Crown and Buckle Black Harbor Watch Strap

There is just something about a nice simple field watch.  It is a watch which has been distilled down to the simplest task a watch can perform while still being durable enough to venture out away from offices and desks into a places where complex mechanical things typically do not dare venture.  Oh and it would be really great if it would do this for a very long time.  After dropping my old Hamilton Khaki Field 38 on the crown and then attempting to repair it myself with less than spectacular results (Let me be perfectly clear here. Modding a Seiko 7S26 in an SKX is most decidedly NOT adequate training for a Hamilton movement), I decided that despite having other field watches in the watch box, there was simply no replacement for the Hammy and bought another.  I was then faced with which strap would grace its perfect lugs for its welcome back review.  While the factory strap from Hamilton is generally decently received, the amount of fine aftermarket straps that would be considered an improvement is riding an asymptotic line upward. 

A watch strap for a field watch that actually gets used, shockingly, in the field should be very resilient. In that resiliency there should be a healthy dose of durability, ruggedness, and longevity without devolving into a loop of cast iron around your wrist. The obvious choice for a field watch is a NATO. If they were good enough for men whose job it is to shoot somebody before getting shot, then my needs are trivial. But that is also the easy way out, and frankly it is tough to find any NATO for a military inspired field watch like the Hamilton that will ever top Haveston.  So I dropped any idea of using a NATO. 

The savvy watch strap shopper would have moved on to the advanced materials like silicone or sailcloth and that indeed would have been clever. However, I cannot shake the vintage feeling my Hamilton gives so I wanted an old organic material, rather than modern polyethylene blends of rubber or synthetic fabrics.  This led me to back to home turf and to a nice leather strap. Crown and Buckle makes a wide variety of splendid leather straps in their American Made section and their black label series.  I wanted to try one of the more common main stream straps that start a more approachable price.  At 36 dollars the Harbor strap is brings many very wonderful and some a bit surprising things to the table.  Before I get to those though, here are a few words from the Crown and Buckle website about the 20mm Black Harbor Leather Watch Strap. 

The Harbor is based on our gorgeous black calfskin leather. This rich black calf features a great looking horizontal texture patina. Harbor is very classically styled strap that will look right at home on vintage and modern watches alike.

Off-white contrast stitching tops off this classic strap. It is finished with one sewn-in and one floating keeper, along with a brushed Thumbnail buckle.

DIMENSIONS

Although available in 18mm and 22mm I chose the 20mm for the most versatility and because it fit my Hamilton. Therefore, all measurements are for that particular size. At the lugs my Harbor is 19.9mm wide and tapers gradually to 18.1mm at the buckle end. The strap is 3.3-3.5mm thick along its entire length and is uniform across the surface of the strap.  My strap was 120mm/75mm long on the free and buckled end respectively.  That means on my 7” wrist I am on the second to last adjustment slot when this strap is paired to my khaki 38mm auto field watch which has a lug to lug length of 46.7mm.  Smaller wrists with larger watches may run out of adjustment so keep that in mind. 

DESIGN

What drew me to the Harbor strap is the resemblance to the factory black strap that came with this particular model Hamilton Khaki.  When choosing a new strap for your watch, it is often a good place to start by examining what the factory put on it.  While the quality may not be anything to brag about, the style is often a good match to the watch.  I knew the black leather and white stitching of the factory strap could be found elsewhere, but with much higher grade leather and craftsmanship than the OEM could afford to put on a watch with such a low price and high production numbers.  

This is a nice hardy strap. At 3.5mm thick, it will not be confused with any ornate dress strap. The leather has a robust feel to it, with very visible grain in the hide. This organic and slightly raw texture of the grain echoes the strength of the animal it was made from.  Rugged and resilient are two of the words this strap evokes to me. It would seem like I am describing a material that would take a year to properly break in doesn’t? But this is where the craftsman comes in. The leather has been worked to a point where it easily moves and bends with you and feels properly refined. All day comfort is very achievable same day as delivery.

The black coloring is steadfast and brushes off scratches or scrapes fairly well. Many a watch strap has met the teeth of my new Brittany Spaniel pup and most have a battle scar or two to show for it.  The Crown and Buckle Harbor seems to enjoy such treatment as it has no signs of visible wear.  The sides of the strap are sealed with an ink black paint treatment to keep the strap from looking shabby before its time. It completes the finished look and adds versatility to this strap expanding the watches it can be used on. 

The white stitching at first looks like white stitching you would find on any strap. However, all stitching is not equal nor should it be considered so. The thread used for stitching on this strap is quite thick and the spaces between stitches are even but purposely noticeable. This imbues the strap with that same handmade old world casual style.  Think Blue jeans versus Italian suit and you would be on the right track. Combined with the heavily grained leather these stitches give the strap an all business attitude as if it could double for a rifle sling or horse rein. 

KEEPER AND BUCKLE

This strap has the standard two keeper system with one keeper being fixed and the other being of the floating variety.  They are sized proportionate to the strap, meaning the are beefy enough to not look overpowered by the leather.  They each have a nice roll mark on the edges and are dyed a nice deep black.  Like the Leather on the strap, there is no noticeable pull up or degradation even through weeks of wear. 

The buckle is again, a perfect blend of robust manufacture without being any bigger than it needs to be. I love it when strap makers put some thought into the buckles.  This one while unadorned with any visible logo, is slightly curved to lay flat and all the surfaces are wonderfully rounded with the slightest linear brushing.   I was thrilled to see a rectangular buckle tang to match the rectangular adjustment holes in the strap.  One of my strap peeves is a round hole in the strap and a rectangular tang to go through it (I probably had bad experiences with those childhood toys with the square peg and round hole, who knows). 

HOW DOES IT WEAR

If you own a high quality leather belt that you have used for half a decade or so, then you know what this strap is like to wear. The leather feels neither moist or dry in your hand. The texture is noticeable to your fingers, but seems to be almost symbiotic with your wrist. The free end threads through the keepers with the utmost of ease and stays put all day. When typing on a keyboard you may feel the 7+mm of leather under you, but it is not uncomfortable or irritating at all. 

On warm days where some exercise will be on the agenda, this strap often made me go to the next adjustment hole to allow it to breath some.  I never had any issues with my watch wandering over my wrist ever as the leather takes a shape to your wrist bones and holds the watch fast. The Harbor offers a reliable watch placement that never gives up, which is a good trait for a field watch (particularly handy if you are getting shot at and need to charge the hill on time, or if you just hiking, whichever)

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

I think that this strap would be ideal for just about any field watch or flieger.  It has a durability that pairs well with a watch with a job to do, just as long as that job does not involve water, so no divers please.  I would probably steer clear of your dress watches as well, since this strap could easily overpower a dainty thin watch. Having said that, my Hamilton Khaki Field 38mm is neither big nor is it thick, but the strap just pairs perfectly with it.  The way it follows the contours of the lugs is downright magical. The colors and white on black contrast are amazing.  Look for watches with white on the dial (or an all-white dial for the overachiever) and those bold stitches will work two fold to add character to the strap and to pull out those white parts in the dial.

I see this is a great strap for a casual daily wear timepiece.  It will ‘butch’ it up a bit and give it some attitude it may not have had. The black / white color scheme should be amiable to most colors, but make sure some white in the dial to pull them together. 

WHERE CAN I GET IT

I always have great luck ordering from Crown and Buckle directly. They are very fast and orders arrive in perfect condition.

https://www.crownandbuckle.com/harbor-20mm-black-calf.html

SUMMARY

The Hamilton Khaki Field is basically a cheater watch in so far as strap fitment is concerned.   It will look pretty darned good on almost any strap made. But every now and then you find a strap that fits its personality perfectly.  The little khaki never really strays too far from its intended purpose of duty and function. Its whole design vocabulary is strictly nestled in its field watch roots.  The Crown and Buckle Black Harbor strap has an honest toughness about it that acts to reinforce the historic pedigree of the Khaki.  These two belong together. As Mr. Gump put it, ‘they are like peas and carrots.”