Aftermarket Panerai Strap Review

Mr TipTop Leather Straps Review #3

Mr TipTop Straps Panerai Straps #3

Origin: Denmark
Construction: Hand-Stitched
Materials: Italian Leathers
Buckles & Tubes: Buckles and Tubes Included
Price Range: €119+
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: May 22nd, 2015

Here is the third trifecta of straps I am reviewing from the venerable Mr. TipTop leather shop in Denmark. These fellows are true Leather Artisans of the highest order, with a true passion for the craft and genuine love for the leather and not just the look. Perhaps that's why I keep coming back for more!

I have three rather interesting straps here today from Mr. Tip Top, with one that is made by their oldest Master Craftsman who is 83 years old! He's no longer crafting leather regularly but he came out of retirement to make this special strap for me!!! So Awesome - I'll save that one for last.

First up here is a different type of leather than I am used to getting from Mr. TipTop, and while it is not a double croupon leather, it is still very nice stuff. It is a buffalo nubuck leather, with a nice soft hand and some deep graining on it that looks fantastic. Like all of Mr. TipTop's straps, it has a vibe of handicraft to it, that makes you feel like someone poured many hours of blood, sweat and tears into making this strap. The distressing is so natural, and done so painstakingly as not to compromise the integrity of the leather. Absolutely no sandpaper or chemicals here.

The buffalo nubuck is a distressed tan sort of color, with some very cool patina happening on the fixed keeper. The stitching is short and sweet, with a beautiful consistency around the perimeter of the strap, nice and tight to the edge. The scent is excellent, and smells more like a vegetable tanned leather than most Buffalo leather that I have sniffed in the past. This is definitely a top-shelf hide.

This batch I had some nifty buckles put on them instead of the usual sewn-in style I generally get. This one is a screw-in Marina Militare buckle, with a good Panerai style "9" cut into it, and painted enamel black. Very nice. And as with all straps from Mr. TipTop, hand stitched with hand tools and foldover construction, with and vintaging done by hand.

Next up is a Camoflage Croupon strap from Mr. Tip Top, hand painted with woodland camo colors on their exclusive Double Croupon leather. This one features a box stitch on the long tail, and an open keeper and buckle stitch on the short tail. This gives the strap just a little bit of a different vibe to it, little details that Mr. TipTop is always happy to accomodate whatever requests I have!

I can't get enough of this double croupon leather, its probably my favorite leather out there. It has a charm to it that is hard to quantify, but when beheld, simply makes sense. Outstanding stuff.

The back of the strap is also painted, which is just a nice touch as well. I've seen many painted straps where the maker only paints the front. Not a big deal but its just a bit of extra work. Thread on these straps is beeswax thread, which I may have mentioned is harder to work with any many strapmakers don't like to use it. It takes a few weeks of consistent wear for the thread to show its true colors, just as the patina of a quality leather takes a while for its beauty to really come out.

And last but certainly not least, is the unique strap made by Mr.TipTop's 83 year old Master Leather Craftsman. This strap features some really cool hand vintaging, obviously done by a very experienced leather craftsman. I'm honored that Mr. TipTop would have their oldest master craftsman come out of retirement to make a strap just for me! One common feature you will notice on all of Mr.TipTop's straps is the longer tip, which requres a custom cutter to achieve, rather than the shorter tip that is more commonly seen. This one was mounted with a Submarine buckle, etched with "MR TIPTOP", which is kinda cool.

The stitching on this strap is very cool too, and has an angled thinner stitch that is reminiscent of vintage Panerai straps. The dark brown has been worked to develop a smoothly worn surface, particulary on the long tail. Mr. TipTop has masterfully hand-worked this strap into a vintage style. Again the strap has this quality to it that is hard to put into words, but exudes superior craftsmanship and care. This strap is so cool! I am totally in love with it, and am very grateful that Mr. TipTop has crafted such a fine strap for me.

Again, Mr. TipTop has hit it out of the park for me. I have also heard that the celebrity pastry chef Pierrick Boyer has been a fan of Mr.TipTop's straps as well - seems the man has a fine palette for Panerai straps as well as haute cuisine.

Straps As Reviewed:
Model: TipTop Buffalo Nubuck Distressed
Lug Width: 24mm
Length: 145/95mm
Thickness: 4.5mm
Keeper Type: 1 Fixed, 1 Floating
Stitch Color: White
Edge Finish: Smooth Burnished
Price: €199

Model: TipTop Camoflage Croupon
Lug Width: 24mm
Length: 145/95mm
Thickness: 4.5mm
Keeper Type: 1 Fixed, 1 Floating
Stitch Color: Golden Light Brown
Edge Finish: Raw Burnished
Price: €199

Model: TipTop Double Croupon Dark Brown
Lug Width: 24mm
Length: 145/95mm
Thickness: 4.5mm
Keeper Type: 1 Fixed, 1 Floating
Stitch Color: Khaki
Edge Finish: Raw Burnished
Price: €199