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Basic Bands Watch Strap Fashion

SMALL BRAND SPOTLIGHT – CLOVER STRAPS

April 5, 2017 by Basic Bands

clover-strap-patrik

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.

Our first small brand spotlight series focuses on Clover Straps, run by Patrik in Croatia. A well regarded strapmaker on several watch forums, he designs custom leather and canvas straps along with leather and canvas accessories. Here is our interview:

How did you get into watch strap making?
It was four years ago, I had just gotten into the watch game and I wanted a custom strap. Since I had some leather scraps I thought I would give it a try and make one. A few straps were made before I managed to make one that I was pleased with. And I’ve been making them since then.

What materials do you use in your bands?
My primary material is leather. I would say 75% of all straps I make are leather straps. I also use canvas. Some are combined canvas and leather.

What is your favorite material to work with?
I would say canvas. There are a lot more options when it comes to canvas straps and various canvas materials are easier to find than leather. They are backed with leather so I can use almost every piece of canvas I can get. That includes various colors, textures etc.

What are the hardest straps to make?
For me it isn’t difficult to make a strap. The hardest part is mastering something new. I started with a regular strap, it was hard until I got the hang of it. Same goes for rolled canvas, fine stitched, dual face straps… I am now eyeing padded straps. I haven’t tried it yet but I will as soon as I find time.

Do you have a favorite watch? What watch would you buy if you had the money?
Hahaha, if I had the money I would buy a lot of watches! I have a favorite watch, it’s a blue dial and bezel sub homage I made. But if I had to choose one, it would be a Rolex Sub from 1981. Why? Because that’s my birth year and I think a Submariner is one of the most versatile watches out there. I know it’s a sort of a cliché but that’s how it is.

What else do you enjoy making outside of watch straps?
I enjoy doing everything that includes my own effort, design and knowledge (and getting that knowledge to make it). I enjoy modding watches and currently I’m restoring two old bicycles.

Name: Clover Straps, run by Patrik
Website: http://cloverstraps.com
Location: Croatia
What: Custom leather and canvas watch straps and bands, leather wallets and bracelets.

Other guides:

  • How to Safely Purchase a Watch Online
  • List of reputable watch strap companies & brands
  • Tools for Replacing A Watch Strap Or Band
  • How to Pick Out The Right Watch Band For Your Watch
  • 5 Tips For Picking Out A New Watch Band Or Strap
  • The Complete Guide to the Orient Bambino Dress Watch
  • Seiko SNK Watch Guide
  • Seiko Presage Cocktail Time Guide
  • How to Fix A Broken Loop On Your Watch Strap

Filed Under: Spotlights Tagged With: bespoke, canvas, denim watch strap, diver, leather band

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Welcome to Basic Bands!

  • We hope you enjoy our blog on watch strap fashion. Here are some places to start:
  • List of Watch Strap Companies
    List of Custom Watch Strap Makers
  • Interviews with Watch Strap Makers & Brands
  • Primer on Watch Strap Style | Style Inspiration | Watch strap examples by color & type
  • Tools for changing a strap | Fixing a broken strap loop
  • Guide to safely purchasing a watch online.
  • Watch Guides: Orient Bambino | Seiko SNK | Seiko Presage.
  • Shop our Amazon recommendations | Inexpensive NATO straps on Amazon

 

See our watch guides

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HOW TO FIX A BROKEN LOOP ON YOUR WATCH STRAP

Most watch bands have one or two loops on the strap to keep the bracelet or band from flopping around on your wrist. Known by different names like hoop, retainer, loop, these loops are officially called “keepers,” and they can sometimes fall off and break. Leather or cloth keepers will disintegrate through wear and tear from moisture or sweat, while rubber ones can become brittle and snap.
The good news is that you can fix a broken watch hoop in several ways. The easiest way is to buy a replacement loop on Amazon and put it on the strap. Rubber loops can sometimes be stretched over the buckle, but for most replacement loops you must disconnect the strap or buckle to get the new loop on. Important: make sure you buy the correct width loop, measured in millimeters.

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A common question we get is where to buy watch straps, who is reputable, and how to choose among the different options. On this page, we have listed the major strap companies and brands, divided by category. Most places ship internationally, but we have listed out companies that are outside the U.S. if you’re looking […]

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The Seiko 5 line of SNK watches are highly recommended as an inexpensive way to get into automatics. The watches are great for kids as a first watch and an excellent casual watch for adults. It meets all the check boxes for a good looking watch from a great brand at a great price.

Kids (and parents) will love the sub-$100 price, the good design and the ability to mix and match watch straps. It can be a first watch for a kid or a nice watch for a teenager that can go with a lot of outfits.

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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.

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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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BASIC BANDS 2018 WATCH STRAP & ACCESSORIES GIFT GUIDE

Hello everyone, and welcome to the 2018 edition of the Basic Bands Watch Strap & Accessories Gift Guide! We’re here to help you find that perfect someone (or yourself) the perfect gift this holiday season. We’ve divided the guide up into sections, so skip ahead to the one that interests you most. First we have […]

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BASIC BANDS 2017 WATCH STRAP AND BAND GIFT GUIDE

So you’re looking for a strap? Maybe the person you’re shopping for already has a nice watch and you’d love to match it with a nice strap. Or maybe you’re buying a watch and you’re looking for strap ideas to complement the stock band. Or maybe you just got a new watch and you’d like to spice it up with a new leather or NATO strap. Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’re Basic Bands, and we loooove watch straps.

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alligator apple watch bauhaus bespoke black black dial blue blue dial breitling brown brown leather canvas chronograph custom watch strap companies diver dress watch exotic Geckota green green dial grey guides hamilton horween IWC leather leather band nato omega Omega Speedmaster Panerai perlon rally strap rolex rubber seiko Seiko diver Seiko SNK shop skx speedmaster thick timex tudor white dial
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alligator apple watch bauhaus bespoke black black dial blue blue dial breitling brown brown leather canvas chronograph custom watch strap companies diver dress watch exotic Geckota green green dial grey guides hamilton horween IWC leather leather band nato omega Omega Speedmaster Panerai perlon rally strap rolex rubber seiko Seiko diver Seiko SNK shop skx speedmaster thick timex tudor white dial

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