Today’s strap is part of Crown & Buckle’s Black Label collection, now in it’s 3rd season. The strap shown here is the “Berit,” on an Omega
Speedmaster Professional watch.

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 perfect combos, the strap and watch match-ups we’ve seen this year that just work great together. If you’re looking for a watch & strap package, this section is for you. Whether you’re buying a first watch for a teenager or making a big investment, we’ve got some excellent options. Related Guide: Safely Buying a Watch Online.

After that we’re showcasing our favorite straps of the year from our favorite custom strapmakers. There are a lot of talented leather workers out there ready to make you a watch strap, and we’ve featured some of the best of them. If you’re looking to spice up a watch or get a new strap made to replace a broken band, this is the place to go. Don’t forget to check out our guides on watch strap style, tips for picking out a new strap, tools for changing a strap, and how to fix a broken watch strap loop.

Lastly, we’re covering watch strap accessories for those of you who already own all the watches and watch straps you need. But where to put them all? We’ve got some great ideas on watch pouches, watch winders and more. Related: Recommended Watch Storage, Winders & Cases on Amazon.

Great Watch and Watch Strap Combos that Caught our Eye

2018 was a great year for watch straps. Brightly colored silicone seemed to go with almost everything, especially diver watches. Canvas straps were a big hit on our Pinterest boards all year long, and high quality leather seemed a match made in heaven for luxury watches. Here are some of our favorites in various price ranges.

Watch & Watch Strap Combos: $100-$300

Clockwork Synergy Autumn Brown Suede Leather Band on a Seiko SNK 809 watch. You can usually buy both on Amazon for under $140, but sales on the watch often bring that down to closer to $110. All the Seiko SNK models make great starter watches for kids and teenagers and beater watches for adults.

Blue leather quick release from Barton Bands on the inexpensive Timex Weekender, combo usually runs under $75, but sales can bring that down to $50-ish. Quick-release straps are some of our favorite things.

Barton Bands Blue Flatwater Silicone Quick Release Band on a Seiko SKX 007 Diver. You can find Barton Bands on their website or their Amazon store. At around $20, the watch strap is a great band for the price, and the combo usually runs about $250.00. Just an amazing watch with a great history.

Watch & Watch Strap Combos Over $400

B&R Bands Oak Classic Vintage Watch Band on a Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Watch. Combo runs just over $400 with sales, without sales the band will be about $80 and the watch about $475. The Hamilton watch is basically the go-to watch when it comes to field/military watches.

Custom Gray Perforated Apple Watch band by Etsy seller O2Leather. The watch is obviously an Apple Watch. If one of those is on your purchase list this year, keep in mind that there are a lot of strap options out there besides the ones offered by Apple. Custom straps are generally pretty easy to fit to all models of Apple Watches. Check out our list of custom watch strap makers and our Apple Watch strap collection on our Basic Bands Amazon recommendation list.

Luxury Watch & Watch Strap Combos: over $1500

Brown Hirsch SPEED Alligator Watch Strap on a Tag Heuer Carrera watch. Both the strap and the photograph are courtesy of the awesome guys over at Watch Obsession. Blue dials are a match made in heaven with dark brown and tan leather watch straps. Strap costs around $260, watch around $2,000.

Crown & Buckle Tan Kangaroo Leather watch strap on Nomos Orion Watch

Crown & Buckle tan kangaroo leather strap on a Nomos Orion watch. Definitely a great combo for the minimalist in your life. Strap runs about $70, the watch about $3,100.

Going custom – getting a new custom watch strap made just for you

We featured a lot of artists this year on the blog, you can check them out on our custom watch strap maker list. Dan’s canvas strap was one of our most visited pages all year, consistently getting hits from Pinterest (Dan is the owner of Red Rock Straps). High end leather was insanely popular, especially for luxury watches, such as the Horween leather straps from Jones in Tokyo.  Exotic leathers also made an appearance, with some great work being done in string ray, crocodile and lizard leather.

If you’re buying a watch for a person who knows and loves watches but still want to keep the price reasonable, custom is the way to go. Even if you don’t want to give away your gift giving plans by asking about a watch size, make or model, a custom strap maker can probably find out the size from a quick snapshot and get you something that special person in your life will love.

Dan’s canvas strap on a luxury Omega Speedmaster watch. You can find Red Rock Straps on Etsy.

Neptune Straps Brown Leather Watch Strap on Seiko SKX 007 Diver. You can find our interview with Pavel here.

One of our favorite leather crafters, Jones in Tokyo’s work always looks exquisite. Pictured here is his French calf tan/brown watch strap. If your special someone is the owner of a luxury watch, chances it will look amazing on a strap from his shop.

Want to go exotic? Dangerous9 straps is the place to drool over crocodile, lizard and other exotic leathers on insanely amazing watches. Shown here is an Omega Planet Ocean on a Grey SuperMatte Teju Lizard Watch Strap.

Watch accessories: or what to get for the person that already has a nice watch

If you’re not sure about strap size or don’t know what style your gift recipient will like, there are other gift options. You can buy some inexpensive watch tools to make strap changes easier, like a strap change tool or spring bars, or delve into the wide world of watch cases, winders and storage. With prices as high as a few thousand dollars for some winders, there is a lot of room for every gift buyer.

Since a lot of watch cases and pouches are made of leather, you can also have one custom made.

A canvas watch roll from B&R Bands. About $120.

Choice Cuts Industries valet tray and single slot watch roll with a Timex Expedition Scout and custom strap, all in English Tan leather. Valet tray – $40. Strap $60, Timex – $40.

Crown & Buckle Warren Watch Roll – $145.

Oak & Honey Custom Leather Single Watch PouchOak & Honey Custom Leather Single Watch Pouch – $126 CAD.

If none of these gifts strike your fancy, check out our list of recommended watch strap brands here or our Amazon store for more recommended brands of watch straps and gifts.

Also, check out our other guides:

• Safe Places to Buy a Watch Online
• Seiko SNK Guide & Strap Gallery
• 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
• How to Fix A Broken Loop On Your Watch Strap

We are an Amazon, Etsy & Jomashop affiliate, and a few other jewelry stores listed on our about page. We do not get paid to promote any brands, nor are we an affiliate for any watch strap brands directly, only through the stores named above. Thanks for reading our guide and we hope you have a great 2019!

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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.

Yema-Rallye-Strap – Two Stitch Straps

Two-Stitch Straps Leather Honey Watch Strap

Two-Stitch Straps Coal Leather Watch Strap on Rolex Sea Dweller

Racing Straps Selection – Two Stitch Straps

Two-Stitch Reversed Leather Beige Strap

Two-Stitch Black Strap on an Omega Speedmaster

Two-Stitch Vintage Cognac Strap

Two-Stitch Straps Vintage Cognac Strap

Two-Stitch Vintage Buffalo Strap

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

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.

Name: Neptune Straps/Pavel Slow
Website: Etsy Shop
Location: UK
What: Mainly watch straps but also small leather goods (bifold wallets, cardholders, etc.)

Neptune Straps Brown Leather NATO Watch Strap

How did you get into watchstrap making?
I think it’s a similar story to many other strap makers. I’m a watch enthusiast and made my first straps for myself. I’m a member of several watch forums and saw many watches there with superb handmade straps. Unfortunately, those straps were expensive to buy.

So I decided to try one myself. Of course, my first attempt was terrible because I didn’t have any previous experience with leather craft. But I didn’t give up and tried again and again. Now it’s been over five years that I’ve been doing it and there are still plenty of things to improve.

I think it’s a great hobby. It helps me relax after work and helps me develop precision, patience and manual skills. It has also allowed me to meet many wonderful people in the watch enthusiast community.

Neptune Straps Strapmaking

What materials do you use in your bands?
Mainly calf/cow hide leather, sometimes exotic leather. I’m always trying to just pick the finest quality leather.

Neptune Straps Salmon Leather Watch Straps

What is your favorite material to work with?
My favorite material is Horween Dublin leather. I also like to work with old, vintage leather.

Neptune Strap Brown Leather Perforated Watch Strap

What style of bands is your favorite to make or wear?
I like to make Panerai style straps and ammo straps. I think they have a lot of character and they are quite unique.

Do you have a favorite watch?
It is a hard question to answer because it’s changing all the time. Watches that come to mind are the Cartier Santos or Rolex Oysterquarz.

What do you like to do outside of strap making?
I enjoy spending time with my family. Strap making is just my hobby and I do it in my spare time.

Neptune Straps Black Leather Rally Strap on an Omega Speedmaster

Neptune Straps Wallet

Neptune Straps Brown Leather Watch Strap on Seiko SKX 007 Diver

Neptune Straps Leather Watch Strap Rolls

Neptune Straps Brown Leather Watch Strap on an Omega Speedmaster

Also check out our other guides:

• Safe Places to Buy a Watch Online
• 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
• How to Fix A Broken Loop On Your Watch Strap

We are an Amazon & Jomashop Affiliate.