What is the worst strap width (or lug width)?
And why is it 17mm? I had an old watchmaker tell me once that Bulova went to 17mm in the 1960's so that you had to buy from one of their affiliated stores. I don't know if that is true, but it sounds conceivable. Give me 16mm, 18mm or 20mm any day.
(Yes, I know that I can order a bespoke strap in any size, but not for this watch.)
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Greg
Restitutor Orbis. Aristocrat of beauty. Autocrat of time. (Trying to perfect trolling over at theescapementroom.com)
Charleston, SC
Member since
Last active: 12 hrs ago
I couldn't find a 17mm bund strap for my 1966 Accutron. I ended up having to go with a 16mm. Options for 17mm seem pretty sparse in general.
If its an odd size and I'm really struggling to find a strap I'll go up one size and squeeze it in rather than down one size, I don't like the look of the gap that's left. I've never had a problem putting a 20mm strap on a 19mm watch.
Anything other than 20mm is an acceptable answer in my mind. 20mm tapering down to 16-18mm at the clasp/buckle is the best in my opinion.
15mm - omg does this one piss me off. 1930s-40s 28-32mm fixed lug on 15mm - genuinely makes me want to come out swinging. My favourite Vertex suffers from this affliction.
23mm. Cannot find a strap for my Citizen Excalibur. So frustrating! I’ve sourced plenty 21mm now and 17mm was a special case for my dad’s Ventura and he’s happy with the black Hirsch leather I got from WatchObsession. Don’t have any experience of 19mm, but there are a few vintage watches that have that size lug, so maybe there are options for those. 🤷
15mm - omg does this one piss me off. 1930s-40s 28-32mm fixed lug on 15mm - genuinely makes me want to come out swinging. My favourite Vertex suffers from this affliction.
There are a few not great options at 15 because it blends into woman's sizes. If you want red or green patent leather, there are plenty of 15mm that will fit. I have two Bulova at 15mm.
There are a few not great options at 15 because it blends into woman's sizes. If you want red or green patent leather, there are plenty of 15mm that will fit. I have two Bulova at 15mm.
Indeed - I had to wait for my watch guy to obtain something and then proceed to watch him sand it down into oblivion. Don’t get me wrong, it looks and wears well, but if the strap dies, I’m in trouble. 1936 - men were men, and watches were very delicate.
17mm?? You’d have to LOVE that watch….I mean LURVE….
17mm?? You’d have to LOVE that watch….I mean LURVE….
Get my watches name out of your mouth
Has to be 23, right? That watch must be homongos.
My #cartier tank xl is 23mm and there are not many options. Thankfully, the few options are well priced and decent quality.
Can't vote. My collection is small enough to be selected on one of the prerequisites that lug width be 20mm or 22mm ..... For now...
19mm and 21mm are the cost of JDM and Omega. At least it's mostly standard in Japan and the popularity of Grand Seiko is creating a lot of 19mm options and reasonably priced customs.
17mm is absurd and 23mm is a war crime.
Someone should launch a strap company that only does odd-number widths.
Strap sizes on vintage watches, particularly American brands, tended to be sized in inches. For instance, vintage watches that were designed for an 11/16“ strap now use a 17mm strap simply due to the new measurement standard.
One thing I will say about the vintage designs is that the old designers knew how to use size and proportion to create amazing designs. On so many pieces, 11/16“ suits the design absolutely perfectly.
18 mm is the best... I have 18 mm strap and there is no problems with it.
I think 23 mm is the worst.. It's too big personally for me.