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Basic Bands Watch Strap Fashion

SMALL BRAND SPOTLIGHT – MARTU LEATHER

April 12, 2017 by Basic Bands

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 second interview is with Andrea Tugas, a bespoke strapmaker in Chile who owns Martu Leather. For all our interviews, check out our Custom Watch Strap Maker Page.

Name: Martu Leather, run by Andrea Tugas
Website: http://www.martuleather.com | Etsy Shop
Location: Chile
What: Custom leather and canvas watch straps and bands, including exotic leathers.

How did you get into watch strap making?

When I was a little girl I remember my dad taking care of his watch collection. That’s how I learned to love watches, especially big watches. But I always had problems with the straps. When I tried to wear them they were too big for my wrist, so I started making my own straps, after that I start making straps for my friends and then in the middle of a pursuit for a different way of life I left my office job and opened up my web shop.

What materials do you use in your bands?

Mainly calf, but I also use exotic leathers such as alligator, ostrich, python and stingray.

What is your favorite material to work with?

Calf. It looks good, lasts long and gets old super nice.

What is the most difficult watch strap you’ve had to make?

A customer sent me a small patch from his dad’s WWII pilot jacket to make a strap. Besides the difficulty of making the strap, the most important thing was to make it right without damaging the patch. I knew this was an irreplaceable piece of personal heritage so I had to be super careful, the final product was great.

Do you have a favorite watch? What watch would you buy if you had the money?

No, I have a lot of favorite watches, it will be selfish to pick one. Most watches reflect a time and state in your life, as today if I have the money I will love to have the pam690.

Featured Picture: Tudor Black Bay Watch on a custom Martu Leather Strap

Also check out our 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
  • Basic Bands 2018 Watch Strap And Band Gift Guide

We are an Amazon Affiliate.

Filed Under: Spotlights Tagged With: bespoke, custom watch strap companies, diver, omega, Sinn, tudor

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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

Hybrid Sand Woven Fabric Tudor NATO strap on a Tudor Black Bay Dive 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.

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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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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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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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BEST PLACES TO BUY WATCH STRAPS ONLINE

A common question we get is where to buy watch straps, who is reputable, and how to chose 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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SAFE PLACES TO BUY WATCHES ONLINE – A GUIDE TO ONLINE WATCH PURCHASING

Watches make good gifts for birthdays, weddings and special occasions like graduations. But if you don’t purchase a watch often, it’s hard to know where to look first for the best deal, the best warranty & a guarantee of authenticity. Most people find that the online watch purchasing experience is fragmented and fraught with fakes and high prices. This article explains how to pick an online watch store.

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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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The basic tool for changing a watch strap is called a spring bar tool, also called a strap removal tool, watch pin tool , or a Burgeon tool, after the Swiss company that makes them. It looks like a pencil, with a metal fork on one end to pinch the spring bar while you apply pressure, and a pin on the other end to push out spring bars or bracelets on watches or buckles that have holes all the way through (drilled lugs). Most nice spring bar tools are well machined and come with removable ends for different size forks.

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HOW TO PICK OUT THE RIGHT BAND FOR YOUR WATCH – A PRIMER ON WATCH STRAP STYLE

If you’re new to watchbands or looking to buy a gift for that special someone, knowing how to pick out the right watch strap is difficult. We interviewed Thomas Lathrop, CEO of popular watchband company Crown & Buckle, for some tips on matching up the right band to your watch.

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5 TIPS FOR PICKING A NEW WATCH BAND OR STRAP

Ever wondered how to get the right strap for your watch that will fit right? See our guide for watch strap sizing, watch strap pin tools and watch strap materials.

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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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Tags

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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