From boardroom to blowing up bridges, it can handle anything and reminds me to never give up. I had to do this for the team and did it, just like you!

Now you might think, what a story. I never knew this was the story of the Nato Strap. Well, now you know. And we invite you to read the History of the Nato Strap too, giving you a bit more insights, real insights.

One message in this whole story is important to remember, you are a warrior. Hopefully not in a war at the moment, but you’re still on a mission. A mission to create your dream life. A simple watch strap like a Nato Strap can be a daily reminder to never give up. You wear it, it’s your reminder, but nobody knows on which mission you are.

Don’t cut yourself short, be the warrior you are!

Be the CEO of your life.

Disclaimer: We don't have to take life too serious all the time. It is important to be entertained. I hope this story of the nato strap entertained you, cause it is purely based on fiction. In our blog The History of the Nato Strap you can read where the Nato Strap saw daylight for the first time.