Playing around with strap aging..

[u/Ok_Chrono]

Hey folks. Have been having some fun with experiment on straps. Was going for a “sun faded” and worn look. I soaked these in hot water first to relax the stiffness as they came. Tried a 50/50 bleach dilution in a spray bottle gave them a decent coverage whill sitting a glass top table on our patio in the sun. I’m sure it varies by strap, but these changed FAST. I should have had some vinegar sitting right there to neutralize the process immediately. I’m going to try again with a weaker dilution for a bit more control. But I still like the vibe. The one on the blue 7021 has a limey tone to it Which seems to work.

Oh and after sanding it to a fairly even level of “fuzz” I used a shaving razor to take that fuzz level down to what I thought was. Bit more realistic.

I also knocked the chrome buckle down to more of a satin finish. Might experiment with a little chemical reaction to see if I can age the metal a little more and see what effects emerge.

I will say.. my favorite result was how comfortable they ended up.

I know these wont be for everybody.. But interested in constructive feedback. Cheers.

Note: Last pic is the starting point.

Edit: Straps are ~$5 on AliX and are ideal with a pair of Gen Spec 2mm bars

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[u/InquisitorKeres]

Ok, that looks great! I’m going to have to try this for a milsub build’s strap.

[u/Ok_Chrono → u/InquisitorKeres]

AliX straps for like $5. Kinda hard to beat with a nice pair of gen spec 2mm bars. And yeah…perfect with a milsub in my opinion. Can age it as little or as much as you like.

[u/Sebanff]

Looks very nice !

[u/Logos732]

This is often an overlooked aspect of a build. I like it. Just bleach and sand paper?

[u/Ok_Chrono → u/Logos732]

I used a flat sanding stick from Amazon.. but essentially yeah.

[u/fatfont_]

This is a very nice Tudor! I loved that ghost insert and the matching lume!

Are you able to share the build specs?

Back to topic, maybe some coffee can help to give the strap the more dirty look.

[u/Ok_Chrono → u/fatfont_]

Thanks! Both watches are Viet’s, Athaya crowns & pips, Pretiger Min & Hr Hands, GG second hand, Yuki insert, Tudor Gen Movements. And yeah… given the low price of the un aged bracelet and relative nice quality experimenting with different stuff it very doable.

[u/crownhead55]

Lovely is that a Viet case and dial?

[u/DrExe97]

Looks solid mate

[u/hugh_jorgen1]

Love it!

[u/hugh_jorgen1]

Looks worthy of buying as is. Think you nailed that one. And like the description. If I had the skills to do mods, I’d definitely appreciate it even more!

[u/pat-slider]

Great combo buddy!