What do you guys use, I've got a few around, and they're all rather uncomfortable rubbish: The Aero Comfort made in france ~$50 at the vintage watch shop: The fat strap style made in china (from authentic chinese crocodiles): The Strap-On made in Turkey (from genuine... turkeys or something, doesn't feel like it came off a cow): The OEM Omega crocodile Now, of these fine straps, none of them are wearable, the french one has sharp edges and is too stiff, the strap-on is like cardboard and has no lining, the chinese rubbish strap makes me look like a down-on-my-luck Californian porn star and the Omega croc is just too old and worn out, not to mention someone has soaked it in scotch guard so much that its shrinking inwards. What do you guys recommend for a high quality, 18mm dress watch strap (for say a constellation) with any budget as long as its super comfy and looks exceptional.
Look for calf skin lining. A little padding helps too. I just got a Hadley Roma custom made to fit my VC and right out of the box it was awesome. The H-R on my Breitling was great from the get-go too. Both cost over $100 though. I've also found that teju lizard can be very supple with a short break in period. Have you tried a leather conditioner to soften up a stiff strap? Hydrophane makes an awesome conditioner / waterproofing agent: http://www.equestriancollections.com/product.asp?ic=ER03991R. It will darken the strap so use it on the back to soften the leather. Helps eliminate the crease from the buckle also.
Might give that a go, I've heard of the Hadley Roma straps, also Hirsch and Di Modell, the later two approach $300 in some cases, similar to OEM Omega straps, is there any justification for those or are they just price gouging? Like the Hirsch London for example, is there any way it can warrant that kind of money?
Never tried the Hirsch so I can't give an opinion. If you want to save some money, DeBeer makes a decent strap - but you need to get the ones with the liner. Their glove leather is a great bargain. Camille Fournet makes the straps for several high end brands. I think my old Blancpain Villeret had one and it was a nearly perfect combo of looks and comfort. Got one on my IWC caliber 89 - it's like butter. They make the straps on JLC, AP, and PP I think. Most straps with brand logos are rip offs. It's made for the brand by somebody else so if you can find the strap maker you can cut the cost in half.