Di-Modell Chronissimo Black Leather Strap
April 8, 2018
When you walk into a Mercedes Dealership you will be surrounded by opulence. A fleet of beautifully detailed and meticulously designed cars will adorn the showroom floor. It is a room designed to fill you with a feeling of awe and wonder. Among the myriad of German expressions of what a car should be you will find, most likely in the center, an AMG GT sports car. I took the opportunity to pop the hood (I am an engineer after all) and talk to the sales person about the twin turbo V8 under the hood. After all the normal ‘tire kicking’ was done, I asked politely to sit inside and of course was graciously allowed to sit in a car I would never be able to buy. The interior was a thing of absolute functional beauty. From the moment you nestle into the seats it is evident that every single decision on gauge and button placement was made to make the driver feel like the singular focal point. Likewise, every piece of aluminum and leather that the driver will come into contact with was chosen carefully with visual aesthetics and tactile textures in mind. Absolutely nothing was chosen as an afterthought or by mistake. Every stitch on the wheel and on the dash was purposely placed with the intention to elevate the experience of being in the driver’s seat.
When I first held the Di-Modell Chronissimo in my hands that AMG GT interior came to mind as it gave me the same impression of solidity and quality. Most of all, it is a strap that was born of German engineering excellence in design and execution of manufacturing. I tried this feature packed strap on no less than 3 watches over a couple of weeks as I was trying to see where its personality would click. The results from that taught me enough to be able to write this review.
Here are a few words from Di-Modell about the Chronissimo:
CHRONISSIMO Waterproof AIR-TER-MER This leather watchstrap of extremely high quality of the AIR-TER-MER Sport collection is made of finest cowhide and highlights sportive men’s chronographs. The high quality and hard-wearing leather watch strap is a ”must have” for your wrist watch during sports and in free time. Particularly for men’s wrist watches, however also for feminine sports watches or chronographs: this watch strap of soft cowhide never forsakes you or your high-quality sports watch! You never have to do without your favourite watch when doing extreme or water sports, you keep an eye on time all the time. The watch strap of soft and extremely demanding cowhide nestles comfortably around the wrist. The sophisticated cowhide watchstrap is especially prepared and therefore watertight or waterproof 100m. The leather watch strap is available in the fashionable colour black and is of a special length. The carefully worked leather watchstrap has been developed to meet high demands. The loop anchor of CHRONISSIMO Waterproof AIR-TER-MER is as made for sophisticated wrist watches and of unique design.
Di-Modell seems to target this watch toward chronographs and sport watches. Let us see if that is the same conclusion as I get to.
DIMENSIONS
This one is a bit tricky to give dimensions on as it is a dual layer construction. This strap has nice leather upper strap that holds the spring bar like most straps, but it also has what I am calling the lower strap that rides against the skin (more on that in the next section). So this is really two straps in one, each section designed to do two different things. With that said, you purchase this strap like you would any other. IF you watch has 20mm lugs to lug, you buy the 20mm version. That is the strap I am reviewing. The lug to lug distance of the Chronissimo was an as advertised 20mm on the upper strap. The lower strap measures 25.8mm in width. The strap tapers at the free end and buckle end to 20mm as measured on the lower strap. This rugged overbuilt nature of this strap means it is probably thicker than most straps you may have tried. Both upper and lower layers come in at 7mm at the lugs and tapering to 4mm at the free and buckle ends. The free end is 115mm long and the buckle end is 80mm long. With those lengths listed, I have to use the second to last adjustment hole on my 6.75” wrists for a snug but comfortable fit. This is where you want to wear a watch strap like this as it was designed more for sport and adventure than static endeavors.
DESIGN
This is a strap very packed with features so I want to try to take them one by one. Let us start with the dual layer construction first, as I think that is a defining characteristic of its personality. When you ask one piece of leather to be all things to all people you end up with many compromises (like flexibility, or ruggedness, etc). In order to make the most durable strap possible and still have it aesthetically beautiful, Di-Modell divided the work load so each can concentrate on doing one job better.
The upper strap is made of a beautiful deep black calfskin leather with heavy graining that does not go away when the strap is bent or twisted. The color permeations are non-existent as the black is even and uniform thought-out the strap and does not discolor no matter how much the leather is deformed. The upper strap serves as an anchor point for the spring bar retention strap. Rather than using traditional methods of retention, the Di-Modell Chronissimo adds another piece of this beautiful calfskin leather that wraps around the upper strap and is double sewn through all layers for the strongest retention method possible (and quite frankly the strongest I have ever seen). I have no doubt the spring bars will fail before the strap breaks. Extending from the lug side of the strap on both sides on the Upper strap is a nice piece of padding that is contained by some black stitching that perfectly matches the dye in the leather. This adds yet another visual element to the strap that blends in harmoniously to the rest of the strap.
The upper strap (and spring bar retention strap) is also the showcase for some extremely precise stitching that is just the right color white or light grey. All stitching lines are extremely tight and precise, with no misalignment even during the curves and cross stitching.
While the upper straps purpose is mostly aesthetic and very pleasing to look at, the lower straps job is completely functional. The lower strap is made out of a product called by Di-Modell Aero Lining. It is a soft leather that is hypoallergenic and feels a whole lot like dense foam if I am honest. I have no idea how Di-Modell processes leather to make it feel this way, but I am very impressed by it. Besides being ultra-soft and flexible the lower strap has to other distinct features. It holds the keeper with a Di-Modell embroidered loop anchor which does not allow the floating keeper to move too far from the fixed one. The fact that they took the time to embroider their logo on something as small as the loop anchor fabric shows a sign of dedication and attention to detail that I love to see. There is also an extension on the lower strap that keeps the metal buckle away from the skin. Anything that may cause any discomfort the lower strap eliminates completely through material selection and clever design. Even when worn on the snug side the lower strap is never uncomfortable. Its softer nature breathes incredibly well while acting like a cushion on the skin. Even in hot Houston weather during several baseball games, I never felt a hint of moisture while wearing this strap. Fantastic job Di-Modell. To finish off the lower strap on the underside there is a bit of nice branding stamped displaying Di-Modell logo and made in German written in German as you would expect.
With the upper and lower straps combining to give the wearer this incredible performance and comfort while also looking like something that could have been standard in an AMG GT I could stop the review now. However, we are not yet done with what this strap offers. Di-Modell treats the leather of the Chronissimo making it water resistant to 100m. I have not tested this but having just done simple jobs like washing the dishes and washing my hands it seems impervious to that amount of moisture. This is just the icing on the cake. Finding any manufacturer that will stand behind his straps when they are exposed to water is rare.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
This strap has a standard keeper design. One fixed and one semi floating. As mentioned previously, the second keeper floats but is retained by the embroidered keeper anchor. The keepers are made of the same high grade and soft leather as the upper strap and the edges are rolled over for a highly finished look. The keepers are sized perfectly so the free end of the strap easily feeds through them. The buckle is polished with a really nice embossing of ‘Di’ on the flange of the buckle.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
One look at the strap in pictures and a glance at reading the specs one may think a German made leather strap that is 7mm thick may be as stiff as a back pack on an old panzer tank. However, that would be a huge mistake. The softness of the lower strap portion cannot be stated with enough certainty. It gives next to zero resistance to any bending or flexing. It is impossibly soft for a strap that ranges from 7 to 4mm thick. When you snug it to your wrist you feel the soft Aero liner hug you and then give so there are zero pressure points on your wrist. As I stated above, this strap will not cause hot spots or sweating as the cushioning of the slower strap allows more than ample breathing.
On any watch the 7mm thickness near the spring bars is going to be noticeable. It adds visual length and style to the watch above and below it. On mostly black and white watches it adds amazing detail and extends the watch design seamlessly into the strap.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
This strap as advertised by Di-Modell is great for Chronographs and aviation watches, and I have to agree with that, however, I want to add more detail to that accurate but vague description. I tried this strap on many watches, ranging in size from 38mm to 41mm. I found this this strap can be overpowering on smaller watches. It still looks and wears amazing on them, but the robust nature of this trap shines on larger watches. I would personally suggest 40mm being the smallest watch I would put this on. Any sport watch, aviation watch, or field watch that needs a rugged leather strap this Chronissimo is unmatched for its durability and style and construction. Perfect matches would be Damasko or Sinn watches whose Tegimented and Ice Hardened steel matches the toughness of the strap. I would also put this on a Navitimer or a Sinn 903 without any hesitation at all. This strap exudes toughness and has a military function over form feel.
The thing that impresses me the most about this strap is the way it combines amazing ruggedness with craftsmanship and extremely high grade materials. It is also the very first watch strap my wife noticed at dinner and made a comment about how high end it looks and that it looks like it should be sold at a jewelry store on expensive watches. Kudos from the wife on a watch strap I am wearing is not a common thing but the Di-Modell caught her eye. Game set match folks.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
I purchased this strap from Holbens fine watch bands.
http://www.holbensfinewatchbands.com/di-modell-chronissimo-black/
I found you can also purchase them from Di-Modell (I have not tried this though)
http://di-modell.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_35&products_id=2158
You can also buy this at Amazon:
It should not be a surprise at this point that I love this strap. From its design to its material selection it is a strap that is purpose built for the function of lasting a lifetime while looking good at the same time. If you are a fan of military watches, or aviation watches, you have found your strap. Di-Modell also makes straps that are more elegant and less robust as well. I would like to try those one of these days. Have a look around their product line. I have no reason to think all of their products are not equally well made, in fact I would be shocked if they weren’t.