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Ten to One, Auckland (2026)

31/05/2026

This neo-vintage Burberrys of London held sentimental value for its owner, but there was one problem: he never really liked it on the original bracelet. The goal was simple enough: replace it with leather and give the watch a reason to be worn again.

Removing the bracelet, however, revealed a second problem. The watch relied on a floating attachment bar that was held in place by the sides of the bracelet itself. Once the bracelet was gone, there was nothing to stop that bar drifting sideways and eventually slipping free. A conventional two-piece strap simply wasn't an option.

So this became my first fully permanent build.

The flame red ostrich leg strap was constructed directly around that floating bar, creating a single integrated assembly with the watch itself. It was also the first time I'd completed all edge painting and finishing work with the strap already attached to the watch.

With no traditional lugs to work from, the strap was designed to visually occupy much of the same space as the original bracelet. Rather than completely transforming the watch into something it wasn't, I retained the original 18/16mm proportions, allowing the leather to feel like a natural evolution of the design rather than a departure from it.

The design itself also bends a few conventions. Accent stitching is more commonly associated with casual or utilitarian straps, while padded straps are often paired with full side stitching. Normally, those elements don't appear together. But here, the narrow domed padding adds just enough lift through the centre to complement the unusual single-link attachment and give shape to what is otherwise a very slim dress-style strap.

The patina gold accent stitching picks up the warmth of the two-tone case, framing the flame red ostrich leg in a way that turned out even better than I expected.

Against the stark white dial, it somehow all works.

Perhaps that's fitting for a project that ignored several of the usual rules from start to finish.

Most importantly, the watch now has a reason to be worn again. There's something deeply satisfying about not just making a strap, but helping reconnect a client with a watch that had slowly been forgotten with time.

Strap specs:
Flame red ostrich leg - padded strap
Natural Kangaroo lining
Patina gold accent stitching
18/16mm
120/80mm

08/05/2026

Matte grey python isn’t something you see often in watch straps, despite how established the material is.

This particular hide had been sitting with a New Zealand collector for years, set aside for a project that never came to be. Easy to overlook, but hard to replace once it’s gone.

Snake leathers have a reputation for being somewhat delicate because of their scales, but in reality python can be one of the more durable exotics when it’s done properly. The key is what sits beneath.

This hide has a firm, well-structured base under each scale, allowing movement without some of the usual drawbacks associated with weaker snake hides — less risk of permanent folding, lifting, or fatigue through regular wear.

That durability became more apparent once the strap left the studio.

After being gifted on a recent trip, this Seiko and its grey python strap found a new home somewhere between the rice fields and the road home. Out there, the conditions are less forgiving. Heat, dust, water, constant wear. The kind of environment that quickly shows what a material is made of.

By backing the larger scale sections of the python hide with kangaroo leather, it gives the strap more shape and structure, helping it sit properly against watches with a bit more case height or weight. It also adds the rigidity needed for long-term durability, without making the strap too stiff to articulate comfortably around the wrist.

Ultimately the goal was to keep the thickness, taper, and edge work tuned in a way that lets the material sit cleanly without feeling overworked.

If there’s one material that deserves a second look in strap making, it’s probably python.

Strap specs:
Padded Grey python leather
Caramel cow leather lining
Off-white embroidery stitch
20/16mm
115/80mm

22/02/2026

Karung snake skin for the 1803/9

I’ve had this 20mm white/green-grey karung snake skin set aside for some time.

Lightly padded, softly structured, and finished with stitching that keeps it a little bit sporty.

Beautiful leather, but it hasn’t been the easiest colour to match across my own watches.

It took a friend lending me their white gold Day-Date 1803 to realise why.

The cool tone of the white gold, the sharp fluted bezel, and that silvered white dial all sit perfectly inside a monochrome palette. Instead of trying to compete, the karung texture adds depth, subtle movement, and just enough character to stop the watch feeling too clinical.

Not every strap needs to shout.
Sometimes the best ones just make the watch feel like itself, only a little more complete.

Strap specs:
White/green-grey karung snake skin - flat padding
Black kangaroo lining
Off-white side stitching
20/18mm
115/75mm

14/02/2026

These weren’t shot on digital.

They were shot on a 1959 Nikon F.

Just aperture, shutter speed, and instinct.

If you’ve been here a while, you’ll recognise the strap pairings.
Some of the set-ups too.

But every now and then I’ll load a roll of 35mm.
No safety net.
Just one click — and you either got it right, or you didn’t.

It’s unnecessary for still life.
But so is hand-cut leather when machines can do it faster.

Film grain has an honesty to it.
So do the gears inside a mechanical watch.
So does a blade through hide.

07/02/2026

Chocolate Nile crocodile for the SBGK005.

A pairing that brings a little warmth and weight to an otherwise cool, restrained dial — letting texture do the talking without ever stealing focus.

This particular watch has since moved on from my collection, and despite never quite getting the wrist time it deserved, it’s already one that’s missed. A dial that’s hard to forget.

Strap specs:
Chocolate brown Nile crocodile leather
Custom blue kangaroo lining
Chocolate brown side stitching
19/16mm
115/80mm

04/10/2025

Custom apricot cow leather for the 67' 44KS

The tones here come from patience. Hours of dilute dye baths in yellows and browns, layered until the colour settles into a watercolor softness.
This strap has already lived a few lives with my Grand Seiko, and now it finds a new character alongside the King Seiko.

The KS has always been a strap monster, but what makes it work here is how the sharp case lines seem to make the strap’s warmth stand out even more. Although not a dark colour, the muted apricot tone contrasts just enough with the silvered dial while the two accent stitches also compliment the clean geometry of the piece in general.

There’s a relaxed ease to this apricot tone too, the kind that fits naturally in quiet moments with coffee or while leafing through old photographs. Much like those photographs, a watch doesn’t just mark time. it gathers it. Worn day to day, it quietly collects the ordinary and the memorable alike, and brings them back when you handle it again.

Objects like these remind us that time isn’t only measured. It’s lived, layered, and left behind in small, quiet traces.

Strap specs:
Custom dyed apricot cow leather
Navy Siena pebble grain lining
Off-white accent stitching
19/16mm
115/75mm

19/09/2025

Stealth, function, and detail that rewards a closer look.

The Sinn 356 is a pilot’s chronograph built with German pragmatism and reliability. Paired with a black suede pilot strap, its matte texture plays perfectly against the bead-blasted case, and the charcoal-grey stitching holds it all together: not black, not contrast white, but a quiet detail for those who notice.

That sense of restraint and durability is familiar.
German engineering has long had a reputation for being overbuilt — not indestructible, but worth maintaining. My ’85 Mercedes W123 proves it every time I tinker under the bonnet or finesse a small repair. The work is never wasted, because the foundation is solid enough to reward the effort.

The Sinn carries that same spirit in its design, powered by the easily serviced SW 500 inside.

Even the strap echoes it. Black suede might seem unusual for everyday wear, but it can absorb knocks gracefully and develop character over time.

The car, the watch, the strap: none are about staying pristine. They endure because they’re cared for.

That’s the reminder here: durability isn’t about being maintenance-free. It’s about being worth maintaining, and finding satisfaction in the process along the way.

Strap specs:
Black suede leather - pilot style strap
Custom blue kangaroo lining
Charcoal box stitching
20/16mm
115/75mm

19/09/2025

Some watches hold memories, milestones, and meaning.
A leather strap can extend the life of a watch by decades, but more importantly, it helps keep the memories tied to that watch alive.

That’s what makes projects like this so rewarding. This Ferrari diver is a sentimental piece for its owner, and it deserved to be wearable again.

Handing it back after weeks of work felt like the true completion of the project. Seeing it on the wrist again — secure, comfortable, and looking the part. It's the best reminder of why I love this craft.

Take a look at the final images and you’ll see that this strap required not only custom ends, but also a delicate installation process.

This watch uses a pin-and-collar system instead of spring bars, demanding absolute precision. At twelve o’clock, the clasp was even more intricate: two screw pins and two spacers. At six o’clock, the end was friction-fit with only a millimetre of clearance to pass through.

It was work that called for patience and focus. The end result is rock solid on the wrist, pairing supple calfskin with the rugged, functional nature of a diver-style case.

That balance, comfort, strength, and intent, is why projects like this are such a privilege to take on.

A big thank you to my client for trusting me with his watch for this project, and for the opportunity to photograph it on his wrist :)

Strap specs:
Custom black calfskin lining - padded + custom ends
Natural kangaroo lining
White side stitching
20/18mm
80/70mm

03/09/2025

There’s tan leather — and then there’s this.

What started as the tan leather in my vintage collection ended up becoming something entirely different. The base was familiar: soft, reliable, and full of potential. But this time, I pushed it. Experimenting with new techniques and new structure.

It started with a slow, controlled distressing process, carefully working the surface until the tone shifted from soft tan to something darker, more rugged. Somewhere between golden syrup, whiskey, and well-worn leather boots. From there, I shaped the strap with extreme domed padding, adding a bold, sculptural profile I hadn’t attempted at this level before. Finally, off-white side stitching brought in just the right contrast, framing the grain without overpowering it.

It felt like the right match for this Seiko 6309. Not just any example, but one with history. Owned by a Marine in the 1980s, it’s a watch that’s clearly seen life. The case is scarred, the bezel worn, the lume aged — every mark earned. I wanted the strap to meet that same energy. Not to compete with the watch’s story, but to complement it. The ruggedness, the warmth, the imperfect texture all echoes the life this watch has lived.
The end result is something Panerai-inspired but not brand-bound. Rugged but refined. Confident but not flashy.

What surprised me most was just how wearable the colour turned out to be. It doesn’t need to match everything. In fact, it works best when it stands apart — paired with denim, greys, or neutrals, anchored only by a pair of boots or a belt.

To see it laid next to the original leather is a quiet kind of reward. Same hide, but reimagined: reshaped, re-toned, and reworked into something with attitude and warmth. The kind of piece that reminds me why I keep going back to the bench, even with materials I know so well.

There’s always more to find — if you’re willing to push it.

Strap specs:
Vintage style distressed Tan leather - domed padding
Black cow leather lining
Off-white side stitching
22/20mm
115/75mm

02/09/2025

Some watches you wear without thinking.

And then there are pieces like this — ones that ask for more.

This pink gold Girard Perregaux chronograph came to me for my 30th birthday, and it's hard to describe what it means without leaning into the sentimental. It reminds me of that exact point in time: a moment to slow down, to choose more deliberately, and to care for the things that require care.

From the 1950s, it’s fragile in all the right ways. Not waterproof in any way. A delicate dial. One of the most beautiful pulsation scales I’ve ever seen. It’s not a daily wear piece — and that’s exactly what makes it special. Every time I reach for it, it feels like a small ritual.

Oversized at 37mm, it would’ve been unusual in its day. You can’t help but wonder about its original owner. A doctor? A gentleman with a taste for the eccentric? That curiosity, that mystery, is part of the experience.

It’s also a watch that doesn’t allow shortcuts. With fixed bars, strap changes aren’t casual — you either go single pass, or permanently glue or even stitch something in place. So you choose carefully.

Right now, that choice is a black pigskin single pass strap with a warm tan lining. It’s ultra-thin, pliable, and cut to taper gently from 18mm to 16mm — a small touch of refinement that echoes the delicacy of the watch itself. It wraps through the lugs effortlessly, disappearing into the silhouette.
Not loud. Not complicated. Just enough.

It’s the kind of strap that doesn’t fight for attention, so the warmth of the 18k case and the pop of those blued hands can do what they’re meant to do.

I don’t wear this piece often, and I don’t need to. It’s not here to be convenient. It’s here to remind me of a moment — and of the value in slowing down.

Strap specs:
Black pig skin single pass strap
Tan pig skin lining
240mm
18/16mm

Ten to One

31/05/2026

08/05/2026

22/02/2026

14/02/2026

07/02/2026

04/10/2025

19/09/2025

19/09/2025

03/09/2025

02/09/2025

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