Bas & Lokes leather strap
I have a large wrist. It’s not quite Thanos large, think more your average, every day, axe wielding viking. I always thought I had a small/medium wrist until I got stuck into watch collecting. All of a sudden, it seemed that all the standard watch straps looked comical, having to use the outer most hole and barely reaching the keeper. If I’m going to wear comedy straps, they should at least tell me a joke.
Another issue, you usually get what you pay for. Or should I say, you get what the supplier paid for. It seems to me that there is no cost cutting on good leather which I suppose is not surprising. I have had some good experiences in the past with a strap maker based in Adelaide (see review here) but I wanted to get something really special this time around. The plan is that the strap in question will go on my future Speedmaster, which is probably a few years away, and in the short term do some time on my Sinn EZM3F. |
I think it’d be wrong to call this a review as such since leather is all about patina and how it wears and softens over time, but I think it’s ok to talk early impressions and reviewing the craftsmanship on offer here.
I had been looking at the Bas & Lokes website for a long long time but always shied away since the prices are all in USD. I’m in Melbourne and they are in Sydney and despite our cities’ differences, we all use Australian dollars. That said, I believe that the owner/founder is American so there would be a reason here one would think. That said, I think it might mean a few lost orders from Australians? Either way, I hate to admit to this but if you’re spending thousand of dollars on a fancy watch, should you really skimp on what holds it on your wrist? Particularly when proportionally that cost is rather low? Ok the exchange rate used by credit card companies is sadistic at best…but suck it up and deal with it, like a big boy. |
"Blisk" Vintage Aviator Brown Leather Watch Strap
The Bas & Lokes website is very attractive. The excellent photography helps to sell what is a premium product. The straps look buttery smooth and the genius pairings with an Omega Speedmaster, famously attractive with any strap, certainly lends even more credibility.
It’s an absolute pleasure to navigate the site and the main problem really is that you do get hooked on almost every strap since they are just, at least to my eye, presented so well. This is quite annoying since I really can’t afford to buy one of each. |
Back to my point on large wrists. Ordering a handmade strap means you can customise the size. Bas & Lokes makes this very easy in the ordering process, with helpful guides and advice on how to measure your wrist (sure, it’s not a difficult task but do you really want to risk stuffing it up?). One tough decision is the amount of tapering, I wish I had gone slightly more than I did (20 to 18mm).
The fact that you’re about to fork out a relatively large sum of money certainly hones your senses and ensures you double check absolutely everything before placing that order. You can also elect to have your initials/letters on the strap. I didn’t bother with this. My name is not Lord Esbjorn Smytherford III after all, monograms is not for us plebs. I placed the order in January and about 16 days later, the strap arrived. Wrapped in black paper, with my name handwritten in silver, I found another handwritten card addressed to me and the strap itself safely enclosed in good quality plastic. |
One thing I’ve noticed over the last few months is companies sending you an email a few minutes after placing your order with suggestions on what would complement your order. It’s very clever.
This happened with my order also and I fell for this honey trap rather easily, and added a small tub of leather conditioning. Was that necessary? Time will tell, but the reality is that I would rather have it than not, particularly at a decent price. |
One small criticism. With most straps these days you seem to get spring bars included. With this being a luxury product, where promo codes or discounts are scarce to say the least, it would have been a nice touch to have had two good quality spring bars supplied.
So how does it fit? Like a gl….No, I will try to stay away from cliches. The length is perfect for me. I suppose it should be since it was me that specified the size, but ordering anything online, sight unseen, always feels like a bit of a gamble. It will obviously depend on the size of your watch also and this is worth having a good think about before you place that non refundable order. I like the fact that it’s only one, small but wide, floating keeper. I’m always annoyed at the usual, one fixed/one floating, since that second floating keeper always seems to be keeping exactly nothing in place but instead having a great old time near the lugs of the watch instead. |
Now, the craftsmanship. It is excellent. Closeup photography is extremely unforgiving and tends to reveal imprecise seams, cuts and thread that is starting to fray a little already. Not here, as you can see. All the little details are absolute perfection. The threads are perfect, the way the strap has been cut is precise and straight, with no hard edges and the only bit of print is a discrete Bas & Lokes logo.
The buckle is nothing fancy but its brushed finish is good and it seems to be reasonably resistant to scratches, which is why you’d get the brushed version. You can also specify polished if you’re into the natural, scratched up over time look. The leather used is so smooth and it should age very well. As with a lot of good leather, it starts to patina almost immediately, with an almost immediate change of colour around stress points such as the perforated holes for the buckle. This is why you buy good quality leather and I can’t wait to see this develop further. There is something so beautiful to me about dark brown leather and the lighter stress points that appear naturally. I expect I’ll need to add to this article in a year or so when I’ve had time to wear the strap in properly, so if you’re reading this in 2021. Do please return in 2022. |
Initial Verdict
I wanted something that would look like it was lifted straight from an Indiana Jones movie, you know like his various bags, belts etcetera. So far, I feel like that’s exactly what I got. I’m very happy with my purchase and that’s saying something for me. In my world, there is nothing more irritating than paying luxury pricing and receiving inferior product, not so this time so thank you Bas & Lokes team.
I’m really looking forward to seeing this strap age and soften up. As I extend my watch collection, I can really see myself needing some other varian….Wait….Shh…can you hear that? Oh dear, my Mastercard has fished out the world’s tiniest violin and is already composing a sad song with rather sarcastic lyrics…something about future purchases from the idiot with his name proudly displayed on the front. Oh well, as is my favourite saying, it’s only money. Cheers, Esbjorn |
Note, my opinions are my own and this article is not sponsored or sanctioned by Bas & Lokes
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