There’s something kind of magical about how a new strap can make a watch feel completely different and uniquely yours. Especially when you're at the local meetups and can immediately tell your watch because it's styled just to your tastes. Some collectors even have strap-watch combos with a story all their own. We asked members of our community to shine a light on how they style their watches (with straps and beyond) through this recurring series, Watch Couture.
One Strap, Two Watches
If you love customizing a strap like we do, you’ve no doubt read your fair share of articles explaining how changing up a strap can give a watch a completely different look. While those are deeply entertaining, we wanted to turn the concept around a bit and look at a strap in our collection that create a different vibe when paired with different watches.
I love a good tool watch. And it doesn't get much more "tool" than the Tudor Pelagos, which I've paired with this dark brown distressed leather strap from B & R Bands. The vintage flair of the strap compliments the contemporary diver aesthetic of the Pelagos, making for a combo that's both rustic and sophisticated. Whether lounging around in sweats or spending a night out on the town, this is a look that works for almost any occasion.
I'm going to keep the tool vibes going with my Longines Skin Diver, which oozes vintage vibes from the box crystal to the big crown. The textured black and brown tones on the dial pair so perfectly with the warm patina on this strap, you'd think the watch came this way from the factory. This look is exactly what I imagine when I think of vintage-inspired contemporary tool watches - effortlessly cool.
Shout out to the good people at B & R Bands in Brooklyn for making this beautiful strap.
The first watch I chose to style with this-olive green suede strap is a Nomos Tetra. It’s quite a bit dressier than my second watch, but it still works on this strap. Suede seems to work best on sporty vintage watches, but dressing down a piece like this with a suede strap makes it just a bit more wearable as a daily piece. The silvery-white dial and heat blued hands on this watch allow it to work with almost any strap. While I do end up changing it quite often, it’s nice to occasionally put it on something a little less dressy.
The second piece I have here is a Bulova Hack on an olive-green suede leather strap from B&R straps. If you’re familiar with this watch you will recognize that it comes on a strap that’s visually similar, but this supple suede is definitely a step up. The watch on this strap feels adventurous and rugged, and I love how the olive-green works with the gunmetal grey case for this watch. The red and white numerals also really pop in contrast with the darker tone of everything else on the watch. All in all, it’s the perfect companion for a classic sized field watch.
This strap is from B & R Bands out in Brooklyn.
If you have a watch strap with a great story we would love to hear about it down in the comments.
 Jason Gong is a lifelong watch lover, DEI champion and the founder of Complecto. His journey started with a love for watches and has evolved into a mission to create a more diverse, inclusive and accessible industry and collecting community for all. |  Maxwell L.B. Thorn has been collecting watches for almost 15 years with no plans on slowing down any time soon. What started with a pair of Seiko monsters evolved into an instagram account dedicated to watch straps, a true passion for the industry, and the uncanny (read frustrating) ability to steer any conversation back to watches. |
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