RIOS 1931 Typhoon IWC style Watch Strap in Mocha
October 2, 2018
Imagine you are a right side waist gunner in a B-17 on February 3rd,1945 at 25000 feet over the English Channel. You are part of the largest aerial assault in the history of the world. Along with 1000 of your countrymen in similar flying fortresses and escorted by some 600 P-51 Mustangs, you are headed over war torn Europe in an attempt to deal a huge blow to the Axis ability to wage war effectively. The cold air rushing through the sides of the plane at this altitude is near -30 degrees F and all the wool lined leather in the world is not enough to keep frostbite at bay forever.
The crew would have had very little in the way of comfort. The pilot of your B-17 would have certainly had a watch synced to mission time. Regardless if that watch was a Hamilton, Elgin, Waltham, or any of the 12 manufacturers at the time it would have undoubtedly come on some kind of Leather strap. The strap I am reviewing today reminds me of that era. The RIOS Typhoon Watch strap.
Now I have to be honest, I am not an expert on military watches of WWII, I know just enough to know a man could spend a life time collecting these cool historical pieces and still not see them all so I will not try to sell myself off as an expert, as that would be enormously disingenuous. However, I am very happy to give my opinion of this fine looking strap dubbed the Typhoon by RIOS and sold as a IWC replacement strap and how it compares to others I have seen and reviewed. IWC, of course being one of the few legendary producers of watches who supplied timepieces for both the axis and allies during WWII, how very Swiss.
The best description I found for this particular watch strap comes not from RIOS but from Holbensfinewatchbands.
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From RIOS1931, a German company founded by master craftsman Oswald Riemer in 1931.
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RIOS is a family business, currently in its third generation of Riemer ownership.
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Made in Germany.
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Genuine buffalo leather.
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Art Manuel Swiss full-bugg (Remborde) construction technique.
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Off-white contrast stitching.
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5mm thick.
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Piece length 118mm / 82mm excluding buckle.
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Total length 7-7/8″ (200mm) excluding buckle.
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Includes one free pair of 1.78mm double-flange spring bars
As with any product made in Germany or Austria, I expected remarkable levels of quality and engineering in this strap, as well as a strict attention to detail along with all the other German stereotypes we have grown accustomed to and honestly expect.
DIMENSIONS
I purchased the 20mm version of this watch strap so all my dimensions are based on that model, but it should be known that this strap is available in a 21mm and 22mm as well. My strap came in at 20.5mm at the lugs and 17.6mm at the buckle end. As far as thickness goes, it is 4mm at the lugs and then evens out to about 3.8mm along its entire length. The two pieces individually are 82/118 for the buckle end and free end respectively for all models. The way the holes are made in the free end I am on the very last adjustment hole on my 6.75” wrist for that perfect fit.
DESIGN
There are two very distinct things about this strap that catches your eye immediately. The shape of the strap and the amazing buffalo hide used on the outer leather. Both are noteworthy and I will get to that but first I have talk about how this strap is constructed, because upon visual examination the complex stratified construction is not evident. In the description of this strap the method of production was called Art Manuel Swiss Full-Bugg construction. I feel my duty on Strapsense to educate as well as inform and entertain. So without patting myself on the back too hard, let’s talk about what this means and why you should care.
This technique of construction (I have to assume pioneered by a guy named Art Manuel) takes the top layer of leather and wraps it around the cotton fleece padding which is then on top of a bottom piece of leather and then all of it is stitched through. The sides of the strap are then heated and then sanded smooth, followed by 5 coats of side sealant. This construction method is by far not the cheapest way to making a strap, but it does embody the quintessential German characteristic of over engineering a product. To say the least I love it.
Back to the most visually impactful design elements of this strap. The shape is unlike any other strap I have purchased. The designers forgo the traditional gradual and graceful taper from the lug to the tip of the strap and instead went with a marked step down about three quarters of an inch from the lugs of the watch case. No reason for this I can figure save aesthetics. And I think it really works fantastically. It adds visual interest to the leather and strap in particular. I think it gives it a very engineered and purposeful look.
The leather used for this strap on the outside is simply called Buffalo, now there is no mention if this is African Buffalo, or North American Buffalo (also called Bison). No amount of research on this gave me the answer, but I will say that since the American Buffalo is on the ‘near threatened’ list, I would assume this came from a licensed African Buffalo hunt. With my moral compass not threatened, I will say the texture of this strap is mesmerizing. I can throw out adjectives like tough and rugged and burly and any other thing to describe a hide that is as far from Elegant as a Rolex is from cheap. This strap will never be confused as a dress watch strap, but rather a device to hold something that has a job to do. In every sense, I think it is the perfect material to carry an aviation watch.
With design and material expertly chosen, it would be a shame if this watch strap was let down by its craftsmanship and build quality. I am very pleased to say it is very well made. The side sealant is even and thick. The stitching is fully boxed along the perimeter of the strap and done in great contrasting white color. The mocha color is deep and without flow or undulation. The strap stays color fast even when bent or twisted to extremes. As you hold the strap and bend it, you realize quickly that even though it is multi-layered and made of very durable hide, the strap is still very flexible and wearable. The level of conditioning is extremely high and the leather while rugged in appearance does not make you pay penalties when you wear it.
The leather on the bottom of the strap is smooth and satin in finish. It has RIOS 1931 proudly stamped on the underside along with Genuine Buffalo (but in German which is much cooler). The white stitching on top can be seen on the bottom securely holdling the whole laminated strap together as Art Manuel intended (way to go Art).
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
The keepers on the Typhoon are the one fixed and one floating kind. They are quite thin and exhibit less deep texture as the straps leather, but close inspection will reveal they do have nice roll marks on the outside edge that were not necessary but shows great attention to detail. The buckle is stainless steel and fits the strap well. The pin finds the adjustment holes with ease and holds the watch free end nicely. The buckle also lays very flat regardless of how tight you wear the watch strap and is held in place by spring bar and a single whip stitch on either side.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
I expected this strap to be rather stiff, but I am happy to say it is not. The watch lays flat against the skin with no signs of stiff leg syndrome from the strap. The leather is easy on the skin and the buffalo with all its texture and deep grooves finds a home on any sized wrist with ease. The leather is soft and malleable while approaching 4mm thick, the leather moves and flexes like a thinner strap would. I found the blacked out sides of the strap very attractive and keep the straps business appearance credibility and assurance. The strap exudes strength without being an overtly rough or crass affair. Not an easy balancing act. Still, the rugged nature is impossible to escape and I found the watch strap commanding as much attention as the watch it was attached. This is a powerful strap that can easily overpower an overly elegant watch. I had this strap on a 41mm Longines Bigeye Avigation (seen in the pictures) and it is 14.5mm thick. The bulk of the watch could easily handle the strap with ease.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
Usually I struggle to suggest with certainty what watch this strap would be good for, but NOT in this case. Dig out your favorite pilots watch or field watch, and this strap will imbue it with so much charisma it will practically want to fly. Although it is a very strong strap aesthetically it works with any military inspired watch all the way down to 38mm. I tried it on my trusty Hamilton Khaki 38mm field watch thinking it would be too large, but my gosh it worked. It had that function over form vibe that as an engineer I love. The way the strap tapers down to a hair less than 18mm means it manages to balance out even 38mm field or military watches with ease.
Naturally if you have an IWC of any kind this strap seems to be made for it. I can practically see it on a Petit Prince right now and started to look for preowned IWCs just so I could enjoy this strap more in its own genre. Nobody ever accused me of making sound financial decisions.
WHERE CAN I GET ONE
I purchased my RIOS1931 Typhoon from Amazon
You can also get them from holbens fine watch bands
https://www.holbensfinewatchbands.com/rios1931-typhoon-buffalo-grain-leather-mocha/
Both vendors are exceptional and fast to get you your order.
SUMMARY
I was a bit smitten by this strap, and I did not expect to be. The grain of the hide is something else. The way the white stitching makes the white numbers on the dial just pop out is a fantastic unifying element. The whole package in design and construction is evident the moment it is buckled to your wrist. It feels all business. It feels ready for adventure. It feels ready to close the cockpit and fire up a Rolls Royce V12 to defend a country. Amazing strap. I love it.
