strap

Alain Silberstein iKrono Decorated Strap Watches

For a few months now I have been contemplating a regularly dismissed source of artistic real estate on watches - the straps. Watch owners who have ever switched out the strap on their watches know just how profound a change, a new strap on a watch can make. It often makes a tired looking watch feel new - no joke. What I didn't understand is why more watch makers (or strap makers) use the straps to play with artistically. You see wild looking designs on watch faces, why not on straps?

That isn't to say this never happens, but it is mostly maintained to the likes of Swatch and other "play" or less than luxurious watches. A man is used to wearing a tie with interesting and creative designs, why not on a watch strap as well? I think that for the right type of people, art on a strap can be a fantastic new way to not only express themselves, but surround themselves with beautiful things.

So you can imagine how delighted I was to see already creative watch maker Alain Silberstein showing off some new types of straps on his iKrono watches. While I might not like all the strap designs per se, I do like the concept a lot. The range of materials and designs is almost limitless. The large iKrono watch has a large strap with lots space on it. It make sense to decorate it. This applies for almost all watches and watch straps out there. I feel that moving forward in the future a watch strap is going to more and more be seen as a valuable way to personalize a timepiece, and make a beloved watch fresh with a new look. The new tie is gonna be the watch strap!

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: alain silberstein, art, decorated, ikrono, strap, watch

Biwi To Make Luxury Watch Straps From High Tech Elastomer "Kalrez" Material

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This isn't the first time (or certainly the last) where the watch industry has gotten their hands on an exotic material or compound that was originally used for military or space travel purposes and placed them in watches. This is only the latest application of the trend. The question for you should be, is this a good idea? Does the addition of components such as carbon fiber, or exotic metals really give you any benefit? There is no good answer as it really depends on the instance. Sometimes a new look, or slightly lighter watch is the result. More important is the way the watch makes you feel - knowing that your precious timepiece has some seriously special materials in it that only exist elsewhere in high performance machines that you'll never get a chance to own or operate.

Biwi is a plastics, rubber, and strap maker in Switzerland (they might do more things as well). They will begin using a material known as Kalrez to make watch straps. What is Kalrez? It is an elastomer, which is basically a fancy plastic with some remarkable qualities, and flexibility like rubber. Kalrez is owned by DuPont chemicals and was originally developed for much more important purposes in aircraft. It can flex like rubber, but is not nearly as prone to deterioration as rubber (which comes from a plant as opposed to being a by product of oil refining). Kalrez is also extremely resistant to heat and cold, and highly anti corrosive (resistant to a ton of chemicals and harsh elements). Most important to luxury watches, the stuff costs a lot, about 6000 Swiss Franc per kilo. These qualities together make it prime for use in luxury watches that today often use rubber, but want something a bit (or a lot more) fancy. These new Kalrez watch straps from Biwi are the answer.

Via WorldTempus (in French).

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: band, biwi, elastomer, kalrez, rubber, strap, watch

StrapLuxe For Your LuxeWatch

by Anton Friant (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Looking for a new band for your luxury watch? StrapLuxe has got your number. The company specializes in aftermarket leather watch bands for "collector timepieces," offering you the ability to further customize your cherished wristwatch. The only bands currently showcased on the site are those for Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watches, but it looks like they'll also be offering replacement straps for Panerai, IWC, Rolex and Patek Philippe. The AP ROO alligator band goes for $239 and ships for free. Check out their website for a nice photo gallery.

Source

Tags: band, strap, timepiece, watch