Fluco Suede Leather Watch Strap Saddle
June 21, 2020
When I used to live in California right out of college I was fortunate enough to meet a great group of friends who shared many of the same common interests as I did. Camping, tacos, and beer were staples of conversations but not necessarily in that order. The first time I ventured out with this group was to Joshua Tree National Park. I had never experienced high desert before and was taken aback by the still beauty of it all. The warm glow of the rocks were only surpassed by the blackest of night skies where every star in the galaxy seemed to burn bright. Great memories for sure that changed my perception of the world around me. The first time I opened the package from Holbens to look at my Fluco Saddle Watch Strap, my mind made a quantum leap to those days we went bouldering. The rocks had that same warm glow as the strap I was holding in my hand. I was really going to enjoy this review.
Fluco is a strap maker out of Germany and started making straps in 1952. I have owned many Fluco straps and one theme that permeates every strap they make is quality for the money, also known as value. They never fail to make you feel as if you received far more than you paid for. This leather strap proved no different as I soon found out.
I typically like to add the words from the vendor at this point in my reviews, and let them describe their own product as they see it. For this particular strap, though, Holbens has a simple bulleted list which is not exactly a page turner, so if you will indulge me, I will just get to the review.
DIMENSION
Due to my abundance of tool and field style watches, I have ordered a 20mm strap which seems to really suit this particular style of watch. Mine came in at 20.0mm at the lugs and 17.8mm at the free and buckle end. The thickness of the strap is very uniform from lugs to tip at 2.5mm. This is in the sweet spot (2.5-3.5mm) for watch straps as they have a good blend of thickness to handle bulkier watches but are not so thick that they swallow up thinner more discrete pieces.
The length of the strap is 120mm/75mm on the free and buckle end respectively which on my 6.75” wrist puts me on the second to the last (or last) of six adjustment holes. I think you could find a comfortable fit down to 6.5” wrists.
DESIGN
I have rambled endlessly over my love for suede many times. But just to reaffirm this, I think suede straps are the epitome of casual cool. The leather looks distressed without being worn out. The textures and how it plays with light are constantly changing with the slightest brush up against a sleeve, desk, computer, whatever. What Fluco did here is to create a strap with precise construction and attention to details while using arguably the most casual leather possible. The result is suede which has been elevated not to the level of a glossy dress leather, but definitely to something that could be worn in the office and with a nice polo shirt and slacks.
All the dimensions mentioned previously point to a strap that could be a jack of all trades. It has a uniform thickness along its entire length. The sides of the strap are neatly sealed in not black but rather a dark grey. That dark hue contrasts greatly with the soft orange suede and gives the strap a strong sense of structure on the wrist. This dark side treatment pulls on the blacks and greys in the dial of the watch to help unify the combo.
The stitching on the strap is very subdued. Box stitching usually makes any strap a bit more formal and structured. Contrast stitching adds a bit of sportiness and can sprinkle in a little or a lot of tooly toughness depending on thickness or stitching size and of course color. Fluco chose a thread for this strap to closely match the suede but not get lost in it. Matching color stitches and side stitching is usually seen on very dressy straps so as to not draw attention to the wearer. Again we see the combination of dressy construction techniques used on the cozy suede material. Every one of these decisions adds to the usability envelope of this strap.
The leather on this strap is twofold. The underside has a very soft and light colored leather with Flucos’ signature embossed on the buckle end. The stitching comes all the way from the top side to the bottom and makes for a very robust construction. The top leather is of course, the star of the show. The suede has a wonderful short nap which goes from dark brown to light with a swipe of the finger. This organic texture makes the strap come alive as it has the ability to react to the environment. Suede is naturally resistant to minor scuffs, but prolonged use of the same buckle hole will eventually flatten out some of the wonderful texture underneath the buckle flange. More on that in a minute.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
Fluco saw fit to give this strap a two keeper system like many others. Nothing innovative for sure, but it does the job and will be second nature to all that use it. One keeper floats to mind the free end, and the other is fixed onto the buckle end. The size and thickness of the keepers offers ease of use which is not always the case when trying to slide suede through. They are perfectly in proportion to the strap.
The buckle has a nice bit of design to it. Perhaps Fluco wanted to keep the buckle as small as possible so as to not wear on the suede, but the flat on the buckle is very small and elegantly curved. This could easily be a buckle for a dress watch as it is very minimal but not without style and finesse. It has no markings or labeling of any kind and just quietly does its job while imparting as small a footprint onto the suede as possible.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
This strap wears into your wrist like a good pair of blue jeans. It requires no break in at all and is ready to tackle the day the instant you put it on the watch. That particular task, choosing which watch to use this with, could be the real challenge. I ordered this strap for my Sinn 556A. The bracelet it came with is legendary it its tool like nature, but makes for a very serious and cold watch. This organic living suede really takes the edges off the watches personality. It is like John McClain from Die Hard finally relaxing and having a good Christmas. Hard core, but relaxed. This is the power of a well done suede strap
The black sealed edges of the strap highlight the matte black dial perfectly here as they act to frame up the watch/strap package. I managed to wear this for days without ever tiring of the suedes texture and feel. The underside stayed comfortable and dry even on 90 degree Houston Texas days. The strap was damp a few times from long walks in the park yet no degradation occurred to the look or feel of the strap.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
This is where all that blending of dress and casual design aspects come together. This strap is the spiritual kinsman to an ultra-modern kitchen with a farm table made of reclaimed wood. The contrast adds visual interest and makes the watch choices for this strap almost limitless. It should go without saying this is not an appropriate strap for divers that will get used as divers. But let me say it anyway. Avoid water sports with this strap. I have no doubt it would look amazing on a watch such as an Oris Divers 65, but should you be inclined to strap on a snorkel, use the tropic it came with.
I have had this on a Hamilton Khaki field and it looked amazing. I have had it on the new Seiko Alpinist in black and it worked stunningly well against the polished case of the Seiko. Field watches are a particularly good match for this watch strap. But in my mind’s eye I could see this looking brilliant paired with a Nomos as the hard German no fuss design would play nicely against the soft texture of the leather. I see this working on all but the dressiest of watches if I am honest.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
I always enjoy shopping at Holbens Fine Watch Bands. They offer a huge selection and lightning fast shipping in the USA.
Or, if you prefer, you can find this on Amazon as well, since Fluco has many Amazon vendors which makes it very convenient. I am also an amazon affiliate and get a small kickback if you order from the link below (full disclosure here).
SUMMARY
This is a $33.00 US strap that gives the user an amazing look and feel. It is a pleasure to the senses and impeccably well made. It will do for most watches what a nice pressed pair of pants and shirt do for wardrobe. I admire Fluco for offering so many options in this reasonable price range from shell cordovan to suede they manage to give the end user big name quality for a nearly painless price.