Today we are gonna take a look at some high-end watch straps. This is actually my first time checking out over 100$ straps. And I got to say, now I really understand the price. Some time ago I was very sceptical about the higher end watch straps and the prices they were asking for them.

So today we are looking at DaLuca straps. The DaLuca company was founded in 2009, and based in San Diego, Ca (USAhttps://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/). DaLuca was founded by Daniel Luczak as a passionate brand that focused solely on producing the finest hand crafted watch straps for Panerai brand watches. Since then they have expanded their in house manufacturing team to produce watch bands that fit virtually every watch all the way to the highest quality accessories such as wallets, belts, key chains, t-shirts and hats, among many other finely made goods. The straps they sent me today are two Horween Shell Cordovan leather ones and two leather nato straps.

The Horween Shell Cordovan leather straps are something I wanted to look in for years. The straps all arrived in with these small bags. The packaging was nice. These straps came with price tags, the nato’s came with no tags. At first when I saw the price (150$ for one strap) my eyes popped out 😀 because you can buy two of these straps or buy one or even two decent watches. The first impressions looking at horween leather straps was good, but immediately noticed how thin they are, only 1,4mm. The leather is really nice and soft to touch. As it is summer right now, they are just perfect for it. They aren’t bulky and big. I put them both on my DONE Mechanica A03 and Deutsche Master U-88 (The review on the both coming soon) and they look good on them. The stitching on both straps is pretty good. There is maybe one loose end sticking out, but you need to remember that these are handmade, not everyone will be perfect or the same. Another thing off the price which surprised me was the buckles. And damn, they look good! The buckles that came with both horween straps are Panerai style buckles, in polished finishing with DaLuca logo etched in them. I like that the straps are so thin, but the buckle is so big. But it isn’t bulky, it is almost as thin as the strap itself, so on the back side of the wrist, it will look good too and wrap your wrist nicely. Inside the holes for the spring bars, you will find these stainless steel tubes which help to hold the form of the strap, but you can take them out if your spring bars are too big or have a different style of attaching straps on watch, just like mine Deutsche Master U-88 with removable lugs.

The leather nato’s were something too. As I opened the package they came in, I immediately felt the strong leather smell. The horween’s had almost no smell, but the nato’s were really strong, and don’t get me wrong, I like the smell of real leather. One of the straps is a zulu type with no second attachment that goes under the watch, and the other one is classic nato style strap. The leather on these was pretty thick, about 2mm. That means that not every watch will fit them. For example, some of my Vostoks could not be fitted with them and some other micro brands because the spring bar holes are too close to the main case. These straps have better stitching than on than on horween ones, and that actually surprised me because these cost 135$. The hardware is stainless steel with brushed finishing and they look pretty serious. On the wrist, they feel good, but a bit bulky for my taste, but I like how it looks on my Sea-Gull Tank Commander watch. Also for a surprise, the leather nato looks good on my titanium Minus8 diver which has a pretty modern design and you would usually think that it doesn’t go with leather nato.

Overall the straps are top quality. The leather, craftsmanship, hardware. Everything is made to high standards. I know I didn’t put them on any high-end watch, but that just shows that you don’t need Panerai or Rolex to wear great quality handmade straps. The horween straps are that I would recommend the most. They feel very nice on the wrist and the thinness just surprises me every time. Also on their site, they say that these can last a lifetime if you take care of them and protect them from moisture with their leather balms that they sell. So if you are in search of great straps for your watches and money is not an obstacle then get these!

www.dalucastraps.com