B and R Horween Classic Vintage Watch Band ($69.99)
August 3, 2018
A study in leather watch bands sort of by its nature leads you to learning about leather. The more leathers you try, the more start to nitpick them. At the time of writing this, I have reviewed 3 other B and R straps and make no mistake, I have been pleased as punch with them. This will be the 4th. As I continue my long jaunt down the Horween product line, we are taking a step away from the ultra high end stuff like Chromexcel and Shell Cordovan and moving on to a strap made of something called Roadmaster leather. I could not find much online with details, but what I did find is that it is just one of many products made by Horween strap manufacturers can order and make a strap from (take a look here for an example of bulk leather for sale: http://maverickleathercompany.com/product/gray-roadmaster/).
Since I am rubbish with sewing and I do not need another hobby I will leave manufacturing to the professionals and craftsman and I will stick with reviewing the end results. But, I think I may need to try to order some samples from these companies to try to get a larger patch of material to analyze.
Back to business. I chose this strap as I wanted a textured alternative for my Omega or Oris that had some brown tones in it. The khaki thread used by B and R for their vintage collection is a great match for the lume in my Omega Railmaster so I decided to see if this strap would pair well. This is sort of how I end up with so many straps. I look for a feature in a watch I love and want to highlight and I look for the style of strap that can do that while fitting the rest of the watches purpose and personality. In the end it wound up on my Oris and I will tell you why later. Before my review, in typical strapsenes fashion, I always like to quote what the strap manufacturer says about their own product first:
Made from Chicago’s distressed Horween Roadmaster leather, you’ll experience first hand as the strap’s character develops with wear. With attention to detail, each strap is taper cut with precision revealing the straps edges to enhance the vintage look. In it’s final stage, each strap is carefully sewn by hand with a premium waxed khaki thread.
That is nicely done B and R, I will see if I can add more to that.
DIMENSIONS
This is the 20mm version of this strap but it is also available in a 22mm version. Each width is also available in small and medium lengths (small being 110/70mm and medium being 120/80mm). My strap came in at 19.5mm at the lugs and tapered down to 15.4mm at the buckle and free end. This is about 0.5mm less than the 20/16mm taper advertised which is not abnormal at all, it does make this strap feel a bit dainty on a modern 40mm watch (and by modern I mean thick). This strap is 2.5 to 2.8mm thick depending on where you measure it, and is generally even throughout the strap. I usually order 120/80 length straps, however every strap manufacturer is different and while most straps at 120/80mm I am on the last hole or the second to last hole, B and R cuts theirs straps a bit different. If your wrist is 6.75” or smaller I strongly suggest the 110/70. Out of the 7 adjustment holes I am on the 3rd, so about deal middle. Just a heads up about fitment
DESIGN
I was immediately drawn to this strap for its color palette. I loved the worn black tone it takes with the natural colored leather specs uniformly covering its surface. I think the distressing is a touch too uniform for me, but the overall effect does still work well. In every sense to me this strap lives up to the roadmaster name as upon first glance it reminded me instantly of one thing, asphalt. Both the color and grain of the leather come across as a fresh sheet of asphalt faded by the sun. The strap has a dual layer construction which is glued together along its full length and uses whip stitches to hold the spring bar in place which is a typical construction in the vintage strap category. B and R uses a khaki waxed thread that I am very fond of. It will match many vintage watches and highlights older lume beautifully. The stitching is done nicely as they are symmetrical and quite tight on the leather. The sides of the strap are not sealed like some other straps and that really turns up the gain in the vintage distressed category. The taper of the strap from 20 to16 is quite dramatic. While one side of this strap is vintage tough, the taper is very much geared toward a more dressy or daily wear watch more than say a field watch or tool watch.
On the back side of the strap we get the usual lovely B and R stamping along with the prestigious Horween strap which is a nod to the owner to let him/her know they have purchased fine American leather. So we have a vintagy / distressed / asphalt aesthetic strap with an elegant taper going on here that opens it up to be used in a great many places. I find the design very interesting in its diversity.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
This strap uses the standard two keeper system with one being fixed (glued into the leather which wraps around the buckle) and one floating. Both are free of any decoration save for the lovely coloring as the strap. Like the strap, they are both proudly showing off the raw leather edge which is sure to age nicely. This is the same buckle we have seen on other B and R straps and I like its minimal nature. It is exactly as big as it needs to be to hold the leather in place. In this reviewer’s opinion, a buckle that is free of adornments like branding or etching should be left as small as it can be to not distract form the leather. B and R delivers.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
Adjectives for reviewing leather straps often revolve around such words as flexible, soft, supple, distressed, or malleable, etc. you get the point. While soft and flexible are definitely in this straps description in spades, I have to add one more that is impossible to not notice. The initial impression of the leather is that of it being very dry. There is slight coarse feel to this leather that matches its distressed looks. Even when you rub it the oils from the skin do not alter the appearance or feel. While this dryness is peculiar, it still conforms to the wrist immediately and has a good amount of hysteresis when bent which I like (when I say that I mean it will try to keep the same shape it was last bent it without fighting you). The shorter length makes buckling quite easy and the watch is held very well on the wrist. The strap never irritates as the simple fold over construction means your skin is treated to the same texture as the outside of the strap. This is something B and R do routinely and I certainly appreciate that design feature.
Once on the wrist the strap texture is not really an issue and you get to admire the stitching and how it brings out the colors in the lume and dial. The raw edges give this strap some edge and character that bring out the rugged charm of certain pieces.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
This watch has many design characteristics which lend it to many watches. I find it hard to pin point where it will be happiest. What it looks best on is really going to depend on the individual. It would look good on a modern watch (like a Nomos) as a nice contrast to the ultra clean lines of that brand. It would look good on field watches as its rugged exposed raw leather lend itself to that feeling which ‘do anything’ field watches give you. The 20/16mm taper is a thing that must be discussed though. I personally feel that this watch should be on smaller watches. 40mm to me is the max size watch I would recommend this strap on. I think 36-38 would be a sweet spot. I could really see this strap popping on a Tudor Black Bay 36, or a Glycine Combat 6. The large taper would be overpowered in a bulky or large diameter watch.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
The B and R Horween Roadmaster strap can only be purchased at B and R website located here.
http://www.bandrbands.com/roadmaster-horween-classic-vintage-watch-band.aspx
SUMMARY
My goal when I bought this was to match it up with my Omega Railmaster with its aged lume and its vertical striations in the dial. However, the leather textures clashed too much with the dial and it ended up looking slightly out of place. Conversely the plain dial on my Oris Big Crown lended itself nicely to this kind of detailed texture feature of the strap quite well. Had the Big Crown been 36mm I think this would be the perfect strap for it lock the case, throw away the spring bar tool. I will try this on a few other watches for fun, and see what happens, but overall, this is another quality piece from B and R. I just do not think I have the perfect watch for it yet, but perhaps it is time to go shopping.