After years of buying budget straps, the 21mm lugs of my Frederique Constant drove me to Veblenist to get the strap I actually wanted.
The instant I held it in my hands, I understood the difference between a $25 strap and a $125 piece. There is no compromise on this strap, including the leather softness, stitching, and padding. No break-in was required. It smells of a freshly finished saddle.
On the Antares specifically, note that it arrived in a lighter tan, but it quickly patinas into a pumpkin orange. I suspect it will eventually patina onto a golden brown. This isn't a jab at the Antares as I have yet for any tan leather watch strap to remain tan.
Though I rate the strap top quality, as other reviewers have mentioned Veblenist NEEDS TO ADJUST THEIR COLOR TEMPERATURE ON WEBSITE PHOTOS. Photos show a bluish-washed out strap and only customer reviews show it's true color.
In closing, this strap has lead to me ordering more straps from Veblenist. I have wasted more money trying to guess and check cheaper options when I can simply pay more but order what I want, once.
Pros: very well made, leather feels supple, very comfy, light, stitching neat
Cons: For a $120 strap, I need to go buy my own spring bars? Also- colour is not that close to the stock photos, I know this is a natural product and monitors vary etc, but I looked at the website images on several screens. I should have gone by the actual customer images which are true to colour, a very orangey-tan rather yellow shade, much less brown than the Veblenist images.
I’m so happy that I discovered Veblenist to replace some of the OEM straps in my collection. This strap is crafted from the finest leather I’ve experienced and the craftsmanship is outstanding. Veblenist straps have my highest recommendation.
I like the band itself a lot. No issues there and this seems like a quality product. However, I am very disappointed with the communication from this company. I tried to order the band an initial time and never received any kind of confirmation that the order went through. I emailed them to check on the order but didn’t hear back from them for at least a week. In the meantime, I reordered the band thinking the initial order didn’t go through. But sure enough, I received two bands and had been charged twice. The second time I ordered, I did receive a confirmation email. When Veblenist finally responded, they confirmed that my second order went through, but not my first. I’ve since emailed them again about the problem and it has been again another weeks and they have not responded. Super disappointed with the communication and I would not order from them again regardless of the quality of their product due to the terrible communication and customer service. There are plenty of other companies out there that can make a legit watch band but know how to communicate with their customers.
Have purchased four straps from Veblenist, so far. Very pleased with their product. Love the quality and that one can customize the length for a perfect fit.
