Aftermarket Panerai Review

Strap-Works Watch Straps Review #2

Strap-Works Panerai Straps #2

Origin: Imported Leathers - Chinese Manufacture
Construction: Lock-Stitched
Materials: New Leathers
Buckles & Tubes: Both Included
Price Range: $90-150
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: January 29th, 2009

I'm happy to report that both Strap-Works straps are holding up well over the last couple of month. Additionally, I've had a ton of compliments on the Signature Collection Alligator strap. One fellow even said he was going to buy himself one!

But as great as they are, I'm not here to just jabber about those straps again. I've got a couple more new straps in from Strap-Works, from their brand new 1860 Decima line. The buckles remind me of the Heroic Venzo line of straps but I remember seeing the ads for the Decima buckles before the Venzo stuff came out, even though the Venzo stuff hit the streets first.

The significance of the Decima name is that they commemorate the Decima Flottiglia MAS of the Marina Militare, also known as the Xa MAS. They were an Italian Commando Frogman unit active during WWI in Italy.

Those are the two straps there, both from the Decima line. One in Saddleblack Calf with black stitching, and one in Africana Brown with Tan stitching. I really like the cracked brown strap, and I think the tan stitching goes with it very well, not too light, and not too dark. Hole locations are close together, just as they are with the Trident series of straps, making it very easy to make sure you not in-between holes as sometimes you will find with some brands of straps.

I like the tang buckles on these straps, mostly because the tang is easy to get in and out of the hole without cranking on your strap unnecessarily and because it looks good. Stamping marks on the buckle indicate these buckles are stamped not machined, which is typical of this price point. Machined buckles would probably cost more than the whole strap, buckle included.

As you can see, the cracked brown strap really does go great with the stitching choice, and like all Strap-Works straps, these guys have one fixed and one floating keeper with your choice of brushed or polished buckles.

The Decima straps all have a liner of semi-soft leather, in a sort of medium tan color. I love the contrast between the black strap and the liner especially, very class.

I mounted the black strap on my PAM114, with the polished buckle, and the combination is amazing! Something about the black stitch on black leather with the fine texture on it just does it for me. The more I think about it, the more I realize that so many black straps have white or ivory stitching on them when sometimes having black stitching looks better. In fact, a lot of the time when I wear straps with constasting stitching, I have people comment that they don't like the white stitching. Problem solved!

The black strap is just amazing. Love the two-toned brown lining, matching black stitching, and light texture. Both straps are very pliable and soft, bending easily without that bubbling that some straps get. Strap-works told me that these are made from imported Italian leathers just like the rest of their straps, and at the price point of $90, these are just unbeatable if you like the style!