Hide and Seek

From a collector's standpoint, getting the right strap is always a headache: most manufacturers play it too safe, resulting in a boring watch. Then there are others with strange fittings, and almost all original straps are rather pricey. Being acutely aware of the difference made by the right strap and loving variety ourselves, we set out from the beginning to offer a) curated options that looked good with the watch but provided clearly different personalities; b) a wide enough variety of options to please most tastes.

This would be necessary as to accommodate short lugs and a good fit to the case, the strap fitting would need to be curved - again, an unconventional fit. For starters, we provide three straps wth the 17.01 - blue, burgundy and tan - all of which match both dials. The shade of the straps, padding thickness and taper, stitching color, length and spacing were all tightly specified, and the buckle pin designed to hold the strap flat for both comfort and longevity. Quick release pins mean changes do not require tools. I am not exaggerating when I say we went through more than a dozen revisions to design, hide and hue before settling on the straps you will receive, in an oily, rich bridle leather, but the result is three straps that trigger a lot of indecision amongst the team!

In future, we plan to offer variety packs of three straps in different materials and colours at very reasonable prices - this ensures that with little effort, your strap fits perfectly, and a wide variety of looks is available. From the designer's perspective, it means that the watches look harmonious and coordinated. Furthermore, we also plan to use the same curved 20mm fitting on all of our watches - so you can interchange to your heart's content.

Let us leave you with a final tip for optimal wearing comfort: though the straps are deliberately stiff for longevity rather than being soft and insubstantial, they will conform to your wrist quickly if you roll them a little before mounting.

- MT

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