Panerai wristwatch photo blog: David Lane Design Brushed Bridle strap

Saturday, July 24, 2010

David Lane Design Brushed Bridle strap

In addition to his amazing vintage leather straps, David Lane offers a variety of straps made from British bridle leather. The straps are available in different colors and finishes ranging from tan to chestnut and many colors in between. I received a chestnut brushed bridle strap together with the Yugoslavian ammo strap that I decided to buy.

Brushed bridle strap by David Lane Design

Bridle leather is first grade cow hide that is traditionally used by saddle makers, because the leather is strong, weather resistant and durable. David has developed his own and exclusive technique to give bridle leather a unique vintage look and feel. The technique results in a finish that looks and feels like a fine wood grain, unlike anything I've ever seen before. You can see a selection of ready made bridle leather straps on David's website. You can also order custom made bridle straps to meet any specific requirements you may have.

David Lane Design British bridle strap on PAM127 aka Fiddy

Mounted on a Panerai PAM127 (Fiddy)

All of David's straps are completely hand made from start to finish. That includes cutting the hides, stitching, hand sanding and burnishing of the edges and so on. The buckles come from a manufacturer in New York and are hand finished and sewn into the strap by David.

The GPF style buckle is sewn into the strap by hand

In my opinion David's straps really do stand out from the crowd, you just get that sense of quality when you look and feel the strap. This strap fits perfectly at the lugs and the leather is stiff but comfortable. The brushed finish is just incredible and its color seems to change depending on the light. It really is a unique looking high quality strap, made with pride by a skilled strap maker.

The bridle strap looks amazing on a Fiddy

All of David's straps come with a mahogany wooden box that you can use to store your straps (see photo below). It's just that extra touch that makes receiving one of those straps a little bit more special. Eye for detail is a necessity if you want to stand out like David does.