My experience with deployant clasps and the hunt for the best value deployant. (IWC,Omega,Longines,Artem)

So I have been buying leather straps for some watches in my collection. Most of these straps are the original leather straps from IWC, Longines, or some specialty leather straps. I normally buy watches on a bracelet, so going back to the boutique to purchase the leather strap with deployant is normal for me.

Why deployant?

These straps are expensive. The IWC ones are USD$220 though they are slightly cheaper in Japan costing ¥29,000/USD$195.

It’s a lot of money for a strap without any buckle/clasp. So I want to preserve these straps for as long as I can. Pin buckles in my experience ruin leather straps fairly quickly. So deployant clasps look like a good alternative. However, in my experience, the deployant clasps I’ve tried/used have been mediocre at best. That is until I bought the IWC AMG Chronograph.

I love how solid this clasp feels and how even though it’s friction fitted, it feels sturdy and at the same time relatively easy to open.

So I thought for my IWC Le Petit Prince Chronograph that I have on a bracelet, I’ll get the leather strap with an original deployant clasp. So I went down to the IWC boutique and inquired about the clasp. I found out that the deployant clasp costs an eye watering ¥60,000/USD$400.

So that was when I started to look for alternatives. I actually bought an cheap OEM IWC deployant clasp for around USD$25 and it was awful. I was shocked at how bad it was. It was a pain to open and one time I had to really force it and it ended up cutting my finger.

So in my hunt for a good value deployant, I came across Artem and I like how their RM style deployant clasp looked.

I bought one of their straps with the clasp included.

The Artem RM style Deployant costs USD$73.

Much cheaper than the IWC but it feels nowhere near as solid. However, it is a really good deployant. In terms of value, it is really really well priced. I have yet to try Artems loopless/omega style clasp, but perhaps another time. For $73, this is an excellent option.

But I think I might have found the best deployant clasp with a loopless design.

I know Omega popularized this style of clasp, but what Longines has done really takes it up a level.

It is a loopless design but it comes with an amazing quick adjust system that can be engaged even while on wrist. It’s functional and elegant at the same time. The clasp feels rock solid and the mechanism feels sturdy.

The Longines deployant clasp costs ¥30,000 which is about USD$200, but I’m not sure what local pricing actually is, so it might be different. But I think this might be the winner.

The strap and clasp set me back a total of ¥48,000/USD$320.

It is basically identical to the Omega style clasp but with a quick adjust system.

But the Omega style clasp costs ¥41,800/USD$280. So you get some savings with a more functional clasp with the Longines deployant.

Artem also sells a loopless deployant for onl USD$68 but I have yet to try it. But for the loopless deployant fans out there, they might be worth a try. It is a huge amount in savings.

Personally I prefer the IWC style non-loopless version. I just love the look of it compared to the loopless but I can understand how some straps just looks better/cleaner with that loopless design.

So after my experience with the IWC deployant and the OEM deployant. I decided to hunt for an original IWC deployant. Managed to find a seller for a used clasp. Verified with IWC that its original, and got it for ¥35,000/USD$233.

So this whole time I explored other alternatives for the IWC deployant, only to go back to it. 🤣