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OGA10
·Hi everyone,
I got a 60s compax chronograph (black dial variant) that did not come with the original bracelet and wanted to share my experience trying to find the best strap for it in case it's helpful for anyone. I have no association with any of these products or companies, but I do remember thinking "I wish someone had posted their experience" when going through this myself.
The contenders
Straps
- Molequin noisette suede
- Custom JPM brown leather vintage strap with Hermes style buckle
Bracelets
- Bulag & Sons matte beads of rice bracelet
- Forstner beads of rice bracelet
- Forstner rivet bracelet
Likes/dislikes
Molequin
- Absolutely lovely strap, fine details, stitching is perfect and balances contrast vs. blending in well
- Buckle is brushed and solid, really
- Strap itself is thin/not too bulky at just 2mm
- Cost was 99 euro, not cheap but also not super expensive
Custom JPM
- Really beautiful strap in the siena scuro color/finish (looks like a texturized coffee color)
- Pricey ($170) but customization is outstanding - you can pick material, finish, buckle type, length, stitching
- Can say enough about the quality of the strap and customer service
- Don't love the vintage stitching look with this particular watch
- Strap to me feels too thick for the watch (just my personal preference) at right around 3mm
Bulag & Sons BoR
- 19mm at the end link, just over 15mm width otherwise (no taper)
- Feels a little bit light and tinny, which I generally like, however the pin bar broke immediately when I went to adjust the clasp for the first time (that said, customer service was top notch and got me sorted out immediately)
- Fully brushed look is really nice and I think works well with this particular watch
- Feels very comfortable on
- Endlinks fit relatively well (not too much moving around)
Forstner BoR
- 19mm at the end link, right at 16mm width otherwise (no taper)
- Feels very solid with the solid links
- Alternating polished/brushed finish looks interesting - a good look with this watch especially if you're looking for something a little shinier and more interesting to look at bracelet-wise
- JB Champion signed clasp (FYI - Forstner acquired JB Champion, which I personally think is really cool given JB Champion used to make the bracelets for these chronographs originally in the US)
Forstner rivet
- 19mm at the end link, 18mm otherwise
- Doesn't feel as solid as the Forstner BoR, but interesting nonetheless
- It's a nice bracelet, but I didn't think it worked particularly well on this watch for me
Conclusion
1. I absolutely love the Molequin suede strap. Highly recommend. I'll probably try some of the other colors at some point (wish they had a green one). I might try a lighter and a darker shade and see which I like best.
2. I also really love the Bulag & Sons bracelet. It has a great look and feel with the watch, end links fit relatively well to where I'm less concerned about them moving around and damaging the watch (vs. the Forstner), brushed finish looks better to me as it allows the watch to be in the spotlight. The JB BoR is cool too and there's a lot to like (brushed/polished finish, solid feel, clasp and JB connection), but I ultimately like the Bulag bracelet and brushed finish more.
Hope that's helpful to someone out there that might be about to embark on a similar journey! I'll update if I try any others.
I got a 60s compax chronograph (black dial variant) that did not come with the original bracelet and wanted to share my experience trying to find the best strap for it in case it's helpful for anyone. I have no association with any of these products or companies, but I do remember thinking "I wish someone had posted their experience" when going through this myself.
The contenders
Straps
- Molequin noisette suede
- Custom JPM brown leather vintage strap with Hermes style buckle
Bracelets
- Bulag & Sons matte beads of rice bracelet
- Forstner beads of rice bracelet
- Forstner rivet bracelet
Likes/dislikes
Molequin
- Absolutely lovely strap, fine details, stitching is perfect and balances contrast vs. blending in well
- Buckle is brushed and solid, really
- Strap itself is thin/not too bulky at just 2mm
- Cost was 99 euro, not cheap but also not super expensive
Custom JPM
- Really beautiful strap in the siena scuro color/finish (looks like a texturized coffee color)
- Pricey ($170) but customization is outstanding - you can pick material, finish, buckle type, length, stitching
- Can say enough about the quality of the strap and customer service
- Don't love the vintage stitching look with this particular watch
- Strap to me feels too thick for the watch (just my personal preference) at right around 3mm
Bulag & Sons BoR
- 19mm at the end link, just over 15mm width otherwise (no taper)
- Feels a little bit light and tinny, which I generally like, however the pin bar broke immediately when I went to adjust the clasp for the first time (that said, customer service was top notch and got me sorted out immediately)
- Fully brushed look is really nice and I think works well with this particular watch
- Feels very comfortable on
- Endlinks fit relatively well (not too much moving around)
Forstner BoR
- 19mm at the end link, right at 16mm width otherwise (no taper)
- Feels very solid with the solid links
- Alternating polished/brushed finish looks interesting - a good look with this watch especially if you're looking for something a little shinier and more interesting to look at bracelet-wise
- JB Champion signed clasp (FYI - Forstner acquired JB Champion, which I personally think is really cool given JB Champion used to make the bracelets for these chronographs originally in the US)
Forstner rivet
- 19mm at the end link, 18mm otherwise
- Doesn't feel as solid as the Forstner BoR, but interesting nonetheless
- It's a nice bracelet, but I didn't think it worked particularly well on this watch for me
Conclusion
1. I absolutely love the Molequin suede strap. Highly recommend. I'll probably try some of the other colors at some point (wish they had a green one). I might try a lighter and a darker shade and see which I like best.
2. I also really love the Bulag & Sons bracelet. It has a great look and feel with the watch, end links fit relatively well to where I'm less concerned about them moving around and damaging the watch (vs. the Forstner), brushed finish looks better to me as it allows the watch to be in the spotlight. The JB BoR is cool too and there's a lot to like (brushed/polished finish, solid feel, clasp and JB connection), but I ultimately like the Bulag bracelet and brushed finish more.
Hope that's helpful to someone out there that might be about to embark on a similar journey! I'll update if I try any others.
