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Aftermarket Panerai Straps Review
Fransson Straps Review
Fransson Panerai Straps
Origin: Switzerland
Construction: Machine-Stitched
Materials: New and Vintage Leathers
Buckles & Tubes: Buckles Included
Price Range: $125-225
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: August 13th, 2012
Fransson straps is the sister company of Kaktus Straps, producing similarly high-grade straps right in Switerzland. Interestingly, they design and produce a combination of machine made as well as hand made straps. This model reviewed is called the "Seven", and is a machine made strap made in the same Atelier as the Vintage strap made for the ultra-lux MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt, which was also designed and produced by Fransson for MB&F.
The "Seven" Strap is a beautifully crafted leather strap, lined with black leather and tooled very precisely and carefully front and back and also on the keepers. The strap is a 24mm non-tapered strap with slight padding and a rounded tail.
The lined back is stamped "Fransson", and the patterned tooling marks are seen surrounding the stitchwork which is nicely done. I really like the stitching on this strap. The stitch holes are spaced closer together than most straps I have so it has a more 'precise' look to it, which I kind of like. This strap measures 75/120, which makes it perfect for standard wrist lengths. If you have a larger wrist of 8" or larger you might want to move up to the 80/130 model.
The color looks like a light caramel brown to me (True to the color on my monitor on the second photo on this page). I wore this strap for a few weeks and it doesn't appear to have changed color on me yet, but the Fransson website states that it will develop a patina over time. While I like Patina since it gives the strap some character, I do like my light straps to stay light. I am curious how this one will age since it appears to have more of a "sealed" feeling to it than most of my other light Panerai straps. The stitching is Ecru colored, and has a slight contrast to the tan color of the strap.
In the photo above, I tried to capture the padding on the strap. It is a very slight, but noticeable padding and gives the strap some structure. The leather used is a bit thinner than most aftermarket straps, and is more similar to OEM Panerai straps in that respect, however the strap does not taper like an OEM. In general, the strap reminds me of a very well made OEM-style strap with no taper and a rounded tail. I would say the quality and finish feel better than OEM Panerai straps and I would consider it of a higher quality.
My favourite things about this strap are the color and stitching combination combined with the flawless construction. It really has a feeling of perfection and polish to it that I don't often see when reviewing straps. Priced at €95, it is a very good value.
Specs as Reviewed:
Length: 75/120
Width: 24mm
Buckle: Brushed