Jaeger-LeCoultre

but find it is difficult to capture the true color, texture, and depth of the strap with my phone camera so maybe I need to pull put the DSLR in the future 🤦‍♂️ I must thank ABP for doing another amazing job. Throughout the years I have ordered an indecent amount of straps from them but I must say they are super helpful, professional, and provide an unmatched level of customization as well as having probably the best selection of hides I have ever seen. I would recommend a visit to their boutique and atelier to truly understand the bespoke experience 👍

Great choice of watches and straps!

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That’s the party trick.

Now I am a whole man....

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Not just for the camera, but for you too -- angles, glare, dust, etc.

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In was in late January .

I will say that they always have new and young assistants so maybe that is why your experience was poor. You have to try and deal with the management or people you know.
I would highly recommend Hélène (manager) but she is on maternity leave, Benoit, or Mattys (new but extremely helpful, he actually makes the straps in the atelier across from the boutique).

Camille Fournet is also great and the OEM provider for JLC, Patek, and several other manufacturers BUT they cannot and will not offer the same selection,customization, or bespoke service as ABP. Believe me, I have tried most all of the different strap makers from OEM providers to Independents spanning 20 years. For me, ABP is hands down the best overall for a unique strap 👍

Many collectors I know share my feeling regarding the experience from the younger ladies.

we have to be able to excuse them for being young and naive. I have talked to the owner as well as Hélène and Benoit about this but since they go through many interns every year, it is difficult to manage all of them.
You also have to take into consideration that some of them might be having a bad day or something along that line. We must also remain patient with young people as I do remember how I was when I was younger as well. With age comes wisdom as well as patience 😉😁

The owner is doing a service for the community as well as giving these young people an internship so we must understand that and not penalize him for trying to do the right thing 👍

I’ve bought several straps from ABP over the years... Always in person. They were my number 1 choice > 10 years ago but I’ll never ever enter the shop again:
-Quality is actually very random, stitches are really hit or miss, I’ve seen terrible exemples, even on their website.
- they have 0 respect for the watches, for my last order I had to ask them to stop rub their steel ruler on my pink gold case to take measures I had already given them...
Considering the hefty prices the “they are interns they need to learn” is unacceptable. If you know the owner you should tell him to  hire decent staff at a decent salary in order to provide a decent customer experience...
Camille Fournet is not perfect but a least their stitches are straight and they don’t scratch your watch

again, maybe this has to do with the interns and not the manager or other staff.

I am not trying to promote ABP. I am just trying to post the strap I received from them and describe what is available for others if they are looking for a bespoke strap.

One thing I do know, if you are or were ever unhappy with ABP or their staff, you could always talk to Hélène or the owner who would rectify any problems you have had. I know this as I have had straps replaced for FREE several times due to color, hide choice, etc...And on top of that, they gave me both straps as a gesture of their goodwill.

I know personal experience is subjective but given that I have been a customer of ABP for over 12 years and have had a few instances where they had to remake a strap, they have always come through for me and have gone above my expectations. I think sometimes we forget that mistakes are made everywhere, every day, and in every field.

I could tell you many stories and occasions I have had with haute couture bespoke suit makers as well which cost 10x - 20x what an ABP strap cost. Things that are handmade are susceptible to more mistakes than industrially made. Maybe I just have more patience or understanding for this part so I can accept human error.

I do agree that the young interns need to be better trained or at least understand that they are dealing with clientele in the luxury space with items which are costly. 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Forgot to ask what you think of the combination of this strap and watch? 😁

I had good experience with the ready made items but the quality was very low (stitches as you have observed) for a custom strap. It was never left the pouch and or put on the watch. Money well wasted!

Maybe I should have left out where I purchased the strap and just posted the photos.

Does it really matter if it came from ABP, Camille Fournet, Jean Rousseau, etc...?

The results for me are what counts most and in this case I must say I am more than happy with the results. I wanted to share my experience as well so others could make their own decisions on choosing a bespoke made strap.

Hopefully I have conveyed myself clearly as this was not a promotion for ABP but a post to highlight a bespoke strap and how a simple strap could change the look of a watch, either through contrast or a matching of colors 👍

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I have a few more incoming but have to be patient 😁

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Now they really like like totally different watches... Clearly one must have both 😉

This might be silly but one of my favorite things about the distressed leather strap is how it makes the polished deployant pop. When you rotate your wrist and the matte worn leather gives way to a bright polished flash of gold it's like a fun little surprise.

Also, great pics of the 2 side by side. The even/equal lighting across both watches really highlights the difference in tone between the white gold and platinum. I'm really surprised how much warmer the white gold is, I thought it would be a much more subtle difference. I'm curious to see how the two different watches wear over time...

Actually we should call it grey gold instead of white as I believe JLC uses palladium mixed with gold to make it white instead of having the gold rhodium plated. So the gold essentially stays white instead of yellowing over time. It does patina but differently than older white gold pieces which become more yellowish. As for platinum, it will always remain a bright white metal color due to purity.

Really like your custom choices. They give each watch a new level of chic.

-Dean

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