New strap: OEM calf vintage

[bcacncnc]

Hi guys. Picked up a the OEM vintage calf strap this weekend. My prelim thoughts are is that its very soft for its thickness, about 5mm; lots of character. And it will likely age well developing a nice patina. Actually I think it's the same strap that comes with the 372 and I think goes well with my zero. Here's some pics guys.

[Cru Jones]

Great strap and combo! I feel myself being drawn more and more these days to OEM straps.

Nice buckle, too. I was looking to pick one up the other day, but the boutique wouldn't budge off their €190 asking price. It just seemed a bit steep for such a small piece of metal. Even after seven years in France, I still convert euros to dollars, which makes the price seem worse.

Luckily for me, I was looking at gators (which work with both style buckles) not vintage calf (which needs the tongue), so, I convinced myself deployant was the way to go (for me), and only picked up the deployant-style strap.

[red1108nyc]

OEM calf vintage is a versatile and comfortable strap. I have to agree.. OEM is hard to beat!

Enjoy,

Fred

[walds11]

Very nice strap. What's the stock number and MSRP? Does it come in 24x22 width and 115x75 standard length?

[watchdaddy1]

Looking good

[nauticajoe]

Nice combo!

[bcacncnc]

Hi guys... thanks for your comments.

Cru - yeah, the buckles are a bit steep. Frankly, I would just go aftermarket and pay USD$25 or so. I'm a big fan of OEMs as you can see - not all, but I find the price comparable to aftermarket or even better sometimes. For OEMs, my favorites are the croc straps, the tunnel strap from the 233, the cashmere, the assolutemente and the vintage calf and of course the JV. I think its time to stop for a little while and break some of them in.

Walds - Unfortunately I don't have the model number. In Hong Kong they don't give you the original packaging with all the details to prevent counterfeit strap products. But if you tell the OP boutique its the "OEM vintage calf" then you should be fine. Mine came with the original length of 115/75 at 24mm width. But due to its thickness, I am sure the average person will find the tail too short. I have 6.25 inch wrists and I'm on the first or second hole. If available, I would recommend a longer tail for those with 6.5 inch or greater. MSRP in HKG is USD$190 - no discount.

[walds11]

My wrist is about 6.5". With OEM straps, I am usually at the second to last hole in or last hole in depending on the strap. I haven't had a thick strap in a while, but I do remember it wearing "short" due to the thickness of the strap. I am thinking that the vintage calf in 115/95 is going to be too long for me. If you are at the second to last or last hole IN, then that should be a good fit with some nice tail.

Originally Posted by bcacncnc

Hi guys... thanks for your comments.

Cru - yeah, the buckles are a bit steep. Frankly, I would just go aftermarket and pay USD$25 or so. I'm a big fan of OEMs as you can see - not all, but I find the price comparable to aftermarket or even better sometimes. For OEMs, my favorites are the croc straps, the tunnel strap from the 233, the cashmere, the assolutemente and the vintage calf and of course the JV. I think its time to stop for a little while and break some of them in.

Walds - Unfortunately I don't have the model number. In Hong Kong they don't give you the original packaging with all the details to prevent counterfeit strap products. But if you tell the OP boutique its the "OEM vintage calf" then you should be fine. Mine came with the original length of 115/75 at 24mm width. But due to its thickness, I am sure the average person will find the tail too short. I have 6.25 inch wrists and I'm on the first or second hole. If available, I would recommend a longer tail for those with 6.5 inch or greater. MSRP in HKG is USD$190 - no discount.

[eric23]

Looks great, Congrats!

[Perilo]

Love that strap...congrats...I have all three of the OEM colors to back my statement up but the gold you have is my favorite!! Enjoy.

[bcacncnc]

Hi Perilo - never knew there were three colors in the vintage range? I've seen the dark brown one. Whats the third color?

Thx Eric.

Walds - I wear the strap on the 1st hole (tightest fitting) on the 000 and the 2nd hole on my 233. I just adjusted the strap to the 3rd hole and there is hardly any tail left. On the 4th hole, for sure there will be nothing left in the tail even to go through the two keepers. For the standard sized strap then if you normally wear it on the 3rd hole, I would definitely go for the longer version.

[mdtddd2007]

Nice strap. Looks great. Make the zero much nicer and more expensive too. Can I ask how much did you pay for this OEM vintage strap at AD??? Thanks...

[bcacncnc]

The MSRP in HK at the AD is $190. Not sure if the price is the same in different locations around the world.

[walds11]

Thanks again for your feedback. I do like a little tail to stick out. My wrist is a little thicker than yours. It's possible that I may need to use the 3rd hole due to the thickness of the strap, which won't leave me which much tail. I tried a 115/95 OEM rubber strap recently. I could not get a snug fit on the 1st hole, most likely a result of the hole positioning.

Originally Posted by bcacncnc

Hi Perilo - never knew there were three colors in the vintage range? I've seen the dark brown one. Whats the third color?

Thx Eric.

Walds - I wear the strap on the 1st hole (tightest fitting) on the 000 and the 2nd hole on my 233. I just adjusted the strap to the 3rd hole and there is hardly any tail left. On the 4th hole, for sure there will be nothing left in the tail even to go through the two keepers. For the standard sized strap then if you normally wear it on the 3rd hole, I would definitely go for the longer version.

[bcacncnc]

Walds. Here is a pic of the strap on the third hole. The keepers are pushed as far as possible to the buckle in this pic so the remaining tail is the maximum you will get.

[walds11]

Not enough tail there in my opinion. Maybe just use one keeper? I am hoping that I can get away with using the second hole on this strap.

Originally Posted by bcacncnc

Walds. Here is a pic of the strap on the third hole. The keepers are pushed as far as possible to the buckle in this pic so the remaining tail is the maximum you will get.

[Perilo]

Originally Posted by bcacncnc

Hi Perilo - never knew there were three colors in the vintage range? I've seen the dark brown one. Whats the third color?

Thx

Hey Eric...black is the third color...best regards, Mark

[Watchcraze007]

So, guys, the calf that comes OEM on the 372 is "Vintage Calf" or just "Calf"? Are there two versions?

[nick c]

looks good

[rulessapt]

Good looking strap.
Bryan, thanks for sharing the extra (priceless actually) information on the sizing and the amount of tail, or lack thereof.
Depends what you like. OEM works very well for me too.

Cheers
Richard

[jhcam8]

Originally Posted by walds11

Not enough tail there in my opinion. Maybe just use one keeper? I am hoping that I can get away with using the second hole on this strap.

That's what I do on a Vintager and it works very well. (Tried to upload a pic but failed.)

[jhcam8]

... and it's a beauty!