Blancpain BPFF OEM Strap Review

[OhPanerai]

Hello!


Just thought I'd share my opinions about the OEM Blancpain Fifty Fathoms sailcloth strap.





OEM Regular Length vs OEM Short Strap

The regular length strap is 23x20, 115/75, the OEM short strap is 100/60



OEM Regular Length Strap





Rep Strap on the watch





OEM Strap is on top








OEM Strap on the right, you can see a difference in the texture/pattern in the material





OEM Strap is on the watch





OEM





Rep





OEM





Rep





OEM Strap








The price for the strap is $280+ state tax. Regarding the differences:

- thread color is light grey on the rep, dark grey on the gen
- slight difference in texture but hard to see without a loupe
- OEM strap is thicker where it attaches to the watch, whereas the rep strap is much flatter
- the stitching is much more "3-D" in appearance versus the flatter rep strap
- the Blancpain text is much deeper on the gen, as well as "44G" is pressed into the gen strap


Overall, is it worth the extra $300 (close to the price of the watch)? For most people, definitely not. Both my rep and OEM straps were exactly the same length (115/75). However for the detail orientated individuals, I would say yes. I knew an OEM strap was a must for me just due to the color difference of the stitching. When receiving the strap, the thicker ends and 3-D nature of the OEM strap were rather noticeable when compared to the rep strap. Hope you enjoyed this quick comparison review.

 

[digital]

Thanks for the review. Always good for us OCD types.

 

[OhPanerai]

Thanks for the review. Always good for us OCD types.

Glad to help. Two more observations after wearing it:

- the stitching appears more black when wearing on the wrist
- the OEM strap has more of a black shade to it, whereas I found the rep strap has a grey shade, mostly due to the exact pattern of the sail cloth



My new recommendation:

If this watch is a keeper for you, it is definitely worth buying an OEM strap, especially since it's a bit more comfortable to wear as the ends are thicker.

 

[JL123]

Thanks for this awesome review!

Hope they will have the deployant clasp soon too..

 

[GrapeJam]

Wow, shocking how much of a difference there is. The attention to detail on the gen strap is really to be admired


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OhPanerai]

Update:

I was finally able to make it to the Blancpain boutique. I tried on the steel and rose gold Fifty Fathoms. The Noob versions are so close to gen in my opinion, I was amazed. In terms of differences, the rose gold rep's shade of gold is too red compared to true 18k rose gold, which is more of a peach color. There is also a weight difference between the two watches since it's gold. Also, the bezel click is much tighter on the gen. Unfortunately Blancpain doesn't sell parts, otherwise sourcing a gen bezel click spring would take the Noob watch to the ultimate level, in combination with a gen strap.