Best Watch Straps Under $50

Watch straps with spring bars that release by sliding a small tab, so a strap change needs no tools and no scratched lugs.

Quick-release spring bars are what turn a strap from a nice idea into something that actually gets used. A small tab slides, the strap comes off, and the whole change takes about ten seconds with no tools and no risk of scratching the lugs — which matters, because the alternative involves a spring bar tool and a steady hand. Leather, silicone and canvas options, in every common width.

A woven nylon slip-through strap in a very wide range of colors and lug widths, from a long-established strap maker.

A woven nylon slip-through strap is the cheapest meaningful change you can make to any watch, and the color range is enormous — which makes it the one strap where you can take a real risk on something bolder than they would pick. Nylon survives swimming, sweat and a washing machine, so it suits an active recipient. It adds a little thickness under the case, which some people notice.

A simple field-style watch on a slip-through fabric strap, with Timex's Indiglo backlight that lights the whole dial.

Worth knowing about if the strap idea appeals but they have no watch to put it on. The Weekender is built around the same slip-through system, so one watch plus two straps is a complete gift with three looks in it, and the whole thing stays inexpensive. At 38mm it fits nearly any adult wrist, which removes the other guess.

A tiny sealed brass pen that writes upside down, in the cold and in the wet, and fits in a coin pocket when closed.

If you want a second box alongside a strap, this hits the same note — a small, solid, well-made object that gets used constantly. A sealed brass pen that writes upside down, in the cold and in the wet, and disappears into a coin pocket. It is short and thick, so it is not for writing at length, but it is always there when a pen is needed.

The small keychain Swiss Army knife: blade, scissors, nail file, screwdriver and tweezers in a 58mm body.

Another good pairing item at the same price point. The scissors are the reason: everyone who carries one uses them weekly, and almost nobody buys one for themselves. Small enough to stay on a keyring permanently. It cannot go through airport security, which is worth a word for a frequent flyer.

A hardcover notebook with an elastic closure, a ribbon marker and a pocket in the back.

The most versatile filler at this price. A hardcover notebook that sits flat when open is better than whatever most people are using, and it comes in enough formats to suit a planner, a diarist or a sketcher. Thin paper, so not the right choice for a fountain-pen user.

A leather sleeve that holds two to four keys flat and silent, with a loop for a car fob.

A strap changes what is on their wrist; this changes what is in their pocket, for similar money. A leather sleeve holds two to four keys flat and silent, with a loop for a car fob, which fixes a small problem almost everybody has and nobody gets round to solving. It only holds a few keys, so it is wrong for a large bunch, and the keys have to be fitted onto an internal post.

A tiny single-AAA keychain flashlight, bright enough to be genuinely useful, with a twist-on tail.

If you want the strap to arrive with company and the budget is nearly spent, this is the best few dollars left on the table. It is small enough that it genuinely stays on a keyring, which is the only flashlight that ever gets used, and it runs on a AAA battery buyable anywhere. Not rechargeable, and one brightness level only — neither of which matters for what it is.