About two years ago we looked Colareb straps and they were jus gorgeous. Now with The Urban Gentry channel and Tristano’s help, this strap maker is known and respected in watch community. They are in business for quite a long time now and they make straps by hand in Italy and for the best price, I’ve seen in the market. You won’t find any strap maker from Italy who makes straps by hand and that cost under 60$.

You readers are pretty lucky because you can see how these age after 2 years of hard use (water, sun, sweat, cold etc.). I had these two straps sent to me about 2 years ago. I think they both are from Roma collection. They still are pretty soft, the mustard one got maybe more used as it doesn’t look so good, but I like that beaten up look, it shows that these things get used + it suits this watch. The black one lasted a bit better. The holes where the buckle goes in for me are a bit worn out, but nothing serious. I think they still could last 2 more years. I actually recently restored them. I heated them up a bit with steam. Then removed the residue with a dry cloth and left it to dry. Then I took leather conditioner and they were like new.

The most model lines of Colareb are named after Italian cities, which I think is pretty cool and pays homage to the motherland. You have groups like Venezia, Siena, Spoleto, Amalfi and Roma all cities in central or northern Italy. Colareb works with the best Italian artisans and craftsmen for a long time. The company is over 20 years old but they only set up their site about 3 years ago.  The leather they work with is tanned exclusively in Italy where their products are designed and manufactured. Now let’s look at the straps I got from them in for a review. The straps I got are Venezia vintage ocher and distressed Roma in mud colour.

The Roma has this dark brown mud tone but as I twisted the strap a bit the colour became lighter, uneven and the leather showed a beautiful wrinkled patina. So don’t be afraid to order them if you think that they are dark, they will get lighter as you twist them. The leather on the Roma is not smooth, it is wrinkled or basically distressed. It is meant to look old. I’d suggest using these straps mostly on vintage watches or vintage looking watches. It also goes very well with busy dial watches. The leather is just as soft as it needs to be with the edges being curved only a little bit not to mess with your skin. I loved the sturdy but comfortable feel of these straps, they might seem stiff when you hold them but trust me they are very soft when they wrap the wrist. The buckle is quite bulky but is nicely made. As you can see I’ve put it on my Ceccacci Date Chronograph which just looks amazing with this strap. The price for this is 61€ which isn’t a lot for this kind of quality product.

The Venezia has this light brown almost yellow colour to it. The leather is softer with almost no grain, it almost feels like soft suede. The buckle is a bit smaller as the strap is 20mm and the Romas was 22m. But the buckle is different, it isn’t so bulky and better goes with modern watches, as you can see I put it on my Straits Foundry Maiden Voyage with the open hearth dial, and I think it looks stunning. The Venezia has even softer leather in they way it wraps the wrist. The Venezia costs only 33.50€.

Overall I think it is safe to say that Colareb has one of the best price/value ratios among any brand you will find on the internet. The straps they produce do not go the extreme in terms of fabrics, colours or sizes but provide a very even and wide range of products that are refined to the luxury level.  Also, keep in mind that all of these designs, the leather tannings as well as the production of the straps take place in Italy, which is proudly advertised on the back of the strap. Other than straps they produce a number of other accessories including different types of watch cases and watch rolls.

www.colareb.it