Watch Strap Review Anniversary Edition Part 25. – Two Stitch Straps
Two Stitch Straps
A little over two years ago, on 13th September 2014 the first Watch Strap Review was published on Fratello Watches. Since then, I tried to bring a new strap maker to your attention every month. A few times RJ or Mike took over, we might have skipped a month but we are still here. This is the 25th episode of Watch Strap Review and I have yet another country to add to the ever-growing list. This edition is about a very sympathetic young business from Serbia. Ivan – together with his two partners – is taking this thing seriously. Despite his young age of 25 he communicates, acts and runs his business with such professionalism it’s pretty outstanding. He is also a fellow watch journalist for the Serbian watch lovers. So for the 25th edition of Watch Strap Review please meet; Two Stitch Straps.
The Lineup
The repertoire of Two Stitch Straps is not huge right now, but every strap they make is exceptionally well-produced. We will get back to this later. Their basic lineup includes five colors (honey, coal, black, beige, cognac) and two types of stitching (cross- or two-stitch). These are only the ready-made straps of course. The real curiosity is in their custom made straps. I received four straps from Two Stitch Straps; a 20mm honey with two-stitch, a 20mm coal with cross-stitch, a 20mm black with two-stitch and a custom strap, which I will reveal a bit later. With a price at €45 with free shipping over the order of 2 straps or more, these strap are great bang for the buck. They are made of calf leather and their number one priority is durability. The kind of straps that will look better with age but won’t deteriorate.
Honey
The first strap I put it on a watch from Two Stitch Straps was the two-stitch leather honey. It went straight to the Speedmaster and actually still resides on it. The honey brown color with the black painted sides give a nice contrast to the strap. It also slims in don a bit and help to blend with many watches with black base color, like the Speedy. I received a 20mm version, with 18mm on the buckle end. You can order various sized from Two Stitch Straps though. 18/16, 22/20 or any custom size is available. Just let them know what you need by sending them an email and they make a custom sized strap, or you can order the ready-made versions.
Black
The second strap is the simplest and most elegant one of the bunch. The Black Two Stitch Straps does not want to look more than it actually is. There are numerous makers who produce these types of classic straps. Why choose Two Stitch Straps? For everything you read above and will read below. The great price, the nice tapered look, the painted sides, the minimal stitching, the keepers that are glued and stitched are all the attributes of this strap. These types of straps are a must to have for any watch geek. They are minimalist with a great feel on the wrist.
Coal
A bit lighter than the black and already with a nice patinated look, the Coal colored Two Stitch Straps made its way to a vintage Rolex Datejust. To match but lighten up the all black dial of the Rolex we chose to use this amazing leather strap. Again 20/18 and the same length as the previous too at 120mm and 80mm. Nicely tapered calf leather with black crossed stitching. Not much of a fan of crossed stitching visually but this blends in with the color of the strap. The Coal strap will definitely deliver a nice patina over the years and because of the color, you can basically pair it with any vintage watch for that matter.
Yema
I saved my favorite one for last. As I told you before the guys are happy to do a custom order on any of their existing models, and more. They specialize themselves in producing straps that fits the Omega folding clasp exclusively. What we have here though is a custom Yema rally strap. Two Stitch Straps took and original vintage Yema strap and created an homage as close to the original as possible.
When I mean as close to the original as possible, I really mean it.
If you have the classic Yema buckle they can do it by the exact same measurement as the original was. Since I don’t have a buckle they made an 18/16 for my Yema Rallye and I have to say it looks super cool and original on the watch. If you have a Yema having the original vintage strap is a must. Those however are getting hard to find by the day. Hence the option from the boys of Two Stitch Straps is a very safe bet in completing the look. They charge you €68 for it but you can choose your size, length, stitching etc. I went with the original look regarding color and stitching. It would be nice to see it on a Yema Yachting with a different color.
Discount for all FW readers
The guys at Two Stitch Straps are expanding their offer list. Just recently they released a sweet dark green strap. And there is even more; for the first time in the history of Watch Strap Review a strap maker is offering a discount for all Fratello Watches readers. Visit the Two Stitch Straps website, throw some straps in the basket. Click on check out and used the promo code “fratello” to receive -10% off of your final bill. How cool is that? Make sure you follow Two Stitch Straps on their social media like Instagram. Order some straps, share the photos on your social media and don’t forget to tag us.
Thank you to all our readers for the support so far. Here’s to another 25 episodes of Watch Strap Review.
