Crown and Buckle – Ulrich Black Label Strap
March 12, 2018
Crown and buckle was established in 2010 and is owned and operated out of Florida. It has built a reputation based on hand crafted straps that are made from some of best tanneries in America, Spain and Italy. If you want to start a high end strap company, having good leather and processes is an absolute must. As a watch strap reviewer, I have to read phrases like genuine leather, high end leather, finest leather, countless times and it can seem to blur what to expect when you click buy it now. As far as I know , their is no regulatory agency for watch strap leather descriptions. Often times you roll the dice and hope for the best. Most of these strap vendors rely totally on their website to convince you, the buyer, that they are a superior product and fall on an acceptable portion of the price / value curve. Fair or not fair, that is a reality. A quality well made web page will give you some confidence that the quality of the strap will at least equal the quality of the web page. It is not much to go off, but most of the time it is all we have.
Luckily the Crown and Buckle website is outstanding. It is easy to read, navigate and informative. The pictures are spectacular and images provided are very true to life in color. All good things. Having enjoyed their site for years, I decided to take the plunge and buy one of their Black Label straps and review it to see if it was in fact as well made as the website. This is exactly why I started Strapsense. Before I get into my impressions, this how how Crown and Buckle describes the Ulrich:
Crown & Buckle’s signature Black Label collection combines the world’s finest materials with the spirit of handmade tradition.
Paired with the ivory stitching, the muted walnut shade of the Ulrich strap has a monochromatic feel that will perfectly compliment any watch. The medium brown strap has darker undertones, a beautiful natural surface grain, and matching edge finishing. This may prove to be the most popular strap from Black Label season three.
Each strap is made in Spain by master craftsmen using distinguished leathers. Please allow minor variance from the photos.
DIMENSIONS
I ordered a 20mm Black Label Ulrich strap, so all my dimensions are based on that size. The strap is made to an ideal size. While some straps have me on the last adjustment hole on the free end with my 6.75″ wrist, the Ulrich is spot on in the middle. The free end is 115mm long and the buckle end is 75mm. That may sound like a small thing, but getting the length just right makes the keepers work well and the overall strap seem less bulky. It comes in at a uniform 2.5mm thick on both sides, from lug to tip. Interestingly, it has a very dramatic taper in width. It starts at 20mm exactly and tapers to 16mm (vs the more nominal 18mm). This gives the strap a very elegant look.
DESIGN
I have seen a lot of these style straps. But each one has its own flavor. Like judging a chocolate chip cookie contest, they each have their own unique combination of ingredients. I find the best way to do this (or at the very least the way I choose to do this) is to let the strap give me a first impression and see if that lasts. Their is always something that will jump out at me. Upon opening the unique Black Label Box (that comes sealed in a cool little simulated wax seal) The first impression that hit me can best be summarized as ‘precise’.
The leather on the Ulrich is finished to an almost glass like smoothness. Running you fingers over the grain it feels like the softest fabric. You can visually see depth of color and pattern in the grain of the leather, but you cannot feel them. It is quite remarkable. While some other straps on the market are described as distressed or aged, this one is neither. This strap is what I would call finished. Every dimension is perfectly executed. No wavy edges, no nap of the leather can be felt. Only the smooth sheen that is visually a hair bit glossier than satin. Some straps have as waxy feel to them when they adopt this kind of smooth surface, but the Ulrich does not feel waxy at all. It has been polished smooth. I found myself puzzled at the ability to retain so much visual detail (you can literally see the pores in the hide) and color depth, while keeping it very smooth. I was quite interested to see how this smooth finish would wear over time. (more on that below)
The sides of this strap reveal what appears to be a double layer construction fixed at the lugs and tips with ivory colored contrast stitching. As typical with this style strap the two layers are held together in the middle by adhesive. The sides are dyed a nice brown to match the strap and seal the edges which are cut crisply. No detail about this strap comes across as hap haphazardly done or designed. Every hole, every curve, every stitch is executed with, you got it, precision.
On the reverse side of the strap the Ulrich is finished nicely with smooth black leather. It is neither the smoothest I have ever felt, nor the roughest. It was chosen no doubt for its durability and to protect the leather from moisture from the skin. I like how Crown and Buckle applies the Black Label stamp to this proudly. I almost wish they added more as this strap is noteworthy and worthy of recognition.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
The keeper is of the standard design we see elsewhere. Their is one fixed and one floating keeper which have the equally meticulous detail finishing of the strap leather. Color matching is superb. The keepers are simple and lack any other roll marks or details, which not a ding, just a note on design. They are in keeping with the minimalist overall design of the strap. The buckle is stainless steel polished to a high degree. It is a straight forward slim design that is devoid of any markings or embossing. I would have liked to see the Black Lable logo here as nice design detail.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
This strap wears neatly. It pulls up nicely and finds its keepers with ease. The flexibility of the strap is as I would expect a nice supple 2.5mm strap should be. I have had it on many watches in my collection looking for which one it will pop on. I have had it on a Marine Chronometer, a German Sinn, a Hamilton Field watch, a Seiko Cocktail Time and an Oris vintage pilot big crown pointer date. I can say confidently it works fairly well with all of them. The design is not so polarizing that it rules out many watches. I did find it wears lightly and elegantly more than sporty or rugged. I think it wore better on thinner smaller watches than on more bulky watches. I also think it lends itself more to vintage style timepieces.
I found the leather that pulled through the buckle experienced more discoloration than the rest, but never lost its smooth finish. This is a strap that will age fantastically in my opinion. The starting leather is of such a high quality and finished to such a degree, that I think it will take ge and time quite well. The strap resists light fingernail scratches to a degree and they usually be removed with the oil from your finger with light rubbing. Crown and Buckle blessed this strap with many adjustment holes relatively close together which makes finding the sweet spot a breeze.
When on the wrist, it stays put. That thin strap is light and comfortable yet has the uncanny ability to hold the watch from rotating to an annoying spot. I found this to be true with watches of differing overall lug lengths as well (again thanks to those nicely placed adjustment holes and black leather inner lining).
WHAT IS THIS GOOD FOR
This is where I was struggling. It is such a universally appealing design it could go on almost anything (I know I tried!). However, I self impose a requirement for me to put a recommendation in this section. So, with that being said, I think that this strap is more at home on a vintage styled daily wear to a dressy kind of watch . I would avoid putting in on any overly sporty watches or any bulky watches. It is a slim elegant strap in my opinion that oozes class. It would shine on a dressy watch (e.g. SARB035) or something like a vintage Omega. I think its light brown color is perfect for white, champagne, or silver dials. Darker dials may benefit from darker leather or more color saturated leather (Crown and Buckle sell those too).
WHERE CAN I GET IT
To the best of my knowledge the only place to get the Black Label Ulrich is from Crown and Buckle:
https://www.crownandbuckle.com/ulrich-black-label-strap.html
In the end the Ulrich has been a pleasant surprise to me in a sense where it showed me that the same vintage two stitch design can be made entirely different than others. This strap has personality in abundance and quality that will not disappoint. If you keep it to watches less than 12mm in height (11 would be better) I think it will add class and personality to your daily wear / office / vintage piece without stealing the show.