Buckles

A beautifully handmade strap would not be complete without a equally well crafted buckle to match it.

In general, buckle size will depends on the width of the strap that they are going to fit on and it ranges from 18mm to 26mm and can be classified into 2 broad categories:

• Tang -type
• Deployant Clasp

Tang-type buckle
This is the most common type of buckles used for watches and it operates just like a man's belt. Within the tang buckle family, there are various designs like:

Thumbnail

Pre Vendome

GPF

Deployant Clasps
Deployant clasps are normally used to give a more elegant look and not all straps will fit a deployant clasps.  As straps using deployant are normally thinner.

Deployant Clasps

A Very Brief History of Handmade Strap

To most people, their watch strap would be one of the things they care less in their life.  If it break, they would most likely just go to a nearby watch shop and pick up the cheapest available strap and ask the shop keeper to change it for them without thinking much of it.

However, since the 1990s a watch brand by the name Paneria has totally change people's perception of watch strap.  It has created a brand new hobby for all watch lover in the form of strap collections and sparked of if I may dare say a multi million dollar industry on specialised aftermarket watch straps.  Like the highly skilled watch maker of the swiss watch industry, the aftermarket strap industry has also nurture a groups of highly skilled craftsman who will crafted out beautifully handmade strap for your precious watches using some of the best and most exotic materials.  Examples of some of these materials would be:

• Fine Italian calf leather
• Crocodile & Alligator skin
• Elephant Skin
• Stingray Skin
• Shark Skin
• Vintage leather from Swiss, swedish ammo pouches     

Handmade watch strap from these strap maker also do not come cheap.  Their prices would range from USD$100 to a few hundred USD depending on the material used.  Example of some of these handmade straps are shown below