Recently, I was shopping at the mall with Mrs. Time Bum, and found myself in the Coach
store. While she examined the spring handbag collection, I wandered
over to the sale rack (of course). On my way, I noticed the Coach watch
collection and thought, "This place is known for their leather goods.
They sell everything you can imagine wrapped in leather. Why don't they
sell watch straps?" Just then, as if to prove that I have no original
ideas, I saw an enticing array of Coach Bleecker leather straps in black, fawn, mahogany, blue, and orange.
The Bleecker collection uses leather
that is chrome tanned, vegetable tanned, aniline dyed, waxed and oiled.
The result is a strong and soft "glove tanned" leather. I have carried a
fawn colored Coach Bleecker messenger bag every day for a couple of
years now, and it has held up beautifully. I have every reason the think
the strap will wear just as well. I chose an orange strap with
off-white stitching. The strap is meticulously finished and lightly
padded. It is 75/123mm (short/long ends), approximately 4mm thick, and
does not taper. It terminates in a square polished buckle with rounded
corners and the tang attached to a cross bar, not on the spring bar,
which makes it larger than a conventional design. The frame bears the
Coach logo.
Coach sells these straps for their line of Bleecker watches, and this
brings some bad news, and some good news. The bad news is that they are
only available in a 20mm width. The good news is that because they are
marketed to non-watch nerds as a swappable accessory, Coach has supplied
them with quick-release spring bars. The bars have a tiny lever
attached, allowing their removal and replacement without the use of a
strap changing tool. This is an idea so ingenious, I have seen it
"invented" at least twice on Kickstarter. Die hard strap junkies will
shrug at this, but not everyone carries their own strap tool, and those
of us who do have also experienced that forehead-slapping moment when
the tool slips and a spring bar shoots across the room into oblivion.
Quick release bars eliminate this hassle, and maybe that can bring the
joy of strap swapping to the mainstream, watch-wearing public.
As you can tell from the pictures, the color is magnificent. I put the
Bleecker on a Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece where the orange could pop
against the white dial and blue moon phase complication. The color is
eye catching, but not lurid. I found it was perfectly in keeping with
the dress/sport nature of the watch and lent itself well to a blue suit
with a brightly colored necktie.
The Bleecker costs $88, but if you
are on the Coach mailing list, you will probably get a 20% coupon once
or twice a year. When you do, buy your wife a handbag, and treat
yourself to a sharp looking, well made strap while you're at it.
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