Aftermarket Panerai Strap Review

Corrigia Straps Review

Corrigia Straps Panerai Straps

Origin: Germany
Construction: Hand-Stitched
Materials: Mostly New Leathers
Buckles & Tubes: Buckles Extra
Price Range: €150-400
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: June 25th, 2014

Corrigia is a German-based leathersmith and strapmaker who prides themselves on their vintage-style straps crafted from the finest Italian leather. Ceng, the owner, is a self-proclaimed vintage strap fanatic and takes a lot of pride in producing straps that are historically accurate and true to their vintage namesake.

The straps come in a wood box containing the strap and an ID Card and some coffee beans, though I'm not sure what the coffee beans are for. Fragrance perhaps? At any rate, the strap really doesn't smell like coffee beans after the trip here from Germany but rather like nicely tanned cowhide leather.

Ceng uses antique leather tools as well as true authentic vintage style construction, and his leathers and yawns are sourced from Italy. This model, the Reborn series Fletch03, is one of his higher-end straps, and features "true vintage" construction, which uses an additional layers and folds of leather in the construction to bring it to 5mm thick. According to Ceng, these are the true vintage production techniques used in the 1960's.

Notice the nice Corrigia logo burned into the box. It also features a submarine burned into the inside of the box lid. One of the nicer presentations for a strap box I have received.

Here's a side shot showing the true vintage construction. I'm not a collector of vintage straps, so I'm not too familiar with this style of construction. The vintage straps that I have handled seem to more resemble the Mario Paci straps that I have owned. This is different, but very cool.

There is something about this strap that exudes vintage charm. Perhaps it is the hand awl punched holes, or the distress lines on the last hole and by the lugs, the distress and raw edge holes, or maybe just the unique folding construction style. Either way, it is a beauty of a strap, that has some serious character and rustic authenticity.

The sewn-in brushed flat GFP-style buckle suits the strap perfectly. I've always been a fan of the GFP buckle, something about it being sewn-in has a sense of longevity and posterity to it.

Corrigia's logo is stamped on the short strap, and that is the extent of the branding. Corrigia is positioned as a premium strapmaker, with the Reborn series as one of their highest end products. Their straps are superbly crafted, and feature high-quality Italian leathers and materials, as well as old-world craftsmanship which calls for a level of attention to detail that is very apparent when you handle the strap.

An excellent exampe of a true vintage style strap that not only looks the part, but has the balls to back it up. The price point may be a bit higher than most, but it is an authentic product that reflects Cengs enthusiasm for true vintage Panerai straps.

Straps As Reviewed:
Model: Reborn Series Fletch03
Length: 155/90mm
Thickness: 5mm True Vintage Style
Keeper Type: 1 Fixed, 1 Floating
Stitch Color: White
Edge Finish: Smooth Burnished
Price: €255