Bond Tailored Straps from Canada

Jonathan Bond is a "weekend" strap maker who contacted me recently and asked me if I could review one of his straps.

Most strap makers have started just like Jonathan and grew into full-time strap makers, but he assured me for him it remains a hobby and is passionate about it.

I was able to choose a strap of my liking he posted on Instagram, this makes sure there is still a personal choice and preference when it comes how I like my straps to look like.

Blue Alligator strap

Having enough vintage style straps I asked Jonathan to create a dressy strap for me, a light blue alligator strap with padding on the lug-sides. He only had a piece of alligator hide with small scales in blue and I agreed to go for that.

Delivery & package

The strap was delivered by to me in The Netherlands recently and the package I received looked a lot different from what I expected of a "weekend" strap maker. The strap was packed in a sleek box with a sticker of his strapmaker brand "Bond Tailored". When opening the box there was also a business card included with the contact details of the strap maker.

The strap

When opening the box, as mentioned there was a business card with the contact details of the strapmaker and the strap. For a "weekend" strapmaker Jonathan has done his homework when it comes to presentation of his products, The logo looks professional and although the box will not last long it shows he cares about the straps he produces.

At first sight the strap looks a bit thinner on the padded part than the Panerai OEM leather straps, the small scale is nice on this color strap as you see more color variation and shadows. The stitching is grey and pretty straight for hand-sewn. The edge-coating done in a color close to the strap color and the oval holes are done even and resembles the finish of an Panerai OEM strap. The initial thought was to try it with my PAM00389.

The finish of the strap

The finish of the strap is done with care and comes with tubes already installed. When the strap was ready Jonathan contacted me and asked me if I would like to have anything engraved on the inside of the strap to make it even more personal. Instead of my name I choose to add the website logo and website address "paneristi.in" to be engraved. It turns out Jonathan has a laser engraver and can indeed make your strap very personal. The logo on the strap is also laser-engraved and looks very sharp compared to the traditional logo stamps of professional strap makers.

With my Panerai OEM buckle

The strap has no buckle and as this strap is thin it is perfect for using a Panerai OEM buckle. The buckle fits very nice and precise and was very easy to install the first time.

On the watch

When I put it on my PAM00389 my fear was confirmed, unfortunately this strap is a bit too thin for a PAM00389…. It is not the watch and it is not the strap, it is just the combination of the two. As the strap is thinner on the padded side than a Panerai OEM strap, the high case of the PAM00389 just sticks out a bit too much and the gap between the strap and the lugs are to my taste too big. On the other side I know a Panerista who has a PAM00364 Submersible and loves thinner straps on his watch. I guess it is just a matter of taste.

The strap is too elegant for the PAM00389

On the wrist

The strap feels very comfortable on the wirst right from the first time I put it on and I like the longer tail on the strap very much. After trying it on my PAM00389 I switched the strap to my PAM00372, this appears to be a much better fit for the strap and give the watch an extra elegant appearance. As the case of the PAM00372 is much thinner the strap blends in with the watch much better and the space between the strap and the lugs appears much less than with the PAM00389.

The buckle

My conclusion

The Blue Alligator strap is very elegant strap but not as far as I am concerned a right choice for a PAM00389 Submersible or alike. The mistake is to be blamed to me, Jonathan created the strap based on my requirements and should have probably mentioned that the strap should be a bit thicker than a padded Panerai OEM strap to fit my PAM00389 perfectly….

When trying the strap on my PAM00372 the strap got a lot more justice as it matches the watch and creates a dressy look.

It is here again confirmed that a "weekend" strap maker doesn't always mean just a free-time activity, it can for sure mean a strap maker with the same dedication and eye for detail as a full-time professional strapmaker. The only thing of course is when he/she has a few orders you probably have to wait a bit longer to get your strap finished. I was very much surprised about the professional presentation of the strap and the laser engraving service he offers.

If you are looking for more info about Bond Tailored Straps, you can find the strap maker at www.bondtailoredstraps.com
I hope you like the review, feel free to post your comments here

and if you interested in more details about the strapmaker of Bond Tailored Straps, Jonathan Bond, click here

The strap specifications:

Below you find summarized the specifications of the strap, the prices mentioned are only indicative just to give you an idea what you could expect if you order one.

Leather type: Alligator leather, veg tan leather lining.
Width: 26 mm
Length: 140/80 mm
Thickness strap: 3-5 mm
Type of buckle: not included, I used my 26mm titanium Panerai OEM buckle
Type of stitching: hand-stitch
Price range: 169 USD (approx. 145 Euro) (plus shipping outside Canada & CONUS)