To Fold Or Not To Fold? That Is The Question This Monday: Going Hands-On With The Delugs Spring Deployant Clasp

Look, I’m a simple guy. Life is complicated enough, as are some of the finest watches in the world. Why the way you strap your watch onto your wrist also needs to be complicated eludes me. And when I say complicated, I mean anything other than the tried-and-tested, highly functional, and relatively simple pin buckle. I have experienced watches with folding buckles that were more complicated to understand and operate than the Haute Horlogerie creations they secured to my wrist. So, when I was asked to try out the Delugs Spring Deployant Clasp, I reacted with a frown. Was I the right man for the job? I decided to dump my prejudice and approached the deployant clasp with an open mind.

Someone leading a famous and successful French Maison once said that luxury is something you can repair. Luxury is also something simple. These are my words. Something easy to use in an otherwise complicated world can feel like a breath of fresh air. Less is more, you know. The simplicity of an elegantly shaped pin buckle is the essence of its beauty. It is superior to many folding clasps, which are too often bulky and convoluted constructions. Not only are the stacked pieces of metal that make up your standard deployant clasp sometimes as thick as the watch itself, but they are also often uncomfortable because of their shape and size. If the shape doesn’t follow the wrist, and the length is mismatched with the wrist’s size, the fit can’t stand in the shadow of the humble pin buckle.

The Delugs Spring Deployant Clasp has a mountain to climb

To give the Delugs Spring Deployant Clasp a fighting chance, I had to put aside my aversion to the vast majority of folding buckles. First impression of the steel contraption Delugs has built: I like the spring-loaded system. The Spring Deployant Clasp also uses a traditional pin buckle to get the right fit, simultaneously uplifting the look.

For €89, you get a 16mm wide, machined steel folding clasp with a mix of brushed and polished surfaces. In other words, it looks great, and it feels solid, too. This is because of the spring-loaded system, which feels snappy, sturdy, and safe. This folding clasp won’t just open on you. This becomes apparent when you feel the force the leaf spring exerts to keep it shut. It feels similar to the action of a Victorinox Swiss Army knife. This is how the clasp’s snappy character gives you that all-important feeling of security.

Paring the clasp to a Hunter Green Epsom Slim strap and the Fratello × Oris Divers Sixty-Five

The Delugs Spring Deployant Clasp was delivered alongside a Hunter Green Epsom Slim leather strap from the brand. The strap is just 2.2mm thick, therefore very supple and comfortable on the wrist. The leather Delugs uses for the Epsom strap is also in use by that famous French luxury Maison I mentioned earlier, and is made by Tanneries Du Puy in France. The leather shows a subtle texture, and the brand promises good scratch and water-resistant capabilities. The €103 strap came with beige contrasting stitching and loops in the same shade. It’s a bit louder than I usually like when not attached to a watch, but everything changes once it’s properly paired with one.

Since the Hunter Green Epsom Slim that arrived at HQ was 20mm wide, I chose the Fratello × Oris Divers Sixty-Five to test it. But not just because of the dive watch’s correct lug width. The retro-inspired limited edition watch also features plenty of matching beige Super-LumiNova. I believe I chose correctly. Not only do the creamy beige elements of the strap tie the watch together, but the combination of a black dial and a grained green leather strap is also visually pleasing. I regard the combo as a well-curated look.

How does it wear?

The strap’s leather is soft and supple and wraps around the wrist very well. Finding the right size is easy. You just put one end of the strap through the buckle, put the pin in the right hole, and you’re done. When you do, you will notice that the buckle’s tang has a slight s-shape, engineered to reduce wear on the strap holes—sharp pins can be a pain, I do agree. Once everything is sized, putting it around the wrist and snapping it close is an experience comparable to that of putting on a watch with a bracelet—I do believe this is a satisfying act that oozes luxury.

The relatively slim footprint of the Spring Deployant Clasp makes it easy to wear and keeps it nice and subtle. At a glance, it looks like you’re wearing a watch with a traditional pin buckle, but you’re not. Instead, you’re wearing a clasp that offers important advantages over a traditional buckle with a pin. Unlike a regular buckle, a deployant clasp reduces bending and pulling on the strap when putting on or taking off the watch, prolonging the life of the leather strap. Additionally, because the strap forms a closed loop, there is a reduced risk of dropping the watch when putting it on or taking it off—something that can happen to any watch enthusiast.

I’m not ashamed to tell you that I dropped my Chronoswiss Timemaster last year because somehow I lost grip on the strap while strapping it on.

Buckle up; here are my final thoughts

Setting up the Delugs Spring Deployant Clasp is easy. Additionally, you can swap out the Delugs tang buckle for the OEM one. This is crucial for those who appreciate the logo on the dial and the buckle to be the same. Fitting the clasp with drilled holes on the sides to a strap is a hassle-free affair—you only need a spring bar tool.

So, did the Delugs Spring Deployant Clasp turn my world upside down? Well, I didn’t expect to buckle, but in the end, I had to fold. The snappy feel, the way it sits on the wrist, and how it looks taught me that not all folding buckles are created equal. Combined with a thin leather strap, the closing construction stays slim enough to look elegant and svelte. The length and shape suited my wrist well. And the way it closes securely, courtesy of the spring-loaded system, is the icing on the cake. Though I say “yes” to this Delugs clasp, I’m still not ready to be an ambassador for the broader spectrum of folding clasps. I will, however, try to stay more open-minded towards them going forward. Let’s just take it one folding buckle at a time.

Check out the Spring Deployant Clasp and the many straps you can pair it with, on the Delugs website.