Watch Strap Review Part 16. – LD Watch Straps by Uglai
Before we look at our last strap for the year let’s look back a little bit on what has been one of the most successful series on Fratello Watches, besides Speedy Tuesday and TBT. I started Watch Strap Review over a year ago as a monthly article featuring some of the best craftsmen in the business. We have published 15 articles so far (this one obviously being 16) and had strap makers literary from around the world. You can see a little map below of all the different countries we have featured on the series. As you can see there are still dark spots meaning we can’t stop, won’t stop. 2016 hopefully will be just as busy as this year was. We are trying to find you some more amazing guys and we might just come up with something special for our Fratello Watches readers. In the meantime I would like to thank you all for reading, sharing and first and foremost loving Fratello Watches and Watch Strap Review. I’m happy to say that all the strap makers who have been featured on the site witnessed a healthy increase in their orders after their article was published and this makes us very proud. So if you know any brand that you think would be a great contestant and the country they hail from perhaps has not been mentioned before (or even if it has) please feel free to get in touch with us. You can email us, or send us a message on Fratello Watches Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account. Thank you for your love and support and enjoy this episode.
The last craftsman for this year is coming from Romania. His straps bears the trademarks of traditional leather works. As with most strap makers he ventures into other related areas and makes some interesting accessories like bracelets, key chains, wallets, phone cases and so on. However we will talk about the usual suspect this time and those are his straps. I received 3 straps, two 24mm Panerai-style ones and one in a very similar style for a 22mm watch. I also made tons of photos, for as we know a picture tells a thousand words. So ladies and gentlemen, please meet the topic of this year’s last Watch Strap Review:
LD Watch Straps by Uglai
As with most strap makers LD Watch Straps by Uglai also produces every strap from start to finish. The 3 straps I recived pretty much looks the same in terms of outlook. They follow the classic Panerai-style strap design, 2 of them being 24/24 and the 3rd at 22/22. All 3 have pointy ends and closed stitching. The first 24mm strap has a beautiful dark brown color with navy blue thread that was used to stitch around the silhouette of the strap. The length is 13.5cm/8.2cm at 4mm it’s not too thick. The leather is even and very soft, the only patina this strap will ever have is probably the wrinkles, the color is so smooth and the leather is flexible enough not to develop anything else. It’s confortable on the wrist and fits larger wrist sized folks too. The Panerai style buckle finishes the look off.
The second Panerai-like strap has the same features as the above one with only a slight difference. 14.1cm is the length on this one, which is a bit big even for my wrist. I think for a guy with a big watch and a large wrist like me, the brown strap’s length is enough. This black strap with beige stitching is suitable for people who have larger than average wrists. The leather is stiffer than the brown but still soft enough to be easy to bend and it does not feel uncomfortable when worn for a longer period of time. This strap was also sent on a polished PAM style buckle. The black is not too shiny and the leather is smooth, the wrinkles are barely visible and there is not loss of color even if wrinkled.
The third strap is only 22/22 with a 3mm thickness. The color is dark brown (darker than the 24mm) and it has a bit of a vintage effect meaning when worn a lot this strap will adapt a nice light wrinkle effect. The beige stitching complements the tone of the leather very well. Unlike the first 2 straps this was made with cutting out the leather then folding into half so there is no soft inner leather but the same as you would see on the outer side. Yet it won’t bother your skin but indeed feels a bit rougher as the others. The measures are 13.5cm/8cm and the buckle is again the polished Pam-style in stainless steel. Though I’m more of a tapered strap guy I loved this one for the looks of it, though I could only wear it for a short period of them because my only watch with 22mm lug width has been sent to the spa.
Good to know
As I said it in the beginning of this article, LD Watch Straps by Uglai is capable of doing some pretty impressive things. If you pay a visit to the website you realize that so many designs, leathers, sizes and color are available and beside the ready made straps custom orders are also an option. When it comes to shipping, I know he has customers from around the world and since Romania is also part of the EU no further charges would apply when ordered from within. Vasile is an interior designer by trade and now also the happy owner of LD Watch Straps by Uglai so it’s safe to say he know how to work with different materials and colors. I think the photos speak for themselves. Make sure you follow and like his stuff on Facebook and Instagram, bookmark his website and if you ever need a custom strap send him a message.
