Aftermarket Panerai Review

Zeugma Straps Review

Zeugma Panerai Straps

Origin: Turkey
Construction: Hand-Stitched
Materials: Vintage Turkish Leathers
Buckles & Tubes: Buckles Included
Price Range: $135-200
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: May 30th, 2009

Zeugma is the only fairly major producer of Panerai straps from Turkey, and it is an interesting origin as most people do not think of Turkey when they think of Leather Products. However, this has not stopped Zeugma from making an impact in the Strap World with their quality 100% handmade and stitched Vintage Leather straps. Pictured above is the red Leather (yes, Leather, not PVC like a lot of Asian companies) carry pouch that the strap came in... its a very nice touch.

The strap I got is a Medium somewhat honey-ish vintage brown with dark chocolate brown edge burnishing. The first thing I noticed about this strap is the density of the leather, as it has quite a bit of weight to it without being overly thick like most of the aftermarket straps. This one clocks in around 3.5mm thick, and wears very nicely. Doesn't have the chunkiness that most of my Vintage straps do, but that's okay, because sometimes thick gets tiring.

Since the strap is thinner, the keepers are thinner as well, and make for a very nice overall thickness when strapped to the wrist.

Finish and stitching on this straps is impeccable and definately a step above the Asian aftermarket straps out there, and this is also reflected in their pricing as they cost more. I would put the construction quality on par with straps from Simona and Mario Paci, which is impressive.

Each strap from Zeugma is unique and stamped with a unique serial number, so you know that there is only one of your strap out there. The smell of Zeugma straps is also very natural and pleasant. I'm a sucker for a nice-smelling strap!

Both buckles and straps are stamped with Zeugma's logo. I really like the buckles that they use as well, with the large notched-out area allowing ot to sit lower-profile on the wrist a very nice feature. They are also on the wider side which give them a chunky look, while not being intrusive.

There is a micro-crackle texture to the leather with slight variations in color throughout the strap, and additional changes as the strap is bent and distressed, giving the strap incredible character.

There is it buckle-side on my wrist. I am using the second smallest hole, which means that this strap will probably not fit anyone with a wrist smaller than 6.5". One of the weaknesses of the hole placement on this Zeugma strap would be the large spacing of the holes and how few there are as people may find themselves between hole sizes or outside of the range. Most strap companies give 1 3/4" of range for watch strap sizing, but this one only allows for under 1 1/4". This is not a problem for me, but for people with very large or small wrist sizes it could be. I do love how the buckle side sits on the wrist with this particular strap.

And finally the full-monty shot! Perfect tail length for me, and I love the edge contrast.. its just enough without being too noticable. Thickness works really well with the buckle allowing lower-profile placement on the wrist. Overall this is a superb strap that gets the small details right that scrutinous watch strap aficionados will appreciate.