making vintage straps...

[qt11]

i've been thinking about a vintage PAM project for a while now, purchased a 3646 with cortebert from kenzo however the movement had issues so had to be returned, hence i'm looking to create my own...

anyways, i got to thinking about straps.... A good strap really makes a watch, even a crappy watch looks good with a nice strap. There are lots of straps available, many of which need vintagising ourselves, some which are custom jobs for vintage projects, however i was wondering if anyone had actually made their own strap....

I've been browsing the vintage straps over on http://www.watches24seven.com/gallery2/ ... itemId=565 they are amazing things, however a quick "vintage leather" search on ebay came up with a whole host of possible materials that a strap could be made from. After looking for leather tools it quickly become apparent that for not much cash we could be making, or at least trying, to create our own straps...

the most simplest strap could just be a length of leather folded, stiched and punched... looking at the detailed zoomed in images from the link above it looks like this is the basis for construction...

has anyone done this or at least tried... I'm guessing its harder than it looks, however how hard can it be ??

interested to know your thoughts...

Cheers
A

 

[Cucumber_Jones]

OT - why could you not get the movt fixed by a watchmaker?

 

[hoffman]

I have been giving this some thought as well.

I don't need any straps but have you seen the price of assless chaps lately!!

 

[qt11]

OT - why could you not get the movt fixed by a watchmaker?

crown/stem fell off on the second wind. I sent it off to be fixed, however we had problems sourcing the parts... fortunately he offered a swap for a DRSD and a part refund... It was a fantiastic piece

 

[Perspex Tropic]

Looking forward to see some Custom made Straps on some Vintasized/Customized, In this Forum![smilie=love10.gif]

 

[MET-Rx]

I've recently been making my own after buying a few expensive and not so expensive straps.

I always find that when looking to buy a strap, it's either too thin, not the exact color I want, or doesn't come in my size. So I figured I would pick the hide, grain and size to my exact specifications. I am way too picky when it comes to straps , so this way I can just complain to myself...then make it better.

So far the hardest part is sourcing the hides in the colors I like. Coolest thing is when testing, I made a 7mm thick 26/26 monster strap just to see how it would turn out. I use a very supple and pliant Italian leather and too my surprise it's was actually comfortable on a 127. :lol: Just a bit too thick for me. :shock:

Mostly I try to stay in the 4mm to 5mm thickness range. Currently making a 24/24 so we'll see how it turns out.

So far it's been fairly simple and I'm by no means any sort of a leathersmith. I just know what I like and work from there.

 

[babola]

I've recently been making my own after buying a few expensive and not so expensive straps.

I always find that when looking to buy a strap, it's either too thin, not the exact color I want, or doesn't come in my size. So I figured I would pick the hide, grain and size to my exact specifications. I am way too picky when it comes to straps , so this way I can just complain to myself...then make it better.

So far the hardest part is sourcing the hides in the colors I like. Coolest thing is when testing, I made a 7mm thick 26/26 monster strap just to see how it would turn out. I use a very supple and pliant Italian leather and too my surprise it's was actually comfortable on a 127. :lol: Just a bit too thick for me. :shock:

Mostly I try to stay in the 4mm to 5mm thickness range. Currently making a 24/24 so we'll see how it turns out.

So far it's been fairly simple and I'm by no means any sort of a leathersmith. I just know what I like and work from there.

How are your stitching skills? Mine are absolutely cr@p, used the top part of my old black boots, cut them OK, but stuffed up while stitching...well, practice makes perfect I guess...

babola

 

[Perspex Tropic]

Have you seen Germano's pictural procses of making A Vintage Strap?

Go to Germano's Site;

http://germano.de/germano-eng.htm ...And Click "PRODUCTION"

His Straps are probally the most authentic Duplicates or if you want Replicas of the Original WWII natural Calf straps used on The Italian Navy Watches.

At first sight they are A bit crudly made (But he is A Craftsman for sure look at his Handmade Shoes)
Exactly like they would be made for the Navy During Wartime, Tough but in A hurry and Nononses. These where the oposite of the Modern Croc Strapped Diamond Clad Nêuchatel/Firenze Bijoutery For Men!

Also the Buckle is A straight foward WWII Tool Style piece of Steel. No fine laser or Ingraved Brand here, Just A Stamped serial.

Downside is, this Craftmanship comes at A price, Including Secured Allrisk shipping I paid less for A Quality strap handmade in Firenze (With Laser Ingraved Brand and all the Modern finesse) then one of his straps would cost.

[/img]

 

[babola]

How are your stitching skills? Mine are absolutely cr@p, used the top part of my old black boots, cut them OK, but stuffed up while stitching...well, practice makes perfect I guess...

I started out using rivets only to avoid stitching but it isn't so bad, you just have to GO SLOW and it works. I use the EYE of the needle as a measure and so each stitch is the same distance. Then just poke all the holes first, then stitch them. Here are two I made using my rivet template, but then I stitched instead ...

... no distress just used c.1951 Swedish Mil. motorcycle kidney belt leather on top and c.1940s case leather underneath - all crudeness actually improves the look.

Thanks for these tips Enzo, talking about strap thickness ! - that second one is the beefiest I've seen in a while. The stitching is not bad at all, much better than on mine...which I threw away back then and decided to stick with pre-made 'retail' straps...well, I may give it another go one day

Also, nice Angelus in that 1940...they're as rare as hen's teeth these days, how exactly did Panerai manage to "acquire" or better say salvage 150 of those last year for their 8-day PAM203 LE, is anybody's guess...

cheers mate,
babola

 

[MET-Rx]

How are your stitching skills? Mine are absolutely cr@p, used the top part of my old black boots, cut them OK, but stuffed up while stitching...well, practice makes perfect I guess...

babola

I've found that there are a few different techniques to stitch them ending with the same result. Just being slow, patient and precise with lining the holes up evenly in a row is the key. The hardest part is to make sure the the pre-made holes are straight and in the proper location from the edge.

After the holes are made, not much else you can do but follow down the line. I guess it's all in the prep work.

I seem to like the nice clean stitch-less look as well. At first I thought it was because I was lazy about doing the tedious stitching! :lol: But it really is a nice clean simple look if the strap is made well.

I'd probably try more strap ideas that I've had but never can find the time it takes to do them right.

 

[MET-Rx]

Also the Buckle is A straight foward WWII Tool Style piece of Steel. No fine laser or Ingraved Brand here, Just A Stamped serial.

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I'd love to get a hold of a buckle like that to try in one of my straps. I haven't tried the sew in style buckle yet with my own made straps.