Aftermarket Panerai Strap Review

kyRos Leather Straps Review

kyRos Leather Straps Panerai Straps

Origin: Europe
Construction: Hand Stiched Hand Made
Materials: New Leathers
Buckles & Tubes: No Tubes, Standard Buckle Included
Price Range: $95+
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: January 29th, 2016

kyRos Straps is passionate Greek strapmaker that I've only recently known about. I'm not sure how long he's been around, but he certainly has a flair for Vintage straps and his workmanship is impeccable. He has three different classes of straps: Classic, Vintage and Special Edition. This strap I'm reviewing here is the Olivion, and its from the Special Edition series, which is his highest end straps, though they aren't much more money than his Classic or Vintage straps but definitely seem like a lot more work is in them.

The Olivion is named after its Olive-Green colored leather, and also features the multi-layered foldover leather construction used in true vintage straps. There aren't that many strapmakers out there that use this construction method, which is unfortunate because its so cool! I'm glad that KyRos does because I really love the look of the multiple layers. The olive color on the strap reminds me of Olive Drab Green and sort of mixed it with some Brown... its a very cool military inspired color.

The back of the long tail strap is stamped with the KyRos logo, and is superbly stitched with a greenish golden thread. The leather smells great and is also soft enough so it feels good against the wrist, yet is still somewhat robust so that it probably wouldn't scratch too easily on the outside. Over the years I have found that sometimes even the most awesome straps can be uncomfortable because the leather is hard or unyielding against the wrist - the Olivion strikes a good balance between comfort and durability.

Here I wanted to get a good shot of the multi-layer construction. While KyRos is not the only maker out there doing this kind of strap, its not that common, and I can appreciate the extra work and care that goes into it, along with the subtle style that I personally like very much. KyRos does the multi-layer construction a bit cleaner than most I've seen, at least with this strap. Probably because the strap is not weathered and worn quite as much as most straps I have seen made with this type of construction. The result is a what looks like a sort of new-vintage, like what I would imagine a vintage strap would have looked like if it was brand new at the time. KyRos does make plenty of worn and weathered straps as well, though something to note is the Olivion looks more weathered on his site that the one I received. Mine looks and feels brand new with no wear.

One of the other highlights from Kyros here is the buckles. He offers different types of buckles - everything from the standard garden variety of bent buckle to premium handmade 1:1 vintage re-creations like the 100% brass buckle shown here on the Olivion strap. This buckle currently sells for $31 from him (works out to a $16 upgrade from the basic buckle), which isn't bad considering how sweet it is! I love that I see straps and buckles improving year after year, with more and more dedication from strap makers to add more value to their offerings. KyRos does not make the buckles himself but they ressemble Elias buckles which are very popular with the Panerai crowd. I have seen a few strapmakers using his buckles now and his popularity has been gaining traction over the last couple of years.

And here she is again, the Olivion, in all her Olive Drab Green glory... what a beauty. KyRos brings some very solid value to the table here: multi-layer vintage construction (even the keepers are multi-layer!), premium leathers, premium buckle options, solid pricing. This strap as shown costs significantly less than many European-made straps with far less features and character. I really think KyRos is onto something here, and if his prices continue to be well under $150 a strap, he will be one of the best value guys around.

Model: The Olivion
Thickness: 5mm at thickest padding
Length: 75/135
Keeper Type: 1 Fixed, 1 Floating
Stitch Color: Golden
Edge Finish: Raw
Price: $163.00 (Includes Upgraded Handmade Brass Buckle)