Why are Seiko leather straps upside down?

Tijmen

A couple of years ago a friend bought a Seiko at a local watch shop. Leather strap, folding clasp. But the strap was upside down... I changed it for him thinking that the people at the shop messed up. 

A few years later and I am thinking of adding an Alpinist to my Seiko and Casio collection... To my surprise I find that Seiko installs all leather straps with folding clasps upside down, with the short side at 6 o'clock.  

So what I cannot figure out is: why would you do this? What would be the advantage? 

I have two watches that I fitted with a leather strap and folding clasp myself and I put it on the way you put a normal leather strap on: short side of the strap at the 12 o'clock position. I have a Bruno Söhnle Atrium Chronograph, fitted with the original leather strap and folding clasp and that one is also with the short side of the strap at 12. 

#seiko #alpinist #leatherstraps
Reply
StanleytheManley
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I, too have been looking for this answer. I have the cocktail time pressage in green...I love the chocolate brown strap it comes with, but the excess coming up on the 6 o'clock side aggravates me to no end; it makes the watch feel too thick. Anywho, I will stick around to see if there is an answer. 

Edge168n
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A couple of thoughts.  

  1. Practically, Seiko deployants, to me, are more comfortable when installed with the strap tail at 6.  
  2.  If you think about how you close most metal bracelet clasps, you close the clasp towards you.  The same with the seiko deployant.  You close it towards you, rather than away from you.
  3.  There's probably the aesthetic element.  If you have the strap tail pointed towards the 6, you show a cleaner, no tail face to people who would see your wrist from the outside.

I think it's just an aesthetic choice.  I don't think any way is better than the other.  I tend to wear my straps the way the manufacturer intended.  Seiko and Grand Seiko with the strap pointed towards the 6 and most Swiss brands with the tail pointed towards the 12.

Also because I am deeply vain, I like being able to rotate my wrist and see the branded deployant or buckle with the logo right side up.

sathomas
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It's actually not uncommon to install deployant clasps in this way. Many folks (myself included) find the fit to be more comfortable.

foghorn
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The same reason that in some countries (incl. Japan) you drive on the left hand side of the road.