B and R Black LeMans Racing Watch Strap
June 29, 2019
There is something so comforting to familiarity. That relaxing feeling of going back home to see your parents in the house you grew up in is quite special and nearly impossible to duplicate. For others, that may be a frequently visited restaurant or a favorite campground. Familiarity brings a feeling of comfort and ease that makes you realize how much of your life you spend with your guard up. Familiarity is intimately tied to how much you trust something or someone or someplace. B and R Bands has been a place of trust for me for a while now as they consistently produce products that have at a minimum met my expectations and quite often exceeded them.
When it came time to pick up another rally strap for review one of the first vendors I look is usually B and R as the quality to value equation is in perfect equilibrium. I started out looking for was a strap with some shine to it. Not plastic or overly glossy but a nice satin sheen that gives the strap a more upscale and dressy appearance. My requirements were it had to be available in 19mm (I have somehow found myself with an overabundance of 19mm lug width watches) had to have a nice taper, wanted it black, and with that nice sheen I just mentioned. Also, wanted a rally strap, because you know, Racing is cool.
The term racing strap, rally strap and motorsports strap get used quite a lot, and in general they are all essentially straps made with the same stylistic cues that embody the characteristics of engineering solutions to make a car faster. They are all inherently in the sporty strap category and even though they can be made of anything, leather seems to be the preferred starting DNA. For any race car, one of the greatest enemies is weight. A peek inside any modern or even vintage car you will see holes cut in cross members, seat rails, dash boards, with the simple goal to remove as much metal as possible. Less metal equals less weight, which in turn makes every bit of horsepower get to the business of speed rather than just overcoming weight. A common old phrase heard around paddocks is that a car should be just strong enough to be able to finish a race then it can completely fall apart. Naturally this is not completely true, but such was the focus on keeping things as simple and minimal as you can. This philosophy is realized in racing watch straps as more of an aesthetic than a rigid design requirement, or else we would all have dental floss holding our watches to our wrists.
So with the rally inspired watch strap etymology squared away we can look at what the strap industry usually creates to invoke the spirits of vintage long distance racers in an old vintage open top prewar sports car (if you sense that old world romantic vibe here, that is entirely the point). The equation is usually resolved with the following: fine leather with ample holes along its entire length for breathability and style. This is obviously the primary design cue. They can have stitching or not. Some have a moisture resistant inner liner to protect the leather, some do not. There is no set color or hole pattern that is more ‘right’ than another. This creative wiggle room allows for some beautiful creations from a great many wonderful strap manufacturers.
This is a look at B and R’s take on a rally strap, appropriately named the LeMans Racing watch strap. Here is what B and R says about this strap.
Crafted from full grain Italian leather with a waxed finish, you’ll experience first hand as the strap ages beautifully with wear. With attention to detail, each strap is taper cut with precision revealing the straps edges enhancing the vintage look. In it’s final stage, each strap is carefully sewn with a beautiful contrast white stitch.
DIMENSIONS
I ordered yet another 19mm watch strap as this was intended for my Speedmaster and my Zenith El Primero, both are ‘blessed’ with 19mm lug widths. All dimensions are based on the 19mm version of this strap (also available in 18mm, 20mm, and 22mm). My strap came in at 18.8mm at the lugs and tapers down to 16mm at the free and buckle end. That is a nice dramatic taper that really ups the vintage appeal of this strap. The strap is a uniform 2.8mm thick which slots into that very wearable thickness as to be noticeable and sturdy but still thin enough to be incredibly flexible.
The length of the strap is listed as 120mm/80mm (denoted as medium) on the free and buckle end respectively and my calipers were within a millimeter of each so that checks out. This means that on my 7” wrist, I am on the last adjustment hole for the perfect fit. If you have a smaller wrist, order the short length and you will be fine.
DESIGN
While I covered the basic outline of the rally strap earlier it pays to take some time to see how the LeMans strap covers these basics. The strap construction leads me to believe that once piece of Leather, in this case Italian full grained leather, is wrapped around the spring bar and glued together then stitched. Very common and robust construction that gives the inside of the strap nearly the same feel and aesthetic as the outside.
About that leather. Full grain leather is usually not as supple or flexible as calf leather unless it has been worked in generously prior to be made into a strap. Luckily B and R has done this and the product when it reaches you is delightful to the touch. The surface has a satin sheen to it which is accomplished with ample layers of oils or waxes accompanied with some sort of buffing process. This gives depth as well as shine and really protects the color. If I had to describe the shine, imagine black leather in a car with a fresh application of Armor All (or the leather treatment of your choice – I actually do not recommend Armor All, but that is another blog)
The strap is generously perforated with two sized holes and to B and R’s credit they applied the same generous black sealant inside the hole as they did on the sides of the strap. This coating gives an incredible monochrome black appearance and unifies the construction beautifully. The sides of the strap feel like they been burnished prior to sealant application which also improves the feel and texture of the side of the strap. This process has the side benefit of improving how the strap feeds through the keepers and buckle as well as giving some added durability.
The Black LeMans Racing strap has contrast stitching along its outside that is done in a stark white color that really pops off the leather. Any white indicies or minute track on the watch dial will be pulled to your attention with this thread color choice. The stitches are evenly spaced and nicely sunk into the leather so they sit flush with the top of the strap. I would love to see some color options of this treading as that could further give owners a choice to bring out some of the more fun colors often associated with racing chrono dials. Food for thought.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
The strap is equipped with a standard two keeper system with one fixed and one floating. They are free of any embellishments save the luxurious black sheen of the leather used in the strap. They are both sized well and allow the extra length to slide smoothly through them (again that wax coating on the surface showing more benefits than just good looks).
The Buckle on the LeMans is B and R’s standard slim linearly brushed buckle. I have seen this before many times and each time it never sets foot wrong. Small and thin it sits nicely against your skin and sits flat and unobtrusive, but aside from the light brushing is standard stainless steel and unremarkable.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
I could have easily just cut and paste a great many words from my other B and R strap reviews, but that is not the Strapsense way. This straps construction and quality material equate to an extremely wearable strap. It has the right thickness to not be overpowered by most watches and while racing is rugged in reality, the strap has an elegant taper that betrays its origin. This is a strap that is both elegant and sporty, but if I had to choose, the glossy appearance tips the scales ever so slightly in favor of a dressier overall look.
The second you receive the strap you will realize that it will require no break in. I wore this on my Zenith El Primera and then when I brought my Oris Chronoris home, it was quickly swapped to help the motorsports theme. I think the switch works amazingly well. While the purpose of the holes in the strap are two fold, to keep draw reference to the lightened race cars of the past and present they also serve to allow your skin to breath. Leather is NOT a breathable material unless it is made to be. I can say that this strap kept my wrist rather dry and even in Houston Texas in 12 skillion percent humidity the strap was comfortable and never ‘stuck’ to me like a solid rubber strap would. Is that due to the perforations? Well I certainly think they helped.
All day wear was never an issue and on both watches the keepers stayed put and did what I asked them to. Watch felt great and when put on the tighter side of just right, did an admirable job of keeping the watch head in place.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
A strap custom made to capture that racing aesthetic and carries the named LeMans, takes you in a decidedly motor sports themed direction with the watch it should reside. I would probably recommend not straying too far from this. Any chronograph or motorsports themed watch would be a natural pit stop for this strap (Yes I said that). While its construction would certainly allow it to stray into daily wear watch territory, I would not get too far from its intended purpose. This strap on a field watch would be a stretch but a sporty daily wear may just be the ticket. I would encourage you to experiment and play with watches to see what can work.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
The best place to buy a B and R strap is from the strap masters at B and R. They ship shockingly fast and are always accurate with the order in my experience.
https://www.bandrbands.com/black-le-mans-racing-watch-strap.aspx
SUMMARY
The racing strap is pegging the needle on the sporty side of things (yup, now I am on a roll, why lift off now, I can do this all day) in the strap world. While not optimized for upper echelons of motorsport, this strap, and other rally straps can put you in the mindset of taking corner and nipping an apex, or executing a perfect heel/toe (for those of us who still consider driving a manual as an art form). A nice rally strap can transform what could be a mundane watch into a thing of legend. We all love to let our watches speak to lives we have led or at times the lives we wish we had led. Let this strap be part of that journey.
