Bulang and Sons Racing Black Leather Watch Strap
October 1, 2020
Coco Chanel said every woman needs a little Black Dress. This can be an equally true axiom for men in which every man needs a nice black suit. This is the outfit you wear when you do not have time or the inclination to pick out something special and specific for a particular event but still want to look outstanding. The little black dress is the timeless expression of elegance and class. It will look spectacular in almost any event and can be dressed up or down with accessories depending on the mood of the wearer. Above all else though, the perfect black suit, or the little black dress’s most important attribute is that empowers the wearer to be a seamless part of his or her environment casting a Broadway like spotlight on the person, rather than the clothes. This is no easy task and yet it is performed with meticulous aplomb by this week’s strap for review.
Bulang and Sons has been the subject of a quite a few Strapsense reviews. They are easily one of my favorite brands to recommend due to the constant unwavering dedication to quality products. I was captivated by their recreation of the vintage Speedmaster straps in which they found the original manufacturers and tooling which were brought back into service to recreate the legendary straps that were sold on Omegas new back in the 50’s and 60’s. You can find my review of one of these straps here (https://strapsense.com/2020/01/17/bulang-and-sons-black-speedy-leather-watch-strap/). Today’s strap lack the horological significance of those particular straps, but they still capture that Bulang and Sons magic I have grown to appreciate. In every way possible, this black racing leather strap is watch strap embodiment of the little black dress. I will explain that more later, but here is what Bulang and Sons says about their fantastic little strap.
Taking cues from 60s racing car culture – the perforations are a nod to the holes in parts of racing cars to keep things as light as possible – this strap makes for a perfect shadow run!
With its luxurious finish and slender look and feel, the leather of this racing strap is made complete by black side and edge stitching. Handcrafted in Germany.
DIMENSIONS
Once again I ordered the 19mm version of this strap as it was destined for my 160 Years Silver Anniversary Carrera Chronograph. I need to do an article about how I pick straps for review one of these days as the watch itself will ‘talk’ to you and let you know what kind of story it wants to be told. It has been a while since I said this, but it bears repeating as it is a Strapsense founding principle:
The watch strap tells the story, with the watch being the main character of that story.
-Stephen Damico, Strapsense
My strap came in at 18.9mm at the lugs and 15.9mm at the free end. The strap has a length of 120mm on the free end and 75mm on the buckle end. On my 6.75” wrist I am on the second to the last adjustment hole (lug to lug on the Carrera is about 47mm). My strap was 2.8mm thick on the buckle side, and 2.5mm thick on the free end. I have never seen this kind staggered construction before, but it makes perfect sense. To my eye, the free end just wraps around the spring bar and is sewn, while the buckle end has to make three trips down the length of the strap to contain the keeper and buckle. What this clever construction gives you is a strap that is a bit more flexible where you want it, and a bit more robust where you need it. Elegant solution to problem. Either way, though, 2.5mm or 2.8mm is right in the sweet spot for a good racing, aviator or field strap. This is the range where it is thick enough to be durable without feeling restrictive or clumsy on the wrist.
DESIGN
As I alluded to before, this is a no frills back to basics kind of design for a rally strap. It is free of any ornamentation or details that would otherwise draw your eye to the strap. However, that does not mean in any way there is nothing to talk about. When you make a simple strap the details and basics become that much more important, as any flaw or defect will have nowhere to hide. This is where Bulang and Sons attention to detail is extremely evident.
The strap is made from a very robust feeling leather. It does not feel delicate or fragile in any way, yet manages to be very pliable at the same time. The sheen on the strap is a touch above matte, but not quite satin. This finish is excellent at brushing off small scrapes and scratches with a few focused passes with your finger. The oils and waxes in the leather help the strap to recover the occasional brush with a fingernail or edge of a door. The black coloring is deep on both sides and exhibits no pull up when the strap is bent or folded. Nor does it seem to suffer any ill effects from being pulled through the buckle about 50 times (something I do on every new strap to see if it will wear easily leading to premature aging).
The strap has the customary rally ‘lightening’ holes which are all but mandatory for any strap with a racing ethos about it. They are adequately spaced and are sized to get credit for being there, but are not so large that they look awkward or forced. The stitching is as black as the leather and adds a quiet confidence to the strap’s look and construction. If anything the stitches fade to the background and give the strap a more subdued vintage look bolstering the quiet silent type aesthetic this strap exudes.
One final thing about the design is the strap has the sides of the leather nicely sealed and colored to match the rest of the strap. No other markings or details of any kind are present and for this particular strap that is exactly the point.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
This rally strap uses a conventional two keeper system with one keeper being fixed and the other floating to better manage the extra strap. Typical of Bulang and Sons the keepers are perfectly sized to hold the extra strap and not a millimeter larger. Feeding the extra strap through the keepers is effortless as the finish and heavily waxed strap moves over itself without drama or wear of any kind. The Keepers are made of the same black leather and are equally well colored and sealed on the sides.
The buckle on this strap is standard Bulang and Sons Buckle. It is a thin vertical brushed conglomeration of right angles which is a study in minimalism. The buckle has a printed B&S on the outside and is perfectly sized to do the job it needs to do, but not one bit bigger. This particular buckle falls into the category of being pleasantly forgettable.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
Comfort, flexibility and quality are typically words I try to avoid in writing in this section as they are exhaustively worn out and seem to lose their impact when overused. I thought I would be able dig into my box of adjectives for something different though when I first received this strap. I was actually a bit concerned that this was not going to be typical B&S quality. While this is not some Shell Cordovan strap that will float over your skin like silk on day one, after some initial break in it will eventually yield the curves of your wrist quite nicely. This particular strap is made of stern leather that at first will have some structure to it. It will not fight you and hold the watch off your wrist with ‘stiff leg syndrome’ (that annoying trait where a stiff strap holds the watch off your wrist at weird angles), but it will need to be worked a bit before its laminated structure yields freely. Invest some time bending and flexing this strap prior to installation (I do this with most straps actually) and the break in time will be reduced to a day or two at most.
Once on the wrist the strap really goes into its stealth mode. This strap positively excels as letting whatever watch it is attached to shine and grab all the attention. The near-matte finish and lack of any contrasting details give the strap a muted personality and like the little black dress it is a perfect backdrop for accessories. Only in this case, the only accessory a watch strap holds, is a watch. The holes in the strap stay true to the rally strap aesthetic, but also probably let the skin breath as I never had any issues with comfort even on the hottest and most humid of days in Houston. I found over the course of several weeks, this strap just served as a fantastic backdrop for my Carrera. It’s all noir design made the polished lugs and silver dial just dazzle that much more brightly.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
This strap is ideal for watches that need no help or supporting cast to tell a story good story. To push the movie analogy perhaps a bit too far, it is the soundtrack or beautiful scenery in a great film. It elevates the watch it is attached to in a subtle but unmistakable way. Naturally I think this is a great strap for classically styled Chronograph. It sings on the vintage styled Carrera, but it also looked quite charming on an Omega Speedmaster as well. I would wager just about any watch with a teaspoon of racing DNA in its soul is a shoe in for this strap.
However, since this strap does not scream look at me I am a racing strap, I think it can have a far more universal appeal. The lines on the strap are classic and elegant. The rally holes are minimal and the stitching is color matched. I would recommend this on any casual watch that has a dial worth noticing. I see this as a very attractive alternative to just a plain monotone strap with no personality at all. This would look good on an Oris Big Crown Pointer Date. It would probably look ravishing on an older Rolex Air King. Never let a watch strap’s title limit you on where you try it. Some perfect pairings could be waiting for you.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
Bulang and Sons is the sole source of where to find this and other amazing quality straps for your chronograph or any other watch you may need a fresh personality for.
Okay at the time of writing this, Bulang and Sons was sold out of this particular strap, but I have confidence they will restock them. They have this lovely strap in other colors as well, so take some time to look around. I am not sponsored by B&S in any way, but when I find quality I like to let my readers know about it.
SUMMARY
This strap really surprised me. If I had to give it a personality it would have been the Steve McQueen of rally straps as it is not boisterous or loud but its mere presence on your wrist elevates your style and the watch it is affixed. It is the strong silent type that is comfortable where ever it should be. It has no ostentatious and unnecessary flair and like the little black dress it is impervious to trends or fashion faux pas. I was not prepared for this kind of strap. It is toned down like a Rolex Date Just and the more you live with it, the more interesting things you find, and you come to appreciate what timeless style is really about.