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A Minor On-Screen Choice Speaks Volumes
Like any patient, the human race in its entirety goes through ebbs and flows between the realm of the healthy and that of the ill. The prognosis for us, in general, was starting to look better after the end of the Cold War, but it was also becoming clear that many of the old symptoms that had plagued our kind were returning in 2014.
What has made HBO’s The Pitt resonate with so many viewers is that it acutely highlights society’s strain through the example of the lead character, played by Noah Wyle, Doctor Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch. The show follows the head of the day shift of an emergency room hospital in the American city of Pittsburgh as the ramifications of the pandemic settle into a world that has moved on.
Available in 9 colours, and two hardware choices, StrapHabit has you covered.
The attention of this article comes into focus on the seventh episode of the second season at the twenty-sixth minute. During a brief moment of quiet after stabilizing a SWAT team member who had been shot, Dr. Robby is seen trying to make an attempt to wash off the blood on the nylon pass-through strap on his Seiko SRPG35. The show’s costume designer, Lyn Paolo, kept this watch as a consistent companion from the first season, and the way the strap’s tail becomes soiled and frayed mirrors Robby’s disintegrating mind. Just as a ruffled collar offers a window into the distressed state of mind of one’s date as they sit in front of you at a dinner table, Dr. Robby’s watch embodies his disregard for his own well-being. Whether you like to admit it or not, our wardrobe and how we present ourselves matter.
In environments such as these, one’s dress watch recedes, and the tool watches step to the forefront.
This character study shines a light on how the many social contracts that underpin our society and culture have been overtaxed to the point where citizens from all walks of life are pushed to their breaking points. The matter of Dr. Robby leaving his issues and traumas unresolved in the first season, by neglecting to address the passing of his mentor during the pandemic, only seems to have gotten worse as he becomes reckless with his own life and that of the many doctors and students he is responsible for. This is expertly shown as he haphazardly tries to brush the blood off the strap before giving up, only to be thrust back into action when he is called upon.
I’ve written at length about the types of watches that professionals use in the field, including here, where I interviewed various professionals, some of whom are medical professionals. Since then, I have unfortunately gained a fair amount of experience working with patients in need of direct and urgent care, and the lessons I have learned from those sleepless nights, along with extended hours spent diving in a teaching capacity, have informed this article.
In 2024, I named the StrapHabit FKM pass-through strap as the best strap option available on the market for a sports watch, and outside of a very small subset of the population, which we will be getting to later, this remains true.
The Review
I now have over a year and a half of experience with this strap and can comfortably recommend this product to consumers who are exposed to environments that require frequent cleaning and decontamination of their timepiece. When dealing with industrial chemicals or biological fluids such as blood, urine, or manure, there are two aspects of a watch and its strap to be mindful of. The first is of the materials used in its construction. The second is of open spaces and crevices through which these foreign materials can enter, creating a revolting habitat zone. Also, the gaskets of the timepieces need to be robust enough to withstand all the substances thrown at them. This was one of the reasons doctors I interviewed preferred dive watches.
On screen, it is immediately apparent that the nylon strap on Dr. Robby’s wrist is not up to the task that it is being put through. Swapping his Seiko for the strap being reviewed today would have freed up his bandwidth for other matters. These straps by StrapHabit only require one firm wipe with a disinfectant, followed by another with a paper towel to dry them. Both the striped pattern on top of the strap and the vented texture underneath are large enough to allow quick, thorough cleaning.
As of the time of writing, the StrapHabit FKM pass-through strap is the only rubber pass-through strap that is durable enough to last years, readily available and adjustable. This last point is the key differentiator which sets this strap apart from others on the market. First, the two strap keepers can be adjusted using a spring bar tool. This allows for greater comfort across a variety of wrist sizes. StrapHabit also sells a spring bar tool, and operating it is self-explanatory.
This also allows the strap to be transformed from a single pass to a double-pass-through strap. The advantages of a double pass-through design include creating a buffer between one’s wrist or exposure suit and the springbars that hold the watch to the strap, thereby protecting the spring bars. It also elevates the case of the watch from one’s wrist, which, for most people, may be seen as detrimental or unsavoury, but in professional settings, this is quite helpful.
Drawing from my own experience of wearing a watch over a thick exposure suit while diving, the crowns of several watches had come undone over the years during multi-level dives as my suits expanded and contracted. Timepieces with weak initial catch points for the threading of their crowns are susceptible to this, and elevating the crown away from one’s person helps avoid this from happening. The catch to this specific scenario is that you will most likely have to resort to custom-made straps to fit over your exposure suit, but do not worry, we’ll cover that in due time.
The real benefit of this feature is to make the watch’s height shorter when you are wearing a tight jacket or shirt cuffs. This versatility allows for greater protection when needed and greater ease of wear when not in working environments that may pose hazards throughout your day.
The only drawback that this strap presents is the use of springbars which can house foreign chemicals or become potential points of failure if exposed to salt water over time. A couple of years ago, one of my fellow writers wrote to me while on vacation, asking me whether I cleaned every individual spring bar of my watch after a dive. They asked this after having a sizeable buildup of salt on the clasp of the watch, rendering it almost unusable. They were shocked to read my answer of yes. At the end of every day of diving, I thoroughly clean every point of failure on my timepiece. This includes all spring bars, pins, and even the bezels of the watches. This is why I rarely dive with a watch on a bracelet, because properly decontaminating the timepiece would be prohibitive.
An alien environment becomes all the more unpredictable when surrounded by the inexperienced.
If you are a diver or someone who handles a lot of corrosive materials, a custom strap from YellowDog Watch Straps in England will serve you well. I have been using their straps for well over a decade, and they have been flawless in the field. The hardware is sewn into the strap, eliminating the need to take it apart; a thorough rinse will suffice. One of my personal straps from Alex Moss, the founder and person behind every handmade strap, has seen hundreds of dives over the last decade, and is one of the most comfortable straps I have ever experienced. The downside is that he needs to make your straps by hand, though in the near-dozen occasions I have ordered bespoke straps from him, they have all arrived at my doorstep in Canada well within a fortnight. The rubber used on these straps is far stronger, thicker, and more industrial than that on the StrapHabit, and requires a fair bit of wear before it breaks in.
My Seamaster on its trusted strap by YellowDog Watch Straps.
In Closing
The StrapHabit FKM Pass-Through strap remains the most accessible and versatile strap on the market for professionals. All of its attributes meant it was in my workbag at all times in case of emergencies. The Prevail Onward was the watch chosen to be on the strap at all times. Its fixed-lug design never required extra cleaning, and the smooth bezel of the Field model made it better suited to situations where the watch might catch on a patient’s flesh. You can read my updated review of this wonderful watch here. Like the Onward, this strap from StrapHabit gives the operator the most important thing while in the field – the extra bandwidth required to focus on their task. Needing to stop and take care of one’s gear at any point while working is not only inconvenient but also places one’s patients, students, and employees at unnecessary risk.
Even if you are not a professional working in an environment where you are entrusted with the lives of others, this strap has a place in your life. Activities such as playing with one’s children or cooking in a busy restaurant kitchen both greatly benefit from remaining focused on the tasks at hand. For all these reasons, StrapHabit remains the best option for anyone looking for a strap that will help them perform at their best, whether that means changing the diaper of your first child or helping bring someone else’s into the world.
Time of writing: March 15th, 2026