Aftermarket Panerai Strap Review

G.L.C. Straps Review

G.L.C. Straps Panerai Straps

Origin: Rome, Italy
Construction: Machine and Hand-Stitched
Materials: New and Exotic Leathers
Buckles & Tubes: No Tubes, Buckles Included
Price Range: €65+
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: April 14th, 2015

G.L.C. Straps are handmade in Rome, Italy, and feature a huge inventory of over 700 different styles and sizes of straps. While they focus on several key areas of straps, there is a special dedication to Panerai straps which includes several exotic materials such as Crocodile, Elk and Shark. The two I picked up are the Vintage Leather M5 31, and the Vintage Leather M5 5. The M5 31 is the sueded one on the left, and the M5 5 is the deeply grained leather strap on the right.

These two straps are very well made, both handmade in Rome, Italy like all G.L.C. Straps are. Very professionally made, with excellent fit and finish. Both straps are 80/125 and are available in a shorter length if you desire. Now lets take a look at each of them in more detail.

This one is the Vintage Leather M5 5, which features a very deeply grained leather and minimal stitching only along the lug holes. Two keepers, one fixed and one floating and an interesting looking sewn-in buckle that is thinner and slightly more curved than most I've seen. The tang is also different in that it is much thinner like a regular tang buckle on non-Panerai watches. This allows the holes in the tail of the strap to be smaller.

The strap is very flexible and comfortable and appears to feature foldover construction with a leather lining layer, but I can't be sure from looking. There definiate appears to be three layers of leather in the construction so there is a filler layer in there. The leather has a pleasant smell to it and appears to be of good quality. Both straps are stamped with the G.L.C. Straps logo and "Handmade in Rome". Very well priced too, especially with the lower Euro right now for non-European buyers.

Next up lets look at the sueded Vintage M5 31 strap, which is a beige sort of suede. I had trouble picking up the real color of this strap with my camera, as it looks not quite like either of the photos here. Its not quite as "orange" as it appears on my screen at least, but does have that rough, fuzzy suede texture that you can see. Definitely a more robust suede than the other suede leather straps I've owned. This one I don't worry so much about getting wet, which is kind of nice.

As with the first strap, this one also has the interesting looking buckle and tang, as well as the same three layer construction and keeper configuration. This strap features box stitching with a thinner thread and has the same stamping on the leather lined back. Both straps are very comfortable and have just the right amount of flexibility. If you're on the hunt for Italian crafted straps for your Panerai, and are looking for something that's not quite the usual fare, G.L.C. Straps might just be up your alley. They have great pricing, and some interesting styles and leathers that stand out from the crowd.

Model: VINTAGE LEATHER STRAP PANERAI M5 5
Thickness: 3.5mm
Length: 80/125
Keeper Type: 1 Fixed, 1 Floating
Stitch Color: Beige
Edge Finish: Painted
Price: €85.00

Model: STRAP PANERAI M5 LEATHER VINTAGE 31
Thickness: 4.0mm
Length: 80/125
Keeper Type: 1 Fixed, 1 Floating
Stitch Color: Beige
Edge Finish: Painted
Price: €85.00