Milano Straps Red Suede Vintage Watch Strap

Being born and raised in the United States, I feel I have had been blessed all my 47 years on this planet and I am extremely thankful. I have a beautiful wife who loved me enough to marry me even though she is way out of my league.  We have two perfect little boys who take me from laugher to tears on a daily basis. My day job at NASA allows me to work with the most fascinating and brilliant people making the impossible a reality. In every aspect of my life, guided by the wisdom of my mother and father I have found fulfillment and joy.  

Perhaps it is a function of age or a deeper desire to know one’s self beyond the material things a person can call his/hers. I have recently found a pull to learn where I came from. My ancestors two generations ago came from Italy and while I last walked upon the paved stones in St. Peters Square in Vatican City last when I was 3 years old (My father was stationed in Italy in the Air Force), I yearn to go back and explore and absorb as much of my history and culture as I can. Just like a parched dry sponge seeks water to fill its every pore, I truly want to immerse myself (and my family) in Italian Culture again one day.  

The watch strap I found to review this week in a small way has added some of that Italian passion back into my life, and I will tell you right off the bat, I am completely smitten with it.   Like the stereotypical Italian male, it is bold and vibrant and brings a smile to the faces of all around. For me, this strap embodies that mentality as it is one-part cultural divining rod and one-part artisan made leather. Here is what Milano Straps says about the Red Suede Vintage Watch Strap:

This red suede vintage watch strap is definitely a must-have. Unique in its design and beauty you will not only feel distinguished but comfortable once strapped on. It has such a soft feel about it that it will make you forget that you are even wearing a watch and be sure that people will notice it with its stunning color and design. This will make the perfect gift any time of year for that special someone or for you to even buy for yourself, you deserve it. You would not want to miss out on such class and stunning fashion! 

DIMENSIONS

I ordered the 20mm version of this strap to fit my Breitling Top Time. Mine was 20.5mm at the lugs and a nice taper to 15.9mm at the free and buckle end.  The strap is a uniform thickness from spring bar to free end of about 2.5mm.  This is in the sweet spot of 2.5mm-3.5mm. The strap is sold as 115mm on the free end and 75mm on the buckle end. My measurements are with a millimeter of that, so it all checks out.  115/75 at some vendors is considered short, others it is a medium length.  What matters is now it fits the wrist. I can tell you on the Top Time, which has 50mm lug to lug length, I am on the third to the last adjustment hole on my 6.75” wrist. 

The dimensions listed put this squarely in the vintage category as the taper is spot on where I like to see it for a sporty strap with old world styling cues.  The 2.5mm thickness ensures that the strap will not add too much bulk to the wrist as well as yield flexibility and comfort. It will also lend itself for use with a very wide variety of watches particularly those who lean to old world style.

DESIGN

I have a stack of vintage style watch straps in my watch strap drawer.  Yet few excite me like this particular suede beauty.  Let me get the obvious out of the way. This strap is a perfect time tested blend of thickness and taper that while not uncommon, always manage to come together quietly in what the watch strap industry calls a vintage style strap. Free of unnecessary adornments such as roll marks or stitching, contrast or matching, this style of strap is very good as highlighting the raw material which the strap is made and the watch it happens to be affixed to. When I purchased my Top Time, it was an incredibly fun and youthful watch to me. It was like strapping a retro funky time machine onto my wrist and was horological license to thrill (cheesy Bond reference was eventually going to come into this review as a Top Time was used in Thunderball, so I feel it is justified).  Immediately I knew the excellent brown suede strap Breitling supplied with the watch was too conservative for the watch and that wonderful Zorro dial could support a whole lot more character. 

Milano Straps was more than happy to help me out with this shortcoming.  This strap screams color and texture like only the Italians could combine.  This strap looks like it came out of a Ferrari paint booth, and Rosso Corsa (Racing Red) color runs miles deep into the suede and permeates the material from the inside of the strap against the wrist to the outside for the whole world so see and admire.  The suede has a healthy nap and provides texture both visually and tactically to the touch and numerous tones of that lively red can be seen at any angle and in any light in a such a way it would make Enzo himself giggle with glee (Disclaimer: I do not actually know if Enzo would giggle with glee, but I think he would manage a stern smirk). 

The underside of the strap as I mentioned is also made of the same lovely suede as the top and is beautifully embossed with Milano Straps logo on the buckle side. The off white whip stitches near the spring bars are organic and natural in appearance, proudly hand stitched yet with enough symmetry to appear balanced and even.  The sides of the strap are clearly visible displaying the double layer construction of the strap. They are obviously burnished to some degree to add durability and some manner of light sealant has been applied, but not to the degree where the construction is hidden. Lastly, two matching tidy stitches are located near the buckle and also two decorative stitches are positioned near the tip of the free end.

KEEPER AND BUCKLE

Truly great style is often located in the details.  A watch strap has two opportunities to really show off. The material chosen to make the strap and the hardware used for the buckle.  While some manufacturers go into great detail about the quality of the leather used, they completely drop the ball in terms of giving the strap some pizzazz in the buckle department. Milano Straps thankfully completely nailed this feature and is one of my favorite buckle designs ever. 

The Buckle is a fully polished piece, that a started life in the shape of a pentagon. But like a DaVinci sculptor, material was removed in all the right places leaving behind elegant curves and angles to create an object that is both beautiful and functional at the same time. The Buckle looks no bigger than it needs to be and but still has enough visual interest that you will catch yourself looking at it time and time again.  A laser etching of Milano Straps logo lies secretly on the underside of the buckle in exquisite detail for you to enjoy as well. 

The keepers of on the Red Suede strap are in the typical layout. One is floating and one is fixed. They are nicely sized to allow the high friction suede to slide easily through and yet still hold them securely when on the wrist.   Suede can be notoriously difficult to move when it is asked to move against itself, yet this strap seems to have the dimensions dialed into allow ease of wear. The keepers are made of the same luscious red leather as the strap and with 2 weeks of wear they have managed to still look new. 

HOW DOES IT WEAR

Ask any lovely lady you know and they will say, pain is beauty and beauty is pain.  They are usually referring to the anatomically impossible shoes fashion dictates they wear to complete the outfits they adore. While there is no doubt that we all want to look our best in all the clothes we wear, some of us are not willing to pay that price.  Happily, Milano Straps does not ask you to.  The Red Suede strap wears beautifully from day one.  Like a perfect pair of jeans, this strap is fully willing to conform to your body on the first day it comes out of the embossed and attractive decorative tin it comes in. 

Suede is one of my all-time favorite materials straps are made from. It is a material that engages your senses on multiple fronts both visually and texturally. The Milano Straps Suede is quite beautiful in its construction and vibrant colors.  But like white carpet, it is prone to show dirt. While my red strap has resisted any wear and degradation so far, red is not a color known for hiding the dirt and stains life throws at you like a brown suede would.  This strap just begs to be touched and enjoyed for its sublime textural qualities, however, it should be known that constant rubbing of the suede will eventually deposit the oils and dirt from your hands.  Consider yourself warned. 

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

Much like a Ferrari begs to be driven, this watch strap begs to be touched. However, like the Ferrari this is a strap that may not make the best daily driver. Casual everyday environments can be tough on suede with wear from tables, keyboards, and cars encompassing a non-stop assault on the strap. I would rather have this strap paired to a special occasion watch. When I say special occasion, I mean a watch that can handle and balance out the straps powerful colors and textures.  This is NOT subtle strap and while some watch straps allow the watch to shine, this strap can easily steal the show if the watch it is attached to is not up to the task of being the lead character. Whether that is a good thing or bad thing is up to your personal fashion tastes.  I paired this with the Breitling Top Time and I think the pairing as is as close to perfect as can possibly be achieved. The funky fun of the 70’s inspired Zorro dial and the tiny pop of red on the dial perfectly offset the red color onslaught of the strap which let us be honest is turned up to a glorious 11. 

This is a watch strap that grabs the eyes of everybody in the room and says who is this person bold enough to embrace color this way.  This watch can work very well with a very monotone dial that may have a pop of red on the second hand or possibly in the text. I see this working better on casual wear or occasion watches that have a strong personality of their own, rather than something like a pilots watch or a field watch which is so pinned down into their own genre. 

WHERE CAN I GET ONE

The only place to get a Milano Strap is from their amazing web page. I really felt like I found a pot of gold when shopping there.  So many fresh designs and new color palettes to choose from. I encourage you to give them a look.  After I purchased the Red Suede strap I could no longer find it on their website.  It is possible I bought the last one they had in stock. However, I will link to a different Red Suede that captures all the same emotions and bold colors as the red I have but with contrast boxed stitches instead of the vintage inspired whip stitches shown in all my pictures. The straps come in a beautiful tin with an information card, and even a strap changing tool!

SUMMARY

I do not remember much of the 70’s (not for THAT reason). I was born in ’73 and was busy with such mundane tasks as learning to talk and ride a bike while the style setters and big names in pop culture were experiencing the cultural phenomenon of Disco.  However, I did really enjoy the 80’s and now realize the fun and excitement of the first decade I call my own really started and gained steam 10 years earlier in the funk and R&B world the 70’s ushered in. The Breitling Top Time exudes that fun and adventurous style, and the Milano Strap Red Suede is the perfect watch strap to capture that passion and bold spirit and take it to the next level.  I have found  a veritable treasure chest in Milano Straps and promise you more reviews of their product line in the not too distant future.