A few weeks ago, a Fedex envelope has arrived at my doorstep. Inside, a strap. This strap. I wanna take this opportunity to announce the giveaway prize has been claimed. Don't despair, though, great things are brewing!
Yes, that'll teach the watch enthusiasts not to marry! Great review. Very enjoyable. No nonsense. Despite all the enthusiasm for it, I personally still don't get why people rave about the Artem sailcloth straps. I have never handled one, so cannot judge other than on looks. And that's where it goes wrong. To me, they don't look so good. In fact, the sailcloth material gives off an obvious plasticky sheen, so for me at first glance it always seems to run with the cheap. At that price, that is difficult to swallow. Sure, some closer and one appreciates it's very well put together and then you get to the clasp, and it just looks uncomfortably bulky to my eye, and I can already imagine getting caught in various ways on the underside. So, my conclusions repeatedly is that this is not a strap for me even if it was a fifth of the price. Which, frankly, still seems a premium for something that doesn't hide its plastic origins. Still, I am not criticising Artem in general. I am sure they are not just one product. Only this particular one keeps popping up, and very rarely do I think it does the watch a favour aesthetically. Pity, if glad not to be tempted.
I believe Artem are good value for money only on their classic clasp setup, as I tried to emphasize by comparing it with the Erica's. In my opinion, if Artem, at $85, are overpriced, then Erica's MN at the same price is high street robbery. You wanna talk about cheap looking, take a look at that strap's material and construction. The loopless/deployant combo is certainly expensive, but, again, depending on what it's being compared with, it might actually be a bargain. I personally wouldn't buy this combo, but I can understand its appeal to high end watches owners.
@watchyawant I think your message about the 85usd option came across quite clearly. And, again, cheap looking to me on screen (or a cheap sheen/material finish), is not the same as cheap feeling and behaving in hand. My point is merely that I don't feel inclined to pay a small fortune (plus import fees) for a strap that still has a look of cheapness about it. Probably this applies to all sailcloths in the end. Still, for me personally, 85usd is still a rather premium type of strap. So yes, it would pay off to select the best for that money.
I do a lot of sailing. I just wanted to let you know that these days sails can be made from almost anything. My sails are are made from a similar nylon material.
Oi, is the Lambo any good? Cause i don't see many around....!!!😋 Ok, joke aside, i know all praise Artems, but i'm not there yet. It's common (innit?) sense that cheap is expensive (and vise versa!), still got some other "holes" to fill with that cash... Who knows, soon...maybe...
Yeah, my point precisely. I'd say a good rule should be spending about 5% of the price of a watch on a new strap, so this one would be for the Omegas and Tudors outh there.
