Panerai Strap Review – The Strap Smith “Racing Strap”

Introduction

If you are in the market for an after market strap for your watch you will quickly realize that one of the biggest names in this niche is the one and only Rob Montana of The Strap Smith. He has one of the best varieties of quality straps out on the market today. The straps range from the standard vintage to the alcantara racing straps with multi color stitching. Whatever your vice when it comes to watch straps you will find that Rob Montana will be able to get it done.

Looks

The reason that I decided to do the review on this “Racing Strap” as Rob likes to call it is because I have a passion for both watches and cars. What better strap to review than one of his straps that combines both of these passions into one. The moment you hold this strap in your hands you feel like you have slipped your body into an exotic car. The suple, soft, napa style leather takes you to the unforgettable moment when you sit in your first Italian Super Car. You want to just run your hands up and down the strap because of how smooth the finish is.

The attention to detail on this strap is top notch and it shows when you look at the overall fit and finish of the strap. Rob went one step ahead of the competition by adding the perfect accent pieces to this particular strap to make it stand out to everyone that sees it. Initially one will notice the red and white parallel stitching on one side of the strap and single keeper. Rob continues the red and white theme as he finishes off the edge of the keeper in a beautiful red finish as you can see in the pictures. He takes it even one step further having the inside of the holes that are punched out finished in white. The more you look at this strap you can clearly see that everything on the strap flows in such a cohesive manner.

The tail of the strap is cut in a more of a rectangular shape as compared to the normal single point adding to the uniqueness of this strap. The bring the whole stap together Rob opted for one of his famous laser cut PVD buckles. On this particular strap Rob went with a Spitfire buckle which in my opinion finishes off the strap perfectly.

On the backside of the strap you will also notice the famous Rob Montana signature engraved into the leather, all be it with this black strap its a bit hard to make out as compared to lighter colored straps.

[slickr-flickr tag=”SS_Racing” type=”galleria”]

Comfort

When you first put on this strap you quickly realize that you can wear this strap with no break in period. It is ready to go out of the box and it is a joy to wear. I was only able to test this out for a few minutes but I have no doubt in my mind that it would be an easy wear all day from the restaurant to a day at the track.

Durability

What can you say when it comes to the build quality of Rob Montana’s straps other than they are as close to perfect as you can get. One can try really hard to find something on this strap to make them believe it won’t be durable but at the end of the day you will not be successful. The build quality from the buckle down to the stitching is hands down one of the best and it will definitely hold up to anything you throw at it. Furthermore, if anything goes wrong with the strap Rob will repair it or replace it for free.
Overall Impressions

There are certain thing any Paneristi needs at the end of the day when it comes to their Panerai. A Rob Montana straps is on top of the list. You can go ahead and search for a cheaper strap but you will get what you pay for in the long run. The moment that you get one of these beautiful creations in your hand you will understand everything that was pointed out in this review. At the end of the day the little things such as the colored edges and insides of this strap were a stand out for me personally. Rob could have cut corners and left the edges solid black like every other strap maker but instead he took that attention to detail to another level which makes this strap rise to the top.

Good

• Soft Leather
• Laser Cut Custom Buckle
• Included tubes
• May be fully customized
• Accent Colors on Strap

Bad

• On the higher side of the spectrum when it comes to price

Availability

Even though this strap was a one of a kind, this same strap can be made again by just contacting Rob at The Strap Smith. If you can dream it up he can make it for you including custom cut buckles with your own logo if you want. Rob also does have pre made versions of the racing strap on his site for you to choose from if any catch your eye. They also come in Alcantara if you want to have a different material. One of the best things about Rob is he is very easy to talk to and will do his best to get you exactly what you want. His customer service is top notch!