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Basic Bands Watch Strap Fashion

SMALL BRAND SPOTLIGHT – TWO ONE FOUR STRAPS

February 21, 2018 by Basic Bands

Two One Four Straps - Brown Watch Strap

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.

Name: Jun Talusan (Two One Four Straps)
Website: www.facebook.com/twoonefourstraps; Instagram (Contact him via Facebook or Instagram to buy)
Location: Philippines
What: Custom handmade, handstitched watch straps

How did you get into watchstrap making?
A few years back I got into collecting watches. At one point I acquired several pieces and decided to change straps instead of buying a new one, but since I have skinny wrists most straps sold at shops didn’t fit. That’s the time I decided to make my own.

I’m a very lucky guy to have a wife that supports my hobby, and she’s the one who actually pushed me to pursue strap making. At first it was so frustrating because my straps don’t look anything close to the ones I see online. It is when I realized that strap making is not something you can learn easily, it takes time and effort and a detailed eye to make your strap presentable.

Two One Four Straps – Cracking Black Watch Strap
Two One Four Straps – Cracking Black Watch Strap

What materials do you use in your bands?
Mostly Full grain cowhides, but I also use denim, canvas and exotic hides

Two One Four Straps – Brown Caiman Watch Strap
Two One Four Straps – Brown Caiman Watch Strap

What is your favorite material to work with?
I love working with Crazy Horse and vintage reclaimed leathers. They have so much character in them.

Two One Four Straps - Crazy Horse Watch Strap
Two One Four Straps – Crazy Horse Watch Strap

What style of bands is your favorite to make or wear?
My sense of style changed, before I like making and wearing big, bulky and wide straps. But now I’m into tapered and not too thick straps. It’s more comfortable to wear and looks elegant.

Two One Four Straps – Hand painted Vintage Denim Croc print Watch Strap
Two One Four Straps – Hand painted Vintage Denim Croc print Watch Strap

Do you have a favorite watch?
I’m partial to Japanese diver’s watches with iconic and classic look because they are very versatile. You can make them look rugged, casual or dressy.

Two One Four Straps - Black Canvas Watch Strap
Two One Four Straps – Black Canvas Watch Strap

What do you like to do outside of strap making?
I love watching movies and if given the time, some woodworking.

Two One Four Straps - Watch Strap Options
wo One Four Straps - Cognac Brown Watch Strap
Two One Four Straps – Cognac Brown Watch Strap

Looking for a new watch to go with your custom made strap? Support our blog by shopping through our affiliate partner, Jomashop.

  • 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, brown leather, canvas, exotic, grey

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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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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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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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