Bonetto Cinturini 300D rubber strap

There are a few undeniable truths in this world. One of which is that the bed you are sleeping in gets more comfortable as the time to get out of it approaches.  Another such stalwart fact is that the greatest superhero power is the ability inflict an ice cream brain freeze on people at will.  Just a bit less known than those pillars of truth is that matching the correct strap with a watch can bring you feelings of elation and pride much like discovering treasure in a dungeon and getting out alive with your Fedora intact.

Recently I was browsing one of my favorite watch channels on Facebook and saw a chap with a watch like one I had with a strap I had not considered and I immediately knew he had struck gold metaphorically speaking.  I knew exactly what it was as I had seen it before, but for whatever reason,  it just never clicked.  Lesson learned here is that you can never be afraid to try new things, even if initially it seems like it will not work.  In the history of the world, there have been only a few truly great pairings. Road runner and the Coyote, Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Han Solo and Chewie, and yes, this Bonetto Cinturini strap and the Oris divers 65.  They were obviously separated at birth and now that they are together for this review. In the words of Mr. Gump, they are like peas and carrots.

I have a couple of Bonetto Cinturini straps in my strap collection as I periodically bought them with the intention of finding one I wanted to review for the website.  While all were well made, some of them fell to the way side as other straps reviews had priority or I sold the watch I wanted to use in the review. One of the straps I simply did not like enough to review.  However now, with this strap, the 300D by Bonetto Cinturini I have something pretty special on my hands.  The Oris Divers 65 is my favorite vintage diver, full stop. I wear it more than my black bay and more than my SKX when I had one.  Like many folks who bought the Oris divers 65 with the rubber tropic strap, a few things became very apparent.  Firstly, the rubber tropic strap that Oris supplies with this watch is THE best tropic strap available today.  I have tried many leather, rubber or silicone straps in the past but none had the limitless flexibility and detail and taper of the Oris strap. Alas, I think now, that OEM strap has met its equal.  I bought this strap from Holbensfinewatchbands and per their site, this the description of the product.

Made in Italy.

Bonetto Cinturini produces OEM rubber diver straps for many of the world’s most famous watchmakers.

High quality vulcanized nitrile NBR rubber (not silicone).

Waterproof, non-toxic and non-allergenic.

Will not attract lint and dust like silicone rubber.

Resistant to salt and UVA rays.

Vanilla scent.

Two straps in one: textured finish reverses to smooth (simply remove spring bars and flip strap).

Piece length 87mm / 87mm excluding buckle.

Total length 7-5/8″ when closed.

Easily shortened to four different lengths using pinholes in side of strap.

Fits wrists 6-3/4″ to 9-1/4″.

4mm thick.

Satin stainless steel deployant clasp with push buttons and polished steel safety lock.

Accommodates a maximum spring bar thickness of 1.5mm.

Includes one free pair of 1.5mm double-flange spring bars.

Just for reference, this is the website for bonetto cinurini:  http://www.bonettocinturini.it/en/

Now let us get right down to the review

DIMENSIONS

The 300D strap I ordered was 20mm to fit my Divers 65, so all dimensions are for that particular model. IT should be noted that Holbens also sells 18, 22, and 24mm versions of this strap.  This is where I normally tell you about the length of the strap, but this strap has a neat feature in that the strap length is customizable to your needs.  The Holbens website says it fits wrists from 6.75” to 9.14”. I think it can easily fit wrists down to 6.50” (or even 6.30”) as this is a cut to fit strap.  This allows very fine tuned strap fitting using the included deployant buckle.  My strap measured 4.1mm thick along its length and had a nice universal taper from 20mm down to 18mm.

DESIGN

The main features of this strap are material selection and its cut to fit nature. Before we get into those, this strap is literally a piece of very refined rubber called NBR rubber.  NBR Stands for Nitrile Butadiene Rubber which is used throughout the automotive and aerospace industries. It is highly inert and chemical resistant and stands up to most liquids and heat and cold very well.  It is far more resistant to than natural rubber to oils and acids than natural rubber, but that comes at a cost of flexibility.  Nitrile rubber has a much less chance of causing an allergic reaction.

The Strap has one side molded and one side with a diamond embossing on it.  Fun fact is that you as the end user can chose which side you want to show.  It is fully reversible like that belt you had in high school.

Not many straps require user customization.  This feature was chosen for this strap mainly because after the initial sizing is done and the deployant buckle closes there is no extra tail or keepers to worry about. It is the exact length you need without carrying around any extra material. The overall fit of this is very clean and it works wonders to elevate this 33 dollar strap to make it look far more expensive than it is. What they have done is give you the benefits of a steel bracelet with the ruggedness of rubber.   I found the spacing between the factory designed spring bar locations to be ideal to get that just right fit. If the new owner takes his/her time, a perfect fit can be had by just about any wrist size.

(A note on the cut to fit procedure. The instructions for how to cut the strap show a razor blade and a metal straight edge. I do not recommend this. This rubber is qutie dense, and it will take you 10-20 passes to make the final cut.  Many of those cuts may not be clean.  I recommend using a large chefs knife where you can apply strong pressure  safely and make one single pass. I found the results to be far superior – (NOTE: you need a sharp chefs knife, dull = unsafe)

KEEPER AND BUCKLE

The Bonetto Cinturini 300D comes with a very standard deployant clasp. The finish is mostly brushed and was obviously made to a price point.  The little polishing on the clasp that is done is done to decent effect and gives the user a combination of brushed and polished surfaces to enjoy. This will allow it to work well with most watch case finishes and overall, it looks very tooly in nature and matches the aesthetic of the strap very well.

Operation of the clasp and deployant is adequate,  as I am not expecting Tudor or Rolex levels of function here at this price. The clasp snaps together with authority and is very secure to the degree it will never come accidentally undone while also being reasonably easy to open/close.

Since their is no extra length of strap to deal with, absolutely no keepers are present or needed on this strap.  Likewise, while some deployant straps have the extra length tucked inside, the 300D has the new owner simply cut off any extra strap before hand. The end result is very clean and easy to wear, and has a ‘finshed’ appearance I really enjoy.

HOW DOES IT WEAR

Oh the joys of a nice rubber strap.  Key word there is ‘nice’.  While not nearly as supple as silicone straps, the NBR rubber Bonetto Cinturini uses on this model is quite nice.  Not so hard to cause stiff leg syndrome (that annoying thing stiff straps do when you wear them were the straps ‘legs’ hold the watch off your wrist), but not so soft as to feel delicate or fragile.  If you stick your finger nail into the rubber of a bicycle tire you would be close.  After taking 20 minutes to carefully size my strap, the final fitment is shockingly good.  For 4mm rubber, it conforms with little to no effort at all.  The diamond pattern is pleasing to look at and is in perfect harmony with the vintage vibe of the Oris Divers 65 (or any vintage themed dive watch).

The clasp while brushed stainless steel on the inside rides next to the skin it is not an issue as you cannot feel it.  The strap moves with you and holds the watch exactly as you placed it.  When sized correctly this is not one of those straps you have to fiddle with all day.  I find the rubber strap is very liberating as it is immune to faint scuffs or nicks and it shrugs off water as you would expect.  While not as elegant as my OEM Oris tropic rubber strap, the 300D adds a very tough tool tough feeling to the watch enhancing that ‘adventure ready’ feeling wearing a diver gives you.

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

This strap was made for vintage divers. It is available in blue and orange as well, so it can be used on a great many watches.  The finished look of the deployant solves the problem many have with factory OEM dive watch rubber straps in that they are so long many users have inches of left over strap sticking out.  Seiko Divers should rejoice at this offering as it will definitely elevate your trust SKX.  Oris divers fans, I think this strap was made for you in mind(I later found out they have a version of this strap called “Oris Styled”).  I would even heartedly be so bold as to recommend this on a great many field watches that will see any moisture.

WHERE CAN I GET IT

I bought my strap at www.Holbensfinewatchbands.com

It is also available at holbens Ebay store: https://amzn.to/2vxSh2S

SUMMARY

I was blown away by the pictures I saw of the 300D strap online and holding it in my hands and wearing it for a week as proven that this combo (300D and Oris Divers 65) is as close to perfection as you can get. I am thrilled with the quality, the fit and finish, and oh yes, that lovely VANILLA scent Bonetto Cinturini embues all its straps with!