The strap I am reviewing is made of Carp Fish leather from FIS Straps. And I have to say that it caught me by surprise, I did not know that one can use fish skin to make straps.
The strap comes fitted with a buckle from FineWatchBuckles and it is made of fossil mammoth ivory. Yes, it is made from mammoth tusk. How cool is that, a unique strap with a unique buckle. The buckle matches the strap very well. There is not much that has not been said about buckles from FineWatchBuckles that has already been said in reviews on this blog. This buckle is the same, well made, beautiful finish and robust. It is fitted with a brass bolt from Maddog. I will let the photographs do the talking.
Beautiful buckle right?
Now on to the strap. The strap comes in at 80mm on the buckle side and 140mm on the hole side. It is 24mm wide across the length of the strap and is 6mm thick at the lug mount points and tapers down to 4 mm at the tip. The edges are sealed.
The strap comes with two strap keepers, one fixed and the other floating. The keepers are 13mm wide and the loop is big enough for the strap end to go in easily. The ends of the keepers are stitched. The edges are also sealed.
I like the texture of the strap. It is soft, velvet like. Not too sure if it will flake over the long run, but at the moment, I like the texture and also the colour. The texture is like a grid. Not sure if it is the scales.
The strap has a 3 layer construction. I suspect its all Carp Fish leather. It makes the strap feel and look more robust.
The under side of the strap is lined with a simple beige leather piece. It looks like it is bonded in place and there are no excess bonding to be seen. The finish is good as is the construction of the strap.
Lug side.
Buckle side.
The strap is signed at the tip of the hole end of the strap.
Overall, I was initial sceptical about a strap made from Carp Fish skin or leather. But after using it for about a month (off and on), I am impressed by the quality, construction and overall comfort. It is a soft strap and wears comfortable on the wrist. I like it.
