Generally there's only so much inventiveness that goes into a belt buckle and what makes a belt special is the detail on the buckle. The L'A Mardaga belt buckle has that but Albert Mardaga has reinvented the belt buckle using a mechanism similar to the opening of a shotgun action. The belt buckle breaks open just like the hinge of a double-barrel shotgun does at the place where you load the bullets and a lever moves left or right to unlock the hinge. The belt buckle has the same basic style. And how's this for a cool feature, instead of having to unbuckle your belt after taking in a heavy meal, a quick press on the button in the doll's-head extension on the end of the barrels allows the belt to lengthen.

The first Mardaga belts sold at auction at Bonham's London in 2004 for prices ranging from £1,912 to £2,400. One of the first belts sold to the Royal Armouries Museum. Each belt is custom made. There is a choice of six leathers; elephant, alligator, ostrich, crocodile, lizard and buffalo; seven engraving styles and six styles of the oak and leather box.

[via Watch of the Week]