Two Gunny Straps
Gunny Straps from Indonesia
Peter Gani is a very well kown strapmaker from Indonesia and has been taking the promotion of his straps to a next level. I was fortunate to meet him at PDay in Singapore in October 2015 and am in contact with Peter ever since. Gunny Straps is of course known for a special strap they create for Arnold Schwarzenegger a few years ago and his vintage '74 strap.
I was asked to have a closer look at his straps as till that time I did not have one in my humble collection. Peter sent me two straps, one to try out on my PAM00389 and one for my wife's PAM00048 and he was surprising me with the straps he was going to send to me, so no clue what could be expected.
Delivered to India
Although I am not a fan of receiving straps in India due to customs issues, mishandling to even disappearance of your envelope/packagePeter was still convinced that it would not be an issue.
And received!
One of the three less worst scenarios happened, luckily the envelope arrived and no customs issues, but the envelope was beyond recognition…..Luckily both straps were extra packed so both arrived undamaged.
The straps
The straps look & feel are completely different, it's not a partner look this time.
Fino 2 strap
This strap is part of the Casual Vintage line, so a perfect strap to wear with a jeans. It's a tapered strap, personally I prefer straight straps on 47mm Panerai watches as the tapering is a bit too extreme to my taste. It has a indeed a vintage look, the leather has darker shades a. It has a double box stitch and the holes are bigger than I am used to on a vintage strap.
The lining is the same leather as the rest of the strap, you can make out that the original color of the strap is the color of the lining, made darker and treated to create a worn vintage look. There is branding on the lining of the strap, "Gunny Straps" and "AE448", this must be production sequence number of the strap. The tail has a rounded end instead of the more common pointy end, another nice detail and looks pretty casual. The stitching is sharp and has a rich light brown color.
The finish of the strap is very well done, the stitching is sharp and the edges are not burnished but raw. The strap is very soft and for sure doesn't need any break-in period.
Deep Green strap
This strap is a complete different style strap. The color is dark green to bright green in a vintage style with a white stitching.
The lining of the strap is grey leather lining, a good contrast with the rest of the strap. It's more an OEM like strap, the holes are oval, a perfect solution for OEM buckles or buckles with a straight tip. The sides are edge coated, the stitching pure white.
Gunny Straps offer this strap initially for the Rolex Submariner "Hulk" and fits very well with a PAM00048 that has a slight greenish index. For sure this is a very good alternative for the Panerai OEM straps plus the number of available straps for a 100/60 size like from Panerai are very limited. With Gunny Straps you can get straps in every size, thickness and length, he has no limits!
The buckles
Pre-V style screw-in buckle on the Fino 2 strap
The Pre-V style buckle is in brushed steel and has a sold look and feel and looks great on this casual vintage strap. The strap by the way is cut very precise to fit the buckle.
Thumbnail buckle on the Deep Green strap
The buckle used on the Deep Green strap is a polished steel tumbnail buckle and looks very sleek on this strap.
On the watches
Fino 2 on the PAM00389
After I mounted the strap on the watch, I understood better what Peter has in mind, the strap looks more bulky that I thought it would and gives it an extra casual character!
Deep Green on the PAM00048
First of all the green looks very in-sync with this watch and the pure white stitching complements the dial indexes perfectly. The shiny polished buckle gives it an extra feminine touch and the because of the vintage treatment it goes well for both casual and official occasions.
The straps on the wrists
The Fino 2 on the wrist
Putting this on my wrist made it even better. The strap is very soft and doesn't need any break-in period. The extreme vintage treatment makes is extra casual and the double box stitch creates an extra visual effect. As the strap is so bulky the tapered design goes very well, on of the very few straps I have seen so far with this characteristics.
Deep Green on the wrist
My wife was pleasant surprised about the size of the strap, having a small wrist doesn't make it easy to shop for straps. The strap wears as comfortable as an OEM strap, the major difference is of course the price of the strap and the fact that you can get straps in a funky color like this one.
My conclusion
Gunny Straps has proven to me that his straps even in his lower price category are still very attractive an have a unique design. The finish is very good and wear comfort starts immediately.
The Fino 2 strap is a very interesting strap that looks a lot better once it is on the watch, although I prefer straight straps, this tapered strap is still a bulky strap with lots of presence and indeed a super casual type of strap.
The Deep Green strap is a completely different strap from the Fino 2 and a perfect alternative for the Panerai OEM types of straps and has the same thickness. As a very big plus is that Gunny Straps offers straps in every size, length and thickness, that makes it very flexible to meet your demands. The finish is very good and combined with the PAM00048 it looks like the strap was meant to be for it.
If you are looking for more info about Gunny Straps, you can find the strap maker at http://strapsgunny.blogspot.com and if you interested in more details about the strapmaker Peter Gani of Gunny Straps , 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.
Fino 2 strap:
Style: Vintage, casual
Width: 26/22 mm
Length: 150/90
Thickness strap: 5 mm
Type of buckle: Pre-V style screw-in buckle
Buckle material: brushed steel
Price range: 117 USD / 100 EURO (depending the destination, VAT & shipping charges vary)
Deep Green strap:
Syle: Elegant vintage
Width: 22-20mm
Length: 100/65
Thickness strap: 3 mm - 5 mm (padded)
Type of buckle: Thumbnail buckle
Buckle material: polished steel
Price range: 135 USD / 115 EURO (depending on the destination, VAT & shipping charges vary)