Paul Twice is a Polish strap company run by two friends named – you guessed it, Paul. Together, they select quality leathers and handcraft premium straps. Being the kind of guy who believes that half the joy of collecting watches is collecting straps, I was happy to accept one of their creations in exchange for this review.
Upon visiting their site, you may be surprised to see their range is rather narrow, which is to be expected. After all, they are a pair of craftsmen, not a factory. They offer just three models: goat suede with a straight stitch, and shell cordovan or Horween Chromexel with a minimal stitch. Sizes are 18, 20, and 22mm. Color varies by availability (right now, there are plenty of goat options and few in cordovan), but there should be more than enough to meet most needs. Prices run from €89 ($99) for goat and cordovan to €99 ($104) for Horween Cromexcel. You will find some sale items in there as well.
I let the Pauls choose my review strap, offering up my Nomos Metro Datum Gangreserve as the one to match. They’ll do this for you too if you ask. This lovely watch, with its silver dial and red and pale green accents, has challenged my strap pairing skills. I took their suggestion to try their La Mancha olive goatskin.
My sample was sent by regular airmail at no additional cost and arrived at The Time Bum’s DC headquarters in about 10 days. The small Paul Twice cardboard box and paper wrapping provided more than adequate protection, and the “relentlessly handcrafted” sticker was a clever touch.
The strap measures 18mm at the lugs tapering to a 16mm buckle, a slight 2.3mm thick, and is 115/75mm long. Its construction was perfectly clean with tight stitching, even holes, and nearly seamless tabs on the undersides. It is unpadded and lined with vegetable-tanned calfskin. The brand name is marked on the insides of both the strap and the buckle’s frame. It has one fixed keeper and one floating. Paul Twice has not hopped on board to quick-release pins train. While I like the convenience of an integrated spring bar, it would not have worked here as the Nomos requires a 16mm pin.
I was pleased to see that the olive color was faithful to that depicted on the website, a pale, muted green that is more delicate than the military shade we usually associate with that label. The Pauls were indeed correct that it would be an excellent match for the watch. The strap’s painted edges, while brighter than the matte suede surface, were the right color and did not detract.
The main green proved to be very close to that of the Nomos’s markers and power reserve and amplified the metallic qualities of the silver dial, which often seem to wash out to white when viewed against a deeper color. Of course, the suede was buttery soft, requiring no break-in whatsoever.
All around, I would declare the Paul Twice strap to be an unqualified success. Their prices are not especially cheap, but on par for a high-quality hand made strap. I would not hesitate to order from them. If you would like to do so yourself, head over to PaulTwice.com. ⬩
