Featured
New Strap Release – Padded Vintage Collection from B&R Bands
We love it when strap companies release new strap collections. This time we’re featuring the Padded Vintage Collection from B&R Bands made with Italian & Horween leathers. Check them out below and visit B&R Bands if you’re interested.
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Gallery of Popular Bauhaus/Minimalist Watches
Below we’ve gathered a collection of popular Bauhaus and minimalist watches. This segment is dominated on the semi-luxury end by Nomos, and in the mid-range price bracket the Junghans Max Bill is incredibly popular. Stowa makes a nice alternative in the Antea and Junkers also has a lot of options, but is hard to buy outside of Europe. For those looking for a Bauhaus watch under $500, Junghans makes some Max Bill quartz versions, otherwise options include the Tissot Everytime Swissmatic, the Orient Bambino Version 3 (just over $100) and the Timex Fairfield Chronograph (examples of all below), while Skagen had a modern update on Bauhaus with some fun designs. Some watches in this category bleed into Art Deco, a contemporary style in America that overlapped with the Bauhaus in Germany.
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Watch strap inspiration – Spring 2020
For our March 2020 watch strap fashion showcase, we have some custom strap makers doing excellent work crafting some straps for some expensive watches, the Panerai and the Patek. You can read interviews with custom watch strap makers on our blog. We also two rectangular watches featured today, the Men’s Vintage Patek Reverso on a black alligator strap by Molequin, and the microbrand women’s Geckota on a pink strap. We also have the incredible value white dial Seiko Presage on an Artem Straps black sailcloth strap, photographed by the equally awesome @jp_melbs. For nylon straps, we have some different color nylon straps from Strap Habit, the blue and grey NATO from B&R Bands on the black dial Tudor Black Bay, the ZULUDIVER sold by Watch Gecko, and the Da Luca Straps Olive mil strap on a vintage Omega Seamaster. Lastly, we have a green leather strap on a Zenith Pilot Watch.
Watch Strap Color Guide & Inspiration
We get a lot of questions here at the Basic Bands watch strap blog, and often that question is about which watch strap color goes with which color watch dial or type of watch. If you’re wondering about that too, we’re here to help.
It’s not possible to list every watch type and style and the colors and types of straps that go well with them, so we’ve started Pinterest boards to give you more inspiration. Other sources of watch strap ideas include Reddit’s r/Watchbands and Instagram.If you don’t use Pinterest, you can find images by clicking on tags in the sidebar or using the Inspiration category at the top of the page.
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE SEIKO PRESAGE “COCKTAIL TIME” LINE OF WATCHES
Welcome to the Basic Bands guide to the Seiko Presage “Cocktail Time” line of watches. These watches, nicknamed after the elaborate cocktails fashioned by Shinobu Ishigaki, are an incredibly popular line of dress watches from Seiko. Combining the reliability and affordability of a Seiko with some amazingly gorgeous dials, these watches have become one of the most popular affordable dress watches in the market.
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Spotlight
SMALL BRAND SPOTLIGHT – CHOICE CUTS INDUSTRIES
Watch strap making isn’t just limited to major brands and big shops; across the world there are small strapmakers making a living designing unique and custom straps. Our small brand spotlight series interviews these strapmakers to see what makes them tick. Today the spotlight is on Joel and Kerri Mills and their small strap making shop: Choice Cuts Industries
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BRAND SHOWCASE – TWO STITCH STRAPS
The second post in a new series, a brand showcase highlights a particular watch strap company, in this case, Two Stitch Straps. You can find their website at https://www.twostitchstraps.com. They make a variety of both regular and customized watch straps. Check out their work below and contact Ivan (founder) for more info or to order a strap.
BRAND SHOWCASE – B&R BANDS
The first post in a new series, a brand showcase highlights a particular watch strap company, in this case, B&R Bands. See the gallery below for examples of their work. If you see something you like, check them out!
SMALL BRAND SPOTLIGHT – TWO ONE FOUR STRAPS
Watch strap making isn’t just limited to major brands and big shops; across the world there are small strapmakers making a living designing unique and custom straps. Our small brand spotlight series interviews these strapmakers to see what makes them tick. Today the spotlight is on Jun Talusan and his Philippines-based shop, Two One Four Straps.
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SMALL BRAND SPOTLIGHT – DANGEROUS9 STRAPS
Watch strap making isn’t just limited to major brands and big shops; across the world there are small strapmakers making a living designing unique and custom straps. Our small brand spotlight series interviews these strapmakers to see what makes them tick. Today the spotlight is on John Glance and his shop, Dangerous9straps
SMALL BRAND SPOTLIGHT – NEPTUNE STRAPS
Watch strap making isn’t just limited to major brands and big shops; across the world there are small strapmakers making a living designing unique and custom straps. Our small brand spotlight series interviews these strapmakers to see what makes them tick. Today the spotlight is on Pavel Slow and his shop, Neptune Straps.
Find watch strap inspiration
BRAND SPOTLIGHT – BLUSHARK STRAPS
We interview Joe Scarpati from Blueshark Straps about his origins, the best selling straps and more. Read on to see more of their straps.
WATCH STRAP STYLE INSPIRATION FOR JUNE 2019 – AFFORDABLE WATCHES EDITION
We’ve got the white dial Timex Waterbury on a pink camo strap, the Seiko Presage white dial on a grey silicone strap, the blue dial Presage on a medium brown leather strap, leather NATOs from Crown & Buckle on blue and white dial watches, the cream dial SNK on a red white and blue NATO, Seiko Pepsi divers on light and dark brown leather straps, and a high quality nylon NATO from Haveston on a Hamilton field watch. We’ve also got NATOs on a SARB035, a red NATO on the red dial Seiko SNK and then some custom leather straps (a rally strap from Neptune Straps and leather and canvas straps from Two-One-Four straps. Most straps and watches are linked to in the captions.
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WATCH STRAP STYLE INSPIRATION FOR MARCH 2019
Today we’ve got a bourbon medium brown strap on a Speedy, a brown with white stitching pilot strap on an IWC Pilot watch, some red and black seat belt nylon straps, an olive and white strap on a white dial Timex Expedition, some vintage leather straps on Geckota watches, a beautiful white alligator strap on a white dial Omega Seamaster, and a B&R Bands pilot strap on a Sinn. Next up is a green silicone strap on the black dial Seiko SNK, a grey NATO strap on a modded Seiko Diver, a brown smooth leather strap on a Hamilton Khaki Field watch, perlon straps from Clover straps, a dark brown leather NATO on a Seiko SARB035 and a navy, white and orange NATO on a black dial Tissot. Lastly, we have some fabric straps, a vintage cognac leather strap on the Patek and some examples of canvas watch strap colors from Barton. Most straps and watches are linked to in the captions.
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WATCH STRAP OF THE DAY – WOMEN’S APPLE WATCH STRAP BY OLEKSYNPRANNYK
Today’s strap is from a small custom strapmaker in North Carolina, OleksynPrannyk. It is a custom Apple watch strap with a double band. Like most 3rd-party watch straps, it comes with the hardware to easily put it on your Apple watch. Check out their Etsy shop or their website for more great custom work including other leather goods like dopp kits, groomsmen bags and of course, watch rolls and watch straps in a variety of leathers for most watches. You can also find more strapmakers on our Custom Strap Maker page. Also check out our other guides: Tools for Replacing A Watch Strap Or BandHow to Pick Out The Right Watch Band For Your Watch5 Tips For Picking Out A New Watch Band Or StrapThe Complete Guide to the Orient Bambino Dress WatchSeiko SNK Watch GuideHow to Fix A Broken Loop On Your Watch StrapBasic Bands 2018 Watch Strap And…
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WATCH STRAP OF THE DAY – HAVESTON M-22 A2
Today’s strap is from Haveston Tool Watch Straps, maker of fine canvas and premium nylon weave straps. If you’re looking for a high quality “seatbelt” NATO-style strap, then Haveston is a place to check out. They have a large selection of military inspired color schemes. The strap shown is a M-22 A2, based on the 1942 US Navy camouflage scheme “Measure-22” utilized on battleships in the Pacific and European theater. The watch is a Hamilton Khaki Mechanical, a well-reviewed military/field style watch that will run you about $400.
WATCH STRAP OF THE DAY – MANSAREA HEAVY DUTY STRAP
Today’s awesome watch strap is from a small custom watch strap maker in Spain. Jose Manuel Martín and the shop MANSAREA have some pretty fabulous straps, which of course can be customized for any watch. This particular strap is a heavy duty brown calf leather. Check out their shop on Etsy if you’re interested in ordering a custom strap. Prices for most straps range from $50 – $100.
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BRAND SPOTLIGHT- DALUCA STRAPS
Name: DaLuca StrapsWebsite: https://www.DaLucaStraps.com, Amazon StorefrontLocation: San Diego,CA What: We handcraft watch straps for just about every brand out there and have a line of leather goods as well that we design and manufacture in house. These items include wallets, belts, handbags, keychains, dog leashes and collars as well as some custom one off items. What materials do you use in your bands? We mainly use various leathers that range from most of the Horween line of leathers such as Shell Cordovan, Chromexcel, Dublin, Essex, latigo, etc all the way to reclaiming vintage ammunition pouches from the Swiss and French armies. Sometimes we incorporate various new and vintage canvas materials into the straps as well as offering rubber, nylon and Perlon straps too. What are some of your best selling straps? Our leather military straps are definitely one of the crowd favorites as well as our one of a kind handmade leather watch straps that we…
WATCH STRAP OF THE DAY – WATCH GECKO ZULUDIVER
Today’s strap is a ZULUDIVER (MKII) 400 rubber strap in black, by Watch Gecko, shown here on a Seiko SKX009 watch. The rubber is embossed with a carbon fiber surface treatment and it comes with a folding buckle that allows micro-adjustments for a perfect fit. Additionally, the strap is reversible for a different texture and you can cut it to length (the buckle hides the cut). Made by Italian manufacturer Bonetto Cinturini. You can find the strap on the Watch Gecko store. As they sell many other straps, Watch Gecko is a good place for E.U., U.K. or U.S. strap buyers. The Seiko SKX 009 can be found on Amazon or Jomashop.
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