Teddy Baldassarre Vintage Cognac Hand Painted Stitched Watch strap
August 4, 2019
I took my family to a really authentic Mexican restaurant the other night. The Chef was well known, the salsa (which if bad you should just get up and leave) was unreal in terms of depth and texture and the taste while being made of the most simple ingredients was complex and had that perfect amount of heat. We all enjoyed some really authentic Latin American cuisine, well almost all of us. My youngest looked straight at the waiter and ordered a cheeseburger (my 6 year olds taste buds are still coming along). There are many rules in life that can be called a truism. Do not eat yellow snow is one of them. There is no free lunch, is another. However, only less known is you do not go into a fine Latin American restaurant and order a hamburger.
The same could be said about buying watch straps. If you want the best watch strap possible you buy from an artisan or craftsman who actually works the leather. Can you get a good watch strap from a charismatic YouTube personality? The answer, as it turns out so far, is a resounding maybe. I really do Enjoy Mr. Baldassares watch videos as his opinions seem fare and genuine. They do not always run in parallel with mine, but when he mentioned he offered some nice straps for sale I felt inclined to try them as many of my readers may to try to do the same. The first thing I must make perfectly clear is that this is a review of a watch strap, not of a personality. I tried to separate the on screen personality from the strap as the two are, from what I can tell, totally separate.
Let us see what the folks at Teddy have to say about his Cognac strap:
A vintage-inspired strap with a rustic, handpainted cognac finish with stitch detail at towards the lug and pointed tip ends.
Dressing this on a chronograph or vintage diver will be a match made in heaven! For our initial launch, only 20 mm lug width will be available.
DIMENSIONS
At the time of writing this review this strap only came in a 20mm width, so that is what I will be giving dimensions on. Mine came in at 20mm on the dot at the lugs and tapered nicely to 17.5mm at the free end. The strap was a uniform 4mm thick along its entire length, so this is a robust strap for sure. It is listed as a 120m/80mm strap and my measurements were within 1mm of each, so spot on so far. On my 7” wrist that puts me on the second to last adjustment hole for that just right fit. Much smaller wrists should buy with caution.
DESIGN
I picked this strap because of the interesting coloring and the unique stitch pattern that I had not scene before. So I will talk about those as I feel they set this strap apart. The color of the strap is called cognac and I can agree that lovely brown with a dash of orange color comes through nicely. The sides of the strap being sealed and painted black were a nice touch, at first. The point of this coloring I presume was to add a bit of black to the sides of the strap and have that bit of color bleed into the leather on the top surface. This gives the effect of the charred wood in barrels where whiskey is aged (at least that is what came to mind). Very nice idea in practice but its longevity proved otherwise. One of the first things I do after I get a strap on my watch is pull the free end tight and loose about 30-50 times to simulate how the leather is going to wear over time putting the watch on and off. The black painting started to wear (read as peel) off after about 20 times and the base brown leather beneath shown through. I have no idea if this is unique to my strap but this is what I was delivered.
The stitching on the strap was not plagued by any workmanship issues I can see. I like the way the stitches only go half way down the strap. It gives the strap a bit of a dual personality. Fully stitched straps have a sporty vibe to them, and single side or whip stitched straps have a vintage flavor. This strap does an admirable job of accomplishing both. Both personalities are further bolstered by the shape and size of this strap. A 4mm strap will certainly work in harmony with a robust and sporty watch, while the nice taper gives this strap a vintage feel and some sophistication. I feel this is a rather complex combination, this vintage sport strap, but on the whole I think it is rather successful. The only issue is the combination will probably limit what watches will match well, but more on that in a minute.
The bottom of the strap is rather rough and unfinished, but still remains soft to the touch. ‘teddy’ is embossed on the buckle end and ‘20’ is on the free end. The stitches come through the bottom showing you the strap is firmly held in together and despite the aesthetics failing on the top of the strap, this is a leather strap that should last a while.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
The vintage Cognac has a two keeper system with one fixed and one floating. They are nice and thin and match the color of the strap very well. It should be noted that the size is perfect for the substantial 4mm strap to slide through with ease without being annoying oversized. The sides of the keepers are properly sealed and match the strap accordingly.
The buckle is linearly brushed and has all its edges evenly rounded. The tang of the buckle is flat which matches the rectangular adjustment holes in the free end of the strap perfectly. That is a detail I really appreciate. Overall the buckle does the job it was designed to do perfectly and I feel is sized well to balance with the strap. While, the buckle does not elevate the strap to a new level, it also does not look like an afterthought and comes across as well chosen. Well done.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
The vintage Cognac is a thick strap and no amount of sugar coating will change that. However a clever manufacturer and leather worker can make a thick strap wear thinner than the dimensions may lead you to believe (see my Jack Foster strap review for an example). The vintage Cognac does an admirable job trying to pull off this illusion and I can say they have been mostly successful.
The enemy of comfort is stiffness. This becomes more critical the thicker the strap becomes. The Cognac leather has been worked well to give the user a strap that never fights you and it yields to the slightest movement. The top surface of the leather feels rich and is pleasureable to the touch. The inner surface is not finished to the same degree but at no time did I find it to be uncomfortable or irritating.
On the wrist the strap is very noticeable as the color and contrast stitching make a bold statement. I went through three different watches before I found the Snoopy Timex which had enough charm and case height to keep up with this strap. During the day the strap kept pace well and moved with me. It was noticeable when using a laptop typing this review (it is 8mm of leather on the bottom of your wrist) and while it was felt, I cannot say it was ever unpleasant. I found the strap was very easy to put on and take off as the buckle and keepers allowed the free end to move effortlessly.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
The vintage sporty description of this strap made pairing it to a watch a particular challenge as I was attempting to find a watch that matched that category. However, on the whole, vintage straps are usually quite thin so as to match vintage watches which tend to be smaller and more svelte. So when I abandoned the nomenclature of the description and just tried it on different watches the only watch I found that clicked was the Snoopy Marlin Timex. It had sufficient case height to handle this strap and its stark dial allowed the strap to shine uncontested. I had it on my Hamilton field khaki 38mm and its 10mm case height was simple swallowed by this strap.
I think this strap needs a watch with at least 12.5mm case height to be balanced. A less complex dial will be better than a cluttered one as the painted details on the strap will fight for attention with a complex and detailed dial. I would suggest a watch that requires some manner of strength in the strap while still being reserved enough to not fight for attention. I see this as a good casual daily wear strap on something like a clean uncluttered version of theJazzmaster Hamilton or similar models that are restrained in style yet still have that air of urban sportiness about them.
WHERE CAN I GET ONE
The only place I know where to get one was straight from the Teddy Baldassarre Website. Shipping was fast and it came packed in a beautiful grey strap box.
SUMMARY
Overall I still think you should not order a hamburger at a Latin American restaurant. Likewise, I do prefer to get my watch straps direct from people who work the leather themselves whenever I can. I have long said the personality of the strap maker comes through and the end result is a product that feels personal, or special. The painted nature of this strap did in the end let down what could have been a solid product. I also would like to see more information about the leather used, the construction, and the experience of the people making the final product. Just letting the potential buyers know how pretty it will be on a certainly kind of watch is not enough as the market is just too competitive. Now, none of that extra information is absolutely necessary to sell watch straps, but when you are allowed to see the how, what and why of the production of the strap it starts to take on a life all its own and the makings of a story are solidified. Watch people like nothing if not a good story. A painted watch strap is not the end of the world, but when it peels off in a week, it is akin to faux patina.
For the asking price of forty dollars this strap has a lot of good characteristics. It is physically well constructed. The leather is thick while still being soft and supple to the touch. The buckle and keepers are not afterthoughts and well chosen. If anybody at Teddy is listening, I would like to see less painting (sealing the sides is perfectly fine) and more attention placed on the product description and attention to details so I do not have a strap with peeling patina in a week.