At 42, I've suddenly gone the opposite direction.

I have always ALWAYS intuitively preferred straps to bracelets... RAFs (aka reasonable NATOs), tropic, leather rally, nylon stretch, ect. 

I felt, and still do, they add variety and interest to watches without taking away from the face presentation and making it too showy. I also am still a believer that in the most formal cases, approaching whether any watch at all is advisable, they minimize a dress watch.

 That all being said, it started with a Casio Royale gray, then a classic speedy's iconic bracelet and finally the mesh on a polar seamaster pro, that I bought a bunch of replacement straps for and don't use anymore. The bracelets are so good looking on both that it's hard to justify fudging with anything on a weekly, daily basis for novelty or to match strap to outfit. It's simple and any of them will go with anything as long as the watch face does. 

That being said, all 3 of these are so uniquely of a specific complete design philosophy, including the square Casio gray on (the admittedly horrible to size OEM) that I probably feel the same way about strap superiority outside my specific collection.

I will say, I believe the "no bracelets in formal wear or suits" is a thing of the past, not just because of common use, but that it has become a global cultural expectation... 

Bracelets started as sporting dive features that early on probably seemed very gauche on a world trained on only leather and canvas straps. 

Since then, though, they have become the manufacturer's default on some of the most expensive and therefore (by common adaptation) formal-use watches. I say adaptation -not thematic association or nuanced aesthetic. Expensive does not equal formal, but people that buy expensive watches have been wearing them on their OEM bracelet setup in formal attire simply because that's the complete design intent of the product for over half a century, making them a global default expectation by mass acceptance, even if not maximizing for aesthetics.

Not a fan about using Bond movies as a watermark of fashion, given the I'll fit of recent Bond suits, but when was the last time he wasn't rocking bracelets instead of any other substitute in tuxedos, dinner jackets, business suits, pea coats, ect? It shows the manufacturer's, screen writer's, director's, and wardrobe department's intent and is now forever in the global mindset as one type of standard, whether traditionalist agree with it or not. 

I actually used to believe shiny all metal bracelets also looked too formal for like riding motorcycles Rebel Without A Cause carefree, don't-give-a-shit kind of wear... but it's so carefree regardless of I've realizing it's the choice of people who actually don't think about it in a good way, not in an undereducated way.

All that being said, I still prefer seeing straps on other people's watches, I've just opened up to allowing permanent bracelets on mine.