B and R Bands Desert Sand Cordura Pilot Watch Strap

Whenever a person reviews a watch or strap or vacuum cleaner or whatever they mean to explain the various pros and cons it always helps to identify common items which can serve as an easily identifiable metaphor to the products of interest.  People all over the world have so many different interests and backgrounds it can be difficult to find a common ground which to communicate clearly.  The internet exhasperates this issue as the audience is essentially the whole world. However, regardless of background and ethnicity we all have one very common humanifying (I know that is not a word, but I like it, patent pending) trait that binds us. We all love to eat wonderful food.

Today’s incredible watch strap hails from B and R Bands, which is easily one of my favorites to shop and buy from.  I wore this strap and immediately was being pulled strongly in its two easily recognizable design traits. This created a persistent struggle on how to communicate why this strap is so darned good what it does.  The answer became very clear during a Dad and Sons outing as we were eating some killer Tex-Mex. What we are looking at is the fusion cuisine of watch straps.  This strap completely embodies two different genres of watch straps into one very sublime combination which just plain works equally well from both areas it draws design inspiration.

What are the two areas that like Voltron combine to make something arguably better than the components parts individually?  The shape is unabashedly an IWC pilot with a material that is unabashedly field or dive watch in origin. How do these come together? Normally this is where I would insert a brief description from the vendor on the idea and design of the strap being reviewed.  However, this is one of the few times that no description was given.  So let us get on with it and see if a strap fusion can work.

DIMENSIONS

I ordered the 20mm version of this strap so all my dimensions are based on that.  At the lugs the strap is 20.1mm, which tapers down about an inch after the lugs to 18mm and remains straight until the final triangular taper toward the end of the free end of the strap.  The strap starts at a tad over 4mm thick at the lugs and about half way through the length of the strap thins down gradually to a very easy to live with 2mm.  I like these physical dimensions as they are thick where the strap meets the watch so it can keep that strong beefy look, but the tapers allows it to easily curve around your wrist and fasten with little effort.

As far as length goes, my strap came in at 111mm/74mm on the free and buckled end respectively.  For me and my 40mm Hamilton Khaki it put me on the third to last adjustment hole out of 7, so it is very well sized for a 7” wrist with plenty of adjustment either way.

DESIGN

The design of the strap is where the fusion of two styles comes together.  Like fine Tex-Mex, or a California Pizza, the two ideas work well on this strap as both are allowed to keep what made each style great without any negative effects muting the other.  The shape of the strap is immediately identifiable as an IWC styled strap.  The classic parallel lines of the sides pull off what the gradual tapering of a vintage strap does but without sacrificing its tooly edge.  The straight sides give the strap a purposeful rugged look and the smaller width at the buckle makes forming to the contours of the wrist extremely pleasing and making it wear thinner and feel less bulky. This is a win-wn design decision that has stood the test of time.

The Cordura on the outside surface is a fantastic choice of material for the strap as it adds incredible amounts of tactile and visual texture.  When you think of a tough fabric, images of rucksacks and ammo bags come to mind. The overall aesthetic is pure adventure certified cool.  Cordura can deal with water without complaint, but I would wager that dirt or grease would tend to get caught into the fabric so if you are a mechanic or gardener, I would stick to the darker colors offered. Cordura wears extremely well and is very abrasion and tear resistant creating a strap that should be with you for a long time.

The underneath side of the strap is what appears to be smooth calfskin leather which feels fantastic against the skin.  While this leather is pleasing for sure, it will certainly undermine the water resisting nature of Cordura on the top surface. It leads me to believe the designers were far more interested in the tactile and aesthetic strengths of Cordura rather than its ability to get wet. We see this design choice from countless other strap manufacturers as well, and for obvious reasons: Comfort.  I would rather feel smooth calf skin against my wrist than something as rugged as Cordura.  So well done B and R.

The sides of the strap are protected pleasantly in a color-matched sealant along the entire perimeter. For me it really completes the well thought out and tidy appearance of this strap.  The whole kit is finished off with attractive stitches with a nice added bit of stitching around the free end and both lug ends of the strap. The color choice for the stitching on this strap is definitely in the khaki ballpark and adds detail and contrast in a noticeable but subtle way.  It would have been easy to pick white stitches here, but I like the restraint shown by B and R.

KEEPER AND BUCKLE

The Desert Sand Cordura Pilot Watch Strap comes with a two keeper system, with one being fixed and the other floating easily to secure the lose end of the strap.  Made of the same material and color as the strap they integrate well into the whole package.  They are sized appropriately to hold the free end securely all day without being difficult to feed the strap free end through. 

The buckle is another area where B and R took this IWC homage strap to heart.  I love the IWC buckle. I noticed the brilliant machining on my Spitfire when I took it out of the box.  B and R could have just slapped a typical buckle on and not degraded the wearing experience in any noticeable way. However, this buckle shows the effort to capture that pilot DNA and I would be lying if I say I was not impressed. While not quite matching the same machining precision as the buckle from IWC, this buckle has complex angles and sharp facets around the side and has a mix of brushed and polished surfaces that are executed to a very admirable level.  This is without a doubt that last little bit of jewelry that made this good strap – great.  The buckle makes it feel special and not mass produced from a parts bin. I have had many a soapbox speech on strapsense about vendors who charge huge sums of money and offer a cheap stamped buckle.  I am very happy to see B and R, step up and give their aftermarket strap some real personality with quality hardware.

HOW DOES IT WEAR

Form fitting and comfortable are how this strap will wear once you invest some time in working the Cordura. This is true of most Cordura products I have reviewed from other vendors.  At 4mm thick the stratified layers of leather and Cordura near the lugs will resist bending at first.  This is not a strap that is going to just melt onto your skin like a nice Shell Cordovan.  You can liken this strap to a good high quality pair of work books which require a couple of days to learn your foot before offering years of comfort. 

After you receive the strap I recommend you roll the thick sections between your fingers a dozen or so times, to loosen some of the layers and glue and break in the Cordura. After that wear it one hole too tight for a day or two and you will see it will learn you and dramatically increase its flexibility.

After initial break in this strap really comes into its own. The buckle lays flat against the wrist and glistens in the light.  The calf skin inner liner is all day comfortable and fastens easily as its slim 2mm thickness near the buckle means the free end will bend and flex effortlessly through the keepers.

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

As you may expect a strap made up of two strong schools of design like field and aviation would look and function amazingly well on any pilots watch and/or field watch. I chose this strap strongly based on its military vibe and its distinct Desert Sand coloring, which just happens to match Hamilton’s beige dials so well it is almost as if they were made for one another.  Find your favorite tool watch or your favorite field watch and this strap will positively sing.

If you already have an IWC laying around and want a change from the leather or bracelet, but want to keep that Pilots heritage strap look, this would be amazing.  The strap is thick enough at the lugs to handle a thicker chrono and yet still easy to wear all day.  I really admire a well thought out strap that is laser focused on what it wants to be. While this one casts a wider net than some, it military vibe is unmistakable.

WHERE CAN I GET IT

Best place to buy B and R bands products is at the B and R Bands website. Expect very fast shipping and service as well.

https://www.bandrbands.com/desert-sand-cordura-pilot-watch-band.aspx

SUMMARY

When picking out a strap it is often a balancing act between getting the right color, right shape, right material, and right theme.  You get 3 of those spot on and you have a good watch/strap combo.  But every once in a while the horological planets line up and you can nail all 4 and the watch and strap just highlight each other without either overpowering the other.  You get a perfect fusion of attributes that just work.  This was my take on this B and R Bands Pilots style strap. From its material to its shape, to its rugged construction and careful attention to details on the build and the hardware attached to it, this strap works on every level. If you have any Hamilton or Sinn or IWC you owe this strap a look. I think you will find it pairs with a great many watches that work or explore for a living.  Its design is a fusion of thick and thin, of vintage and modern, of elegant and rugged.  This is a brilliant example of the fusion cuisine of watch straps.