The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hey guys,

Wanted to first say this forum is awesome, and I find myself on here for hours reading all the interesting posts/pics!

I know there are a bunch of "leather strap" threads on here already, but I wanted to ask for your opinion. I recently purchased a Blackbird Blackeyed Blue, polished with a pilot bracelet, and was looking to buy a leather strap very soon (possibly calf skin) from my AD. I think I'll hold off on the croc for later. My AD doesn't carry many leather straps in the store so he'd have to order, so I had a hard time visualizing the color combo.

I'm thinking either black calf or a light or dark brown calf... Any suggestions for my BB BEB (or even better, does anyone have any pics?)??

Also, if you guys have any sites that carry nice leather straps, please advise!

Thanks all, looking forward to your responses.

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Phil

I have a BEB as well. Strap colour is obviously very personal. I've found the black calf/ croc work brilliantly. So does blue calf. I found the brown ( both light and dark) to be all wrong: just too many colours.

Normally i like dark brown better. For this watch i'd go for black calf however.

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Mat

Breitling Navitimer 01
Omega Seamaster 300mc
Omega Speedmaster Pro "Mitsukoshi Mod"
Seiko Prospek Orange Samurai

black for sure, brown doenst look right on beb

No doubt BLACK and I'm a brown strap guy. Also blue. But leather isn't the only option - it looks KILLER on a black Diver Pro II with a deploy clasp. I saw one just yesterday and one of our members here was trying it on.

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SHARKMAN

Great feedback, and awesome pics! That black croc does make it pop. I think I'll be looking into a black calf then...

Besides Breitling OEM straps, do you guys have favorite sites you use to get custom or good quality straps? Can you please share those sites?

Take a look at the threads in this section - viewforum.php?f=29

Hi, Phil. Congratulations on a wonderful acquisition and wear it in good health!

I agree that OEM black calf or OEM black croco are the two perfect straps for that watch. Blue or brown on the BEB Blackbird just seems a bit "off" IMO. For a slightly different and unique "look" while maintaining the color/shade contrast, may I suggest adding a black "Bund" pad to your kit? The Blackbird utilizes the same case as my (slate dial/black subs) Chronomat Evolution and I love wearing the pad with either black croco or black calf OEM straps on that watch. The pad adds a slight bit of height which I personally like on a Breitling and the added comfort is a plus as well. Granted, many owners simply don't care for the Bund "look" at all but it is a very inexpensive way to make that gorgeous blue dial "pop" even more and if you don't like it, easy enough to remove quickly. If you want to try it, PM me for a source.

As for aftermarket, certainly there are many custom strapmakers as well as other strap suppliers available via the web. All sorts of straps could be fitted to your BB and you may well find one that floats your boat quite nicely. That said, I suspect many of our members will agree with me that the OEM straps are arguably the highest quality made and certainly the equal or better than any aftermarket choice. That said, there are indeed very nice aftermarket straps at a much lower pricepoint than OEM which will look and wear great on your watch. Enjoy the search. It's part of the fun of owning a nice timepiece and varying the "look" of that watch.

Good luck and
Best Regards,
Ron

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"The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea"...

Click to view: 500px Photo Gallery "Flow" or... 500px Photo Gallery or... Breitling Pics Slideshow

I like it on a black croc and run this combo in the winter.
The second shot is on a aftermarket black rubber that is fun also.
Most of the time it rides on the pilot, I love it on stainless.
Hope this helps.
Frank.

These photos, they mock me. I've looked at a new BEB on rubber at the AD twice now, ran into Shark at the store as he mentioned, and it looks good on rubber, great on a gloss finish leather like the croc or a lizard strap (lizard not made in 22mm but shown to me for illustration). As Shark and I were discussing, get someone like Stone Creek to make a gloss strap for the new rubber deployment with its adjustment feature and strap-wise, that would be tremendous. I think the polished with glossy leather treatment makes it more versatile as a sport-formal. I'm guessing the calf might look better with brushed. Like Frank, though, I'm still primarily a bracelet guy, and since I only have one bracelet watch now, my ruminations are continuing.

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Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

Over the past year or so, I've worn my BEB on Pro II Diver:

Black Leather:

Ocean Racer w/ deployant:

and back on Pro II diver:


Overall, nice with any combination of black, blue and of course stainless.

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"The biggest difference between time and space is that you can't reuse time". // {Merrick Furst}

Wow, great looking bb beb and strap combos guys! Thanks for the feedback/pics, I'm learning a lot.

I'm going to order the OEM black calf asap, and then venture in to some other set ups.

Keep the pics/suggestions coming!