Aftermarket Panerai Strap Review

Handmade99 Straps Review

Handmade99 Panerai Straps

Origin: Malaysia
Construction: Handstitched
Materials: New Leathers
Buckles & Tubes: Optional
Price Range: $65+
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: March 27th, 2011

Handmade99 is a one-man shop based in Malaysia, run by Matt. He's a talented strapmaker who also makes a variety of other leather goods, and specializes in multi-stitch styles straps which I like to call "Frankenstraps". I think he does some beautiful work and for $65, these are some great looking straps with some funkiness to them not readily found elsewhere.

Here's my two straps made by Matt, with a couple different kinds of leather strapped together. The leathers he uses seem to be variety of random leathers sourced from various locations, but don't have that vegetable tanned Italian leather smell that I love so much. Given the affordable nature of these straps, this quality of leather is acceptable. Where Handmade99 excels in his attention to detail and stitching.

Regardless of complexity, all his straps appear to be priced at $65, which is very reasonable given the amount of stitching. The construction appears to be a base leather layer with the top layers laid over and wrapped over the ends, so the Franken-stitched portions are only on the top layer and do not constitute any structural defficiency.

Here you can see what the backs of the straps look like and how the stitching turns out. Not quite as attractive as the front, but it gets the job done, right? You can see the base layer of leather used to construct the straps in this photo, with the top layers wrapped around it. There appears to be a filler layer used in these straps between the lining layer and the top layer, though I can't say for sure.

Here's the coolest part: The handmade cases. WOW! Matt makes many sizes of cases, from small ones like this 4-strap case up to 20+ strap cases, and they are all fantastic. While I like his straps, his cases are what really impress me. No other case maker out there goes to this level of attention to detail. I really love the construction, and at around $300 for a 20-strap case, that's not bad considering that's what we pay for a single strap sometimes!

This particular case has a cool screwdriver holder, and even comes with the screwdriver! The way the strap holders are designed is quite ingenius, and works very well. It does a good job holding the straps in and also does it without using any material besides the leather.

Look at that attention to detail! Matt is truly the stitch-master, and takes a lot of pride in his work. His straps are a great funky alternative to your typical straps out there and his Strap Cases are my favourite that I've seen. The only problem with the strap cases is that they are only good for 24-26mm straps. Otherwise, they are perfect! Hope you enjoyed the review.