Aftermarket Panerai Review

Dangerous9 Straps Review #2

Dangerous9 Panerai Straps

Origin: Germany (formerly USA)
Construction: Hand-Stitched
Materials: New, Vintage and Exotic Leathers and Hides
Buckles & Tubes: Buckles And Tubes Included
Price Range: $165+
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: June 29th, 2012

If you guys read my first review of Dangerous Nine Straps, you'll know that I am a big fan of John Glance's work. He has now moved to Munich Germany, and has become a full time strapmaker. This latest strap that I got from John at Dangerous9 Straps is a helluva strap! He has now improved his technique and repertoire to include hand-dyed American Alligator skin straps with exotic liners and padding.

This strap has a natural vege-tanned finish and an awesome eel skin lining. This is a very soft lining and feels really nice on the wrist. I haven't had any other straps using eel skin for the liner, so this is new to me. It is part of his SuperExotica upgrade, which offers you a choice of exotic skin linings such as Eel Skin, Sea Snake, Nubuck Salmon, Toad Skin and many more. The padding is done with vege-tanned leather, not a cheap filler.

As usual with all John's straps, they have the little tag that comes with it, signed as well as a letter with care instructions, etc. John is no longer able to provide step-by-step photos of the process as it is too time consuming now that he has been busier! He does still provide a multi-angle slideshow for customer approval before delivery, however.

What a beautiful strap. That hand-buffed waxed finish is fantastic, and really makes the colors pop - no wonder: This strap is hand antique finished by John himself. The upgraded polished sewn-in buckle is signed with D9, and is now a step above the previous buckles in that it is a deep etch rather than the laser etching that the older buckles were - nice touch for a small upgrade cost.

The strap is very soft and pliable, with a slight bit of stiffness where the padding is. The padding moulds to the wrist in a matter of days, and gives that nice structured curve that a good strap develops over time. The strap can be had without the padding as well, if preferred.

The scales are an extra-large square scale pattern, with round belly scale hides used for the keepers. This model uses D9's super premium Swiss Hides which is hand antiqued. It measured 24mm wide and is non-tapered. The quality of this strap is exceptional, and compares with the best I have ever seen from ABP and Delaurian. In fact, its probably one of the best made straps I've ever owned. John told me that his goal with these straps was 'nothing short of building the finest fully handmade, hand stitched watch straps in the world' - I think he's achieved this. While there is obviously some room for personal preference and taste, there is no doubt his work here is spectacular.

His stitching is impeccable, hide selection meticulous, and attention to detail second-to-none. This is a quality made strap, folks.

A testament to John's attention to detail: Even the inside of the keepers are lined with the same green eel skin that is used to line the strap with the SuperExotica upgrade - this gives the strap an incredible sense of polish and completeness. The eel skin lining also makes the strap slide into the keeper more smoothly due to the texture of the eel skin - absolutely brilliant.

While the strap is made of Alligator and Eel skins, it is not waterproof. The strap is water repellant, as John says, but should not be submerged. Just simple care instructions to maintain the longevity of the strap. As before, all straps are serial numbered and carry a 5 year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

As I'm sure you can tell already, I enthusiastically recommend Dangerous 9 straps. The quality has improved from a couple years ago (when it was still fantastic) and John has really upped his game with this strap.

Strap As Shown:
Swiss Hides American Alligator for PAM $285
Optional Upgrades:
Hand Antiquing $55
Padding at the lugs $25
Double Keepers (1 sewn-in, 1 floating) $15
Upgraded 'D9' Sewn-in buckle $27
SuperExotica Upgrade: $60
Total: $467