The terms “artisan” and “craftsman” get thrown around quite often these days, but one is seldom worthy of such a title. Being that we share this hobby for watches, most WIS will have a stable of “strap guys” as we like to call them, as a good strap can truly make a great watch just that much better. One craftsman I’ve known for some time now, is Aaron Pimentel of “Combat Straps”. Aaron and his atelier produce truly magnificent, bespoke straps and leather goods, and the Bund strap he sent over to us was surely no exception.
Aaron Pimentel and his shop are based out of Montreal, Canada, and they produce all their straps using “100% original French techniques”. This includes hand cutting hides, hand stitching, and hand finishing their edges, that take 45 minutes per strap to complete. Another facet of Aaron’s atelier that sets him apart from the rest, is the extremely wide variety of hides available, exotic and standard. While all this may result in a longer wait time, it makes your customization possibilities nearly endless, in addition to the overall higher grade of finishing.
Crocodile / Alligator Bund strap, mounted on a Rolex Submariner 14060
Now, the strap we’re taking a look at today, is a newer style to be offered by Aaron, the Bund strap. It takes its name from the German Bundeswehr pilots that previously wore similar straps with a pad, and has become increasingly popular over the past few years. This stylish strap was custom made with a blue Nile crocodile top, and its underside made of a chocolate colored alligator hide, all held together by extra thin navy blue stitching. When I first mounted it on my watch, it instantly formed to my wrist quite comfortably, and was broken in within a day.
The strap’s edges take a whole 45 minutes to be finished.
As mentioned earlier, Aaron always seems to pay close attention to detail when creating his straps. Some of the details we noticed on our Bund included the buckle made in Germany of 316L stainless steel, the heat engraved personalization as seen on the back, and the smooth and secure edges. Now while pricing for this specific strap is in the ballpark of $300+, that doesn’t mean more affordable options aren’t available, it’s all a matter of what hides you choose.
Note “#woundforlife”, hand heat engraved by request into the alligator underside of the Bund pad.
So for those on the hunt for that next strap, definitely give this Canadian atelier a look. Ranging from vintage canvas to shell cordovan, to even stingray, Combat Straps offers just about anything you could possibly think of, produced masterfully. For more info, visit Aaron’s site at www.combat-straps.com, and check him out on Instagram at @combat_straps.
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