zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Good morning gentlemen (and ladies)...

For a couple of months now, I've been communicating with Nick Gabarro about Perforated straps suitable for use with many sports watches, including Heuer and Omega chronographs. I received an email last week that Nick had taken delivery of a new shipment of perf straps. Nick has made an announcement on TimeZone's Sale's Corner, and I have spoken (well, exchanged emails anyway) with both Derek Ziglar (founder and owner of Chronocentric) and Jeff Stein (founder and owner of OnTheDash) and secured permission to post a commerical note on otherwise non-commericial sites.

If you have longed for the opportunity to purchase great looking Perforated “Racing” straps for your vintage watches to give it that "leather wrapped steering wheel" look that was so popular in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's, now is your chance.

My only interest in this, aside to secure some long length straps for myself, is that I want the sales of these be so good that Nick and Rios feel compelled to make these straps a regular part of their product line. I'm going to be buying them at the same prices everyone else is... I hope that you all won't mind this one-time commerical incursion into the forum here. But I thought everyone would want to know.

-- Chuck

P.S. I've taken the liberty of including a copy of Nick's TZ Sales Corner listing below... The last line has a link that if you click upon it will open up a new email message pre-addressed to Nick... The listing below is essentially the same as the TZ listing, with only layout and email link changes for the convienence of Chronocentric/OnTheDash readers.

These perforated straps bring out the best in your chronographs. Two models available, one with small holes and another one with big holes.

Hand Made in Germany from the finest top grain calf skin following the unique construction method known as "Art Manuel". This unique method creates a much stronger strap.

STRAP MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES

Most cheap straps are made with the "semi remborde" method in which the top leather is drawn and glued over the edge, but not tucked under the lining of the strap. This method is widely used by many oriental factories where straps are mass produced.

Here is a "semi-remborde" strap, do you see what I mean?

Then, there is the widely known method of "cut straps" used by Oriental and European strap makers alike. The leather at the top of the strap and the lining leather of the bottom are two pieces of equal size that are glued together, stitched and then the edge is painted. Straps made under this method will vary greatly in quality depending on numerous factors, and while most straps made like this are totally machine made, some small factories make them by hand and they can turn out to be pretty decent straps.

Here is an unfinished "cut strap"

The"Art Manuel" method, is more elaborated. The top leather (the one you see when you are wearing the watch) has another layer of leather underneath which is rolled over a fleece lining by hand

then the bottom nubuck lining is added in such a way that the actual top leather rolls underneath the bottom lining and then it is all finally stitched together.

The "Art Manual" cut out

In order to give the straps a beautiful edge, all Art Manuel models, like the
perforated, have the edges painted five times by hand

The back of the strap reveals a lot about it too. A cheap strap

will have no stitched keeper or loop and no stitches at the end of it near the buckle, while a fine quality strap

should always be stitched at those three points. One hundred and ten manufacturing steps
go into these straps compared to a maximum of 50-60 steps for other straps.

Watches modeling these sporty straps:

Nick G Gabarro
1181 Willard
Galesburg, Illinois 61401-2044
U.S.A.

Thanks for looking
Nick G Gabarro