How to Choose Straps for Your Watch (Expert Guide)
A watch isn’t just a timekeeping tool; it’s a personal statement. But here’s the thing most people overlook: the strap you choose can completely transform the way your watch looks, feels, and even how you wear it.
The wrong strap can make a luxury timepiece look awkward. The right one? It can make a modest watch appear as if it belongs in a collector’s vault.
At Gunny Straps, we’ve been handcrafting straps since 2008 for watch lovers around the world. Over the years, we’ve gained experience in pairing the perfect strap for any watch, from sporty divers to elegant dress pieces. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the five steps to finding your watch’s perfect partner.
Step 1: Identify Your Watch’s Style
Before you even think about materials and colors, start by looking at your watch itself.
Most watches fall into three broad style categories:
- Sporty – Dive watches, chronographs, and tool watches.
- Casual – Field watches, everyday wear pieces.
- Formal – Slim dress watches and elegant pieces.
Yes, your strap should enhance your watch’s natural style (like a sporty watch with sporty straps), but most importantly, it should make you happy with how you want it to be, so it is not limited to only having to match sporty watches with sporty straps
Step 2: Pay Attention to the Accents
Once you know your watch’s style, focus on the finer details that give it personality—dial color, accent shades on the hands or markers, bezel tones, and even the case finish. The right strap can highlight these accents and create a perfectly balanced look.
Examples:
1. Elegance Opaline Blue Croco Strap for JLC
A rich blue crocodile leather strap chosen to mirror the blue globe on this Jaeger-LeCoultre, adding both harmony and a touch of refined sophistication.
2. “Double Muscular” Padded Strap for AP
A shiny silver-black leather strap with extra padding to match the bold proportions of a large Audemars Piguet, enhancing its commanding, masculine presence.
3. Blue “Double Muscular” Canvas for Panerai
A durable double muscular blue canvas strap with our signature “muscular” padding, perfectly complementing the blue dial of this Panerai while adding casual ruggedness.
4. Art Meets Omega Snoopy
A plain blue leather strap called Minimalist Blue, elevated by a hand-painted Snoopy-on-the-Moon design, perfectly echoing the playful yet iconic vibe of the Omega Speedmaster Snoopy edition.
5. Vintage Character for Panerai Submersible
A dark vintage leather strap called Mission Impossible 3 strap that draws out the aged tones of the hands and numerals, giving this Submersible an authentically seasoned, heritage-inspired look.
Step 3: Ensure a Perfect Fit
Even the most beautiful strap will feel wrong if it doesn’t fit properly.
Things to consider:
- Lug width – Measure the space between your watch’s lugs; straps come in sizes like 18mm, 20mm, 22mm, etc.
- Length and Thickness – Standard lengths fit most wrists, but we also make custom sizes for smaller or larger wrists.
- Lug shape – We can fit almost any watch unless the lugs are unusually shaped.
Attachment – Quick-release spring bars for easy swaps, or traditional bars for a more secure hold if it is doable for your choice of strap
Step 4: Decide Between Ready-Designs or Custom
We offer both ready-made designs, custom straps, and a mix of them. You choose the exact color, stitching, and material.
- You can straight away choose a design you like and tell us what the watch is for, as well as your preferred strap dimension.
- You can create a design from scratch
- You can choose ready designs and give a small customization to them to make them truly yours.
Our vintage straps remain our bestsellers, and we’ve created them for everything from Panerais to APs to Rolexes — each one telling its own story.
How We Recommend Straps for Our Clients
This is where our years of experience come in. When a customer asks us for a recommendation, we:
- Look at the watch style — sporty, casual, or formal.
- Study the details — dial color, accents, case finish.
- Suggest materials and colors that will enhance, not distract.
It’s like tailoring a suit — every watch deserves something made just for it.
Why a Strap Change is the Easiest Upgrade You Can Make
A strap swap is one of the quickest, most affordable ways to give your watch a completely new personality. In just a few minutes, you can:
- Instantly refresh your watch’s appearance.
- Transform one watch into a versatile piece for different occasions.
- Improve comfort and practicality.
- Express your personal style with unique materials and colors.
Instead of spending thousands on a new watch, you can invest in a strap that costs only a fraction of that—and still get the feeling of wearing something brand new. With the right strap, your timepiece can seamlessly shift from boardroom-ready to weekend casual, or from sporty and rugged to elegant and refined.
About Gunny Straps
Since 2008, we’ve been handcrafting straps from scratch, each one made to order or carefully curated in our collections. Whether you want something rugged for your dive watch or luxurious for your dress piece, we can create it.
Final Tip: When choosing a strap, think of it like choosing the right shoes for an outfit. The best ones will feel like they were always meant to be there.