I have a friend who owns one watch. The cheap black leather strap that came from the factory is still on it and looking rather worse for wear, and not in the charming patinated way. When it eventually disintegrates, he will likely ask his local department store to replace it with the exact same thing. It makes me sad every time I look at it. I mean, the man doesn’t even own a spring bar tool! I, on the other hand, love straps almost as much as I love watches, and I change them constantly. This is where companies like Singapore’s Delugs come in, feeding my nearly insatiable appetite for variety with high-quality replacement straps. For this review, they gave me a set of four to wear and enjoy as I saw fit, and enjoy them, I did.
While Delugs offers several strap options including Apple Watch straps, exotic leathers, and bespoke service, I got an off-the-shelf selection that is more generally representative of their range. All were 20mm wide tapering to signed 18mm buckles. They feature quick-release pins, finished edges, and leather lining. Delugs has three lengths, and I opted for the medium 115/70, which happens to be the optimum for my 6.75” wrist, offering just enough tail to tuck neatly into the keeper without any excess flapping on the other side. Across the board, construction was top-notch, displaying tight, even stitches and neat finishing on the undersides of the lug and buckle ends.
Three of the samples were from Delugs’s Signature collection, a four-layer, lightly padded (4mm thick) strap that tapers 2mm at the buckle. It is glued, pressed, and finally stitched.
The Shell Cordovan Signature ($99) is made from leather sourced from the Shinki Hikaku tannery in Japan. Shell cordovan is made from the rump of a horse and is known for its beauty and durability. Like many Americans, I am most familiar with Horween shell cordovan from Chicago. The quality is the same, but Delugs claims Shinki Hikaku produces a more even and refined product as opposed to Horween, which often has a more rugged character. I’d say that one is not necessarily better than the other, just different.
Delugs offers seven colors of shell cordovan, including the dark olive shown here. With its rich semi-gloss sheen, I especially liked it on dressier watches. I found it to be an outstanding match for my Visitor Vale Park Officer, where its distinctive color complemented both the unorthodox case and green-white C3 lume. Delugs’s Shell Cordovan straps are lined in French goatskin leather. Why French goat and not Spanish, Nigerian, or Peruvian goat for that matter? I have no idea, but it feels lovely. Maybe they feed it wine and cheese.
The Horween Chromexcel Signature ($80) does, in fact, use leather from the American tannery. The natural color displays a fabulous pull-up effect when bent, the colors ranging from brown to pale beige. Four other colors are offered. Chromexcel tends to age well as light scratches and bumps are easily minimized with a little rub, eventually developing into a unique patina. I paired this more rustic strap on an Undone Basecamp Cali, where its mellow tan colors brought out the vintage lume.
Perhaps the most distinctive model in the collection is the Waxed Camouflage Signature ($80) featuring a multi-tonal camo pattern available in red and blue as well as the more traditional natural and green. Both the surface and the lining are sourced from the Conceria la Bretagnia tannery in Italy. It is vegetable tanned, and the pattern differs on each strap. As the waxed surface wears off, the leather develops a sheen and reveals more color. Over time, it will produce a patina.
My blue sample strap showed just a hint of the larger pattern in shades of sky blue, steel blue, and blue-gray. Just rubbing it a
little brings out the darker tones, offering a hint of how it will age. I tried it on several different blue dial watches, but it really came to life with silver dials like the one on this Vario Eclipse.
The final sample is from the Delugs Epsom Slim Collection ($95). Unpadded and constructed of three layers, the strap is only 2mm thick, making it an excellent choice for smaller watches or thinner cases. Epsom leather comes from the Tanneries Du Puy in France. It has a matte finish and pronounced grain. Delugs touts its durability and offers it in 15 (!) colors. Unlike the other straps in this article, the Epsoms are made to order and require a month of lead time. I’d say they are worth the wait.
The golden brown sample was supple right out of the box and looked amazing on a wide range of watches. White dials were an easy match, and blues popped against the gold, but I am particularly fond of the way it works with warm cream dials like that on my Undone Urban Vintage Killy.
Delugs straps are not cheap, but not overly pricy either. From what I have seen, they could easily charge well over $100 for any of these straps. The quality of materials and craftsmanship would more than justify it. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone, and indeed, I suspect I will be picking up a few more myself (the Waxed Camouflage is impossible to resist). If you are looking for a bigger bargain, have a look at the Bargain Bin, where they sell slightly imperfect and overstock straps for 30-60% off.
Head over to delugs.com and have a look for yourself. Whatever you buy, I am quite sure you will be more than satisfied. ⬩
