The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I'm wearing my Seawolf Titanium black face permanently. The watch came with calfskin leather straps with a tang buckle and is extremely comfartable to wear.

The buckle is very sharp on the inside and tends to chafe the leather when I remove it. Eventually I took a small file and filed the buckle to round that sharp edge. You can't see any difference if the watch is on your wrist and it makes a huge difference protecting the leather.

I'm interested in a rubber strap to change the watch look now and then.
Can one of you please advice me which strap to buy? I'm looking at the normal rubber straps with tang buckle or the Ocean Racer with clasp. Is the price difference really worth it to buy the racer ?
Will it also be as comfortable as the leather straps?
Won't I damage my current leather straps when I remove them? They're tight fitting between the horns and I don't want to cause damage.

I would really appreciate any advice.

Best regards
Johan

Johan,

I wore my Avenger Skyland with both leather and rubber straps. The leather was definitely the most comfortable. It took me a while to get used to the rubber strap, but the trick is not to do it up too tight.

The only thing I found slightly annoying was the weight of the Skyland on the rubber made it a very wobbly watch to wear.

I like the rubber strap, it gives a functional tool look to the watch hence the reason why I've ordered a new Seawolf on the diver pro rubber.

Stefan

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If you use the correct tool to remove your leather strap then you won't damage the leather at all. Check out Bergeon spring bar removal tools - best you can get.

Also, if you find you prefer leather straps, but don't like the wear on them, you should probably consider getting a deployant clasp. You'll need a new strap (as the strap designed for the tang and buckle clasp won't fit a Breitling deployant), but IMHO it's well worth the money. The deployant takes the majority of the wear off the strap as it's never subjected to any tension when you put it on or take it off. The deployant is a little more expensive than the buckle, but the good news is that the straps are the same cost (although your straps will last far far longer), so once you have the deployant clasp your long term costs will actually be reduced.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Comparing the diver pro with the OR straps from a price perspective is a little unfair - the price differential is for the different clasp styles rather than the strap itself.

If the tang is frustrating you with the leather then it likely will with the diver pro - I agree with Driver8, you'll likely find a deployant much more comfortable, and then it just comes down to personal choice of OR, calf or croco. The OR is a different style deployant, but both have the advantage of being adjustable to an exact fit as opposed to hoping that the holes are in the right place on a tang strap.

Thanks a lot for all the advice!

Think I'll get hold of a deployment clasp and stick to leather. Don't like the idea of the watch feeling 'wobbly' with the rubber. Will see if I can get hold of a watch with the OR strap and get the feel before I order one.

Hope you all have a great day !

One thing though - even if the OR deployant clasp is very comfortable, it might look odd on your watch. The deployant clasp is in polished SS and to get it to match the Ti watch you probably want to brush it. It can be done, there are pics here on the forum of that (sorry but I don't find that specific post right now).

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Collection: http://s540.photobucket.com/albums/gg32 ... mview=grid

Johan, if your Seawolf is a titanium model, the wobble shouldn't be as noticeable due to the weight difference Vs the steel of a Skyland for example.

Stef

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