Comments:
Straps - Quality & craftsmanship …
A good strap makes all the difference to any watch. In my opinion many of the relatively inexpensive options turn out to have a short life. It would be good to hear about your experiences with different makers and see some of your favourites.
Best
Captain
This message has been edited by KMII on 2024-10-11 18:32:21
Most recently
Veblinist is quality. But especially impressed with DeLugs, currently on my JLC for quality , attention to detail, value, size accuracy, fitment and customer service . Trying Molequin for the first time, and that one should arrive next week, so we’ll see! ; )
Good to hear your thoughts…
I have had some straps from DeLugs and they have been pretty good. Keep us posted on how you find the Molequin strap.
Thanks !
Will do Capt! Care to share your thoughts / experiences with different makers and any favorites?
Yes, certainly …
I’m always happy to share good experiences. The strap in my photo was handmade by Sanders in Holland.
The quality is superb and he’s a good guy.
The quality is superb and he’s a good guy.
Most of the straps in my collection are made by Attila Aszodi . . .
. . . to my specifications.
[sharkskin with grey contrast stitching made in 2011, photo taken recently]
[sharkskin with grey contrast stitching made in 2011, photo taken recently]
Tailoring not only improves sizing but also allows for aesthetic matching . . . a strap matched to a watch enhances the pleasure of wearing.
Best,
Art
Shark Skin …
It’s a good skin for straps and lasts very well. I had one in a tan colour some years ago and liked it. Now you reminded me, I might get one for a Panerai.
Canvas from Yusk straps.
Yusuke primarily caters for Panerai enthusiasts but I think it suits the BBB pretty well. I have two l have been very impressed with. His custom handwork is, I think, superb. I am currently deciding on whether I need a third canvas.
I'm a person who uses my straps differently. I'm also a person who's very careful about spreading inaccurate rumors.
So I wear my straps very carefully. And I clean them. And I don't know if my cleaning system ages or lengthens the lifespan of the strap. I also don't wear the same strap watch day after day. Kind of like how you shouldn't wear the same shoes multiple days in a row. Which is almost impossible to do if you wear primarily one watch during the week. Furthermore, I also own multiple watches. So, given all of my proclivities, my watch straps wouldn't age in the same linearity that would be useful to this discussion as it's not scientifically replicable. Secondly, my use pattern is very niche and not addressable to the population at large. Furthermore, my own standards of strap appearance are quite high. The instance any strap shows wear, I'm already considering a replacement. And some people wear these straps until they're about to fail and they're visually very distressed. So the amount of wear a strap has when one replaces it is a major factor to each individual's definition of "strap longevity." In a marathon, if everyone has a different finish line, then some people will have a very long race and some will have a shorter one.
But! If I were to say one thing about straps - I do like the Lange and IWC straps with the "top leather" lining. Whereas Patek Philippe straps often have a very porous lining on the inside. I feel that the Patek Philippe strap with the very porous lining isn't always good for the strap. The Lange straps without this absorbent porous lining seems to "look healthier" to me.
But! If I were to say one thing about straps - I do like the Lange and IWC straps with the "top leather" lining. Whereas Patek Philippe straps often have a very porous lining on the inside. I feel that the Patek Philippe strap with the very porous lining isn't always good for the strap. The Lange straps without this absorbent porous lining seems to "look healthier" to me.
I so agree with your statement my friend. All cheap straps I bought have been left unworn or worn only once!
I have so many example I could share once I am at my computer. My favorite maker for panerai would be sword straps, I also have some Corrigia but I find many of them too thick. For everything else I post for all my other watch they come from Aaron Bespoke
Sadly indeed. Swordstrap are the ones I wear the most with my panerai. Also have a few of them for my smaller watch like the explorer and the ranger
This could be a really long post…
Before I start a short disclaimer - as I generally change watches daily and have on average around double or more straps than watches, none of my straps these days get continuously worn, so I really cannot make definitive statements on their longevity.
- Jean Rousseau Paris: do not have that many of theirs but they are by and large nice. Back in the old days they did not have a fully fledged configurator but this could have changed. Practical, good leather selection and many seem to last well.
- Bosphorus Straps: a more robust look and I can imagine them lasting quite a while (have had mine for many years but they do not get that much wear). Some are supple from the get go but the more traditional ones need quite some breaking in. I believe they do many PAM straps, too.
- Vario Straps: here I likewise only have wooly ones. Pleasant and easy to wear out of the box - i.e. start off a lot suppler than Aaron Bespoke. But I believe you can only get these ‘off the rack’ - meaning little personalization as far as I know.
- Fears / Romney Marsh Wools: again a wooly one - great fun and easy to wear right out of the box. Again no personalization AFAIK.
Here are some I use with a few comments:
- Delugs: They have both ready to wear as well as custom straps and offer several nice features. The straps are supple right out of the box and very comfortable to wear. They also offer straps for a lot of the proprietary attachment mechanism (be that Cartier, VC, Tissot…) and often go to quite some lengths to make them fit as well as the OEM ones. Decent value, too.
- ABP: for a long time my go to strap supplier. They offer possibly the widest range of leathers (I even have a strap from them from chicken leg leather - sadly no recent pictures) and they used to have a nice online configurator, where you could do all the details. Here I have had some straps for 9 or more years and they have held up very well. Not as supple out of the box as some others (Delugs, Straps_by_JB…) but also not requiring a very long breaking in. On the more expensive side but I would say still good value in most materials. And full piece of mind in terms of sourcing for the more exotic leathers.
- Jean Rousseau Paris: do not have that many of theirs but they are by and large nice. Back in the old days they did not have a fully fledged configurator but this could have changed. Practical, good leather selection and many seem to last well.
- Bosphorus Straps: a more robust look and I can imagine them lasting quite a while (have had mine for many years but they do not get that much wear). Some are supple from the get go but the more traditional ones need quite some breaking in. I believe they do many PAM straps, too.
- Straps_by_JB: have recently gotten quite some from here and am very happy. Too early to comment on longevity but they look nice, are supple right out of the box and it’s easy to interact with the owner. For some he will come up with much better ideas than I could have thought off and there is a good selection of non-leather materials, too 👌🏻👍🏻
- HandDN Handmade: strap maker from Da Nang in Vietnam. Have been very happy with these, very comfortable out of the box and willing to entertain also more outlandish demands (like leather for a G-Shock).
- Brusnitsyn: good selection of materials and very responsive to wishes. Supple and seemingly long lasting. Not sure how ordering and payment would work nowadays, as based in St. Petersburg 🤷🏻♂️
- Rix Straps: can do very exotic stuff, like the Birch strap below. I only have the one and like with the one above payment and shipment might be more of a challenge nowadays (based in Russia).
- Aaron Bespoke: a great place for a broad selection of cashmere. They of course also do leather but I only have cashmere straps from them. They look lovely, are done to a very high standard but take ages to break in and remain hard even seven or eight years after purchase. Someone wearing them more on a daily basis should comment here on whether they then break in faster. Certainly look very nice!
- Vario Straps: here I likewise only have wooly ones. Pleasant and easy to wear out of the box - i.e. start off a lot suppler than Aaron Bespoke. But I believe you can only get these ‘off the rack’ - meaning little personalization as far as I know.
- Fears / Romney Marsh Wools: again a wooly one - great fun and easy to wear right out of the box. Again no personalization AFAIK.
- Strap Bandits: I have quite some of their cashmere and cloth straps but they do a lot more than that. Supple and easy / ready to wear, and they seem to last well, too. Have enjoyed these a lot over the years.
So that’s a start 😊
A most informative post !
Looking good, and thanks for sharing all the makers and experiences! : )
Thanks for the very informative post!
Not only is it full of fabulous pictures of fabulous watch & strap combinations, but you also provide leads and assessments for many strap makers that I had not heard of. Many thanks!!