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In this video, I’ll share just about everything you could ever need to know about watch straps. We’ll cover basic strap-related terms, how to change straps, and each of the most common and popular strap materials. In addition, towards the end, we’ll take a few moments to talk about how to style your watch with different straps. This is a long one, but there is a lot of great information in here that can really help build your overall watch knowledge. If you guys would like to see more comprehensive
educational content on the channel, let me know in the comments what you’d like me to cover!
Teddy’s Watch Strap Factory Tour:
75 Watch Terms:
Other Educational Videos from Teddy:
How to Tell if a Watch is Well-Made:
Third-Party Movement Overview:
How to Tell if a Watch is Poorly Made:
6 Things to Consider When Building a Watch Collection:
7 Things I Wish I Knew About Watches When I Started:
Chapters:
0:00 – Intro and Organization
1:43 – 1. Basic Strap Knowledge
5:28 – 2. How to Change a Watch Strap
8:19 – 3. Leather Straps
16:44 – 4. Rubber Straps
18:31 – 5. Nylon Straps
20:46 – 6. Miscellaneous Strap Materials
22:26 – 7. Bracelets
26:14 – 8. Best Practices & Styling
30:54 – Concluding Thoughts
Links to Purchase Straps Featured in this Video on TeddyBaldassarre.com (In Order of Appearance):
0:56 – Genuine Alligator:
0:57 – Tan Hermés Grain Leather:
1:01 – Sand Two Piece Nylon:
1:23 – Crazy Horse Leather:
1:26 – Grey Nylon:
1:28 – Canvas/Leather:
1:34 – Chestnut Genuine Alligator:
2:38 – Brown Genuine Lizard:
3:37 – Black Genuine Crocodile:
4:37 – Bergeon Spring Bar Tools:
5:56 – Sand Cordura:
6:09 – Shrunken Grain Leather:
9:48 – Brown Genuine Oil Tan Leather:
10:39 – Brown Vegetable Tan Ply Leather:
12:22 – Black Genuine Lizard:
15:16 – Genuine Ostrich:
15:37 – Black Shell Cordovan:
17:46 – Black Silicone:
18:07 – Polyurethane:
20:01 – Black Zulu (NATO):
25:30 – Mesh:
27:27 – Black Nato:
30:38 – Black Calfskin Leather:
My List Videos Playlist:
Other Places to Check Out:
Instagram:
Thanks for doing this one, Teddy. I learned a ton!
I prefer metal bracelets as they are immune to bad smells! I love the look of a thin leather Nato and they hold up well for rare use. Unless you sweat big time. After a summer in Asia my leather nato smelled so bad and had major shrinkage around the wrist
If you're lazy like me: do consider that you will be too lazy to change bracelets regularly and you'll basically want one watch per bracelet style. "Today I'm going with leather look" = watch or "Today I'm going all steel"=watch2.
But if you get bored and consider buying a new watch – try changing the strap first. Will feel like a brand new item.
Paratrooper strap looks cool. I don’t own one but I think it’ll be my next strap
Excellent and educational, hope u soon will get in more of the
Curious how a true nato changes the wearability of a watch? Seems like the watch would be able to tilt a bit forward and back?
this video is a prime example of a good content marketing campaign, well done Teddy!
What is the make and model of the canvas strap?
It irritates me that only a few watches in my collection can accept any strap, especially being my 1964 Omega Speedmaster Professional and Casio CA-901, as lugs are decent and not at weird angles and or shapes. Most of my other watches are really strap specific. What I mean is that it is impossible for me to use a strap for my Casio DW-9900 on my Tissot T-Touch Expert and vice versa.
Teddy "welcome to the gun show" Baldessare
Where did you get the money to buy all your watches initially?
which of the straps on your website (in 16mm size) are going to lay the flattest? I wear a very thin and low profile Tudor hand wind from the 50s and don't want the strap to be taller than the crystal! Thanks!
This may be a dump question. If a watch came with straight spring bars, can the watch accept curved spring bars?
Thank you Teddy for the content. I wish I knew this before I bought my "Genuine Leather" strap. However I managed to source some top grain leather straps. Hopefully will arrive soon.
Great video Teddy! I’ve been a watch enthusiast for a long time, but your video opened my eyes to some pairings I would have not thought about doing. Keep up the good work!
An important point of consideration, for both bracelets and straps, is the "fine tuning" of the lenght. Some people, like myself, need a very precise adjustment. I cannot stand watches which move around the wrist, or watches which make a red mark on my wrist. An easy and fast adjustment is hard to find. Some bracelets have half-links, and have additional adjustement holes, but one needs a tool (and some time) to adjust the bracelet. This is not good becase heat, doing sport and other factors can make the strap "suddenly" too tight or too loose and I want to be able to adjust it on the fly, without tools. The only effective solutions to this problem, IMHO, is sliding clasp for bracelet, and Perlon straps. Also, Velcro straps work very well and are continuously adjustable.
Also worth mentioning the "Marine Nationale" kind of nylon strap, the "Velcro strap" which is an effective and simple strap although not extremely refined, and the "Engineer" bracelet. Very well realized video, thanks for the content which is helpful especially for the beginner. One learns more with 1 half-an-hour well made video than with 100 5-minute videos which don't say anything.
The real advantage of Perlon is that the pin enters in "any" place in the strap, there is no need for prepared holes, this can make the strap more comfortable in those instances when, in a traditional nylon strap, a hole is too tight and the next hole is too loose. Many Perlon executions have a very fine grain and allow great freedom in inserting the pin.
Please sir stop apologizing for the length of your videos.
They are always filled to the brim with helpful info.
Keep up the great work!🇨🇦
What straps would you recommend with Tissot Gentleman Blue dial.
Thanks for sharing your vast funds of knowledge. Good to know “genuine leather “ is a deceptive term.
Every time I want to change the factory strap on my Casio World Time. It's perfect designed for $20.
Stop waving you hands around, all you gestures are completely pointless. Why have you edited the video to repeatedly cut away from the watches to show yourself on the screen?
What’s the deal with embossed leather straps? Is it better or worse than stitching on the sides? Is it just a style thing?
This video is gold. Thanks!
Subscribed because of this video
I am new to the watch world; I have found your videos extremely wellmade, informative and helpful. Thank you very much!!!
I think you should mention Tank Track Style in the bracelets chapter. It is absolutely unique.
Thanks🙋
Most stingray leather comes from fish farmed for their meat. The skin is a bye-product.
Is anyone know the name of the watch strap at 20:57?
No apology is necessary after giving us the most exhaustive and useful instruction on watch straps to be found anywhere. Thank you, Teddy.
kind of fuck up to wear other living being skin when you think about it
What do you think about Hirsch leather straps? Thank you!
I have a 9.25" wrist size. Looking for a NATO or rubber band to replace on my Longines Heritage Diver watch. Any ideas? Thanks
I actually removed springbars with my nail when the strap is leather or rubber. Is it normal or my nail is thin?
Really helpful Teddy.
Great video, thanks Ted! Send my best to Courtney!
I’m a watch expert now 😌
27:55 , anyone know the link to get that sand coloured cordura strap? It’s not in the listed links in the description, thanks!
That vintage omega is so beautiful
I just changed out my first watch strap, these instructions were very helpful & ensured that it went smoothly. I added a strap from your store (Red leather croc grain) on a rose-gold seiko dress watch. Really makes it come alive & pop. Soo much more comfortable too.
Great episode, Teddy. Thank you. Short, regular and long straps. For those with smaller wrists, short length straps are great. Why are they so hard to find?
Great video. Thanks.