Ordering Trench Watch Straps with Standard Buckles

Copyright © David Boettcher 2005 - 2023 all rights reserved.

This page is for ordering my period replica vintage wristwatch straps with silver coloured base metal buckles. These are for trench type watches with fixed wire lugs that take one piece a pull through strap.

If you have a vintage wristwatch with a sterling silver or gold case, then you really should consider a strap fitted with one of my hand made sterling silver or 9 carat gold buckles. These are authentic replicas of World War One period buckles and look great on an original trench watch.

There is a separate page for G10 and RAF type leather NATO straps. If you want to order anything that is not a stock item please refer to the section below about Custom Made Items.

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Wrist Size and Strap Length

From experience I know that the standard length of my one piece pull through straps suits most men, with wrists between about 165mm / 6½" to 195mm / 7½" around, and this is the length that the stock (ready made) straps are made to. Straps can be custom made to any length (within reason) so if you have trouble finding a strap the right length, then this would be perfect for you.

NB: Making leather watch straps is not like precision machining metal; please understand that there may be a few millimetres variation in the sizes as made.

How a strap fits depends on the shape of your watch, the path the strap takes through the lugs, and also how tight you like to wear your strap. The path that the strap takes can make a significant difference to its effective length, so please make sure that you read the section about Strap Path – this is important; a significantly different path will need a different length strap.

Standard Strap Lengths

The standard length of the strap fitted to the Type A, B and C designs is 230mm long, excluding the buckle. These straps are designed for trench watches with fixed wire lugs and for wrists that measure between approximately 165mm / 6½" and 190mm / 7½" around. I know this standard size works pretty well for most wrists and trench watches with fixed wire lugs because I have been using it for over a decade now – but please do make sure that you read the section about the Strap Path.

If you have a smaller wrist, please see Designs for Smaller Wrists.

Measuring Your Wrist

If you are close to either of the limits and you don't want to be on the last hole of a standard length strap, then you can send me the measurement around your wrist and I will get a strap made of the correct length to suit you, see Custom Made Items for how to do this. If you send me a wrist measurement I add 60mm to it to get the length to make the leather part. This works well for trench watches with drooping wire lugs as shown in the section about the Strap Path. If your watch has lugs that are not like this, then you must let me know.

Please keep thing simple and just send me your actual wrist measurement, preferably in millimetres. The best way to take the measurement is to wrap a dressmaker's flexible tape measure around your wrist at the point you wear you watch and take a reading, or wrap a piece of string around your wrist and make a mark with a pen on both parts where they overlap and then measure the distance between the two marks.

Please don't try to second guess me on this and give me a measurement that you think will work better. If you take what you think is a wrist measurement from an existing strap, be aware that this is different from an actual wrist measurement. Please also make sure that you have read the section about the Strap Path.

Back Pad Lengths

If you have a small wrist, then there is the possibility that the ends of the back pad will meet or overlap. The back pads are all slightly different lengths as shown in the table. They will fit wrists somewhat smaller than their length, because they sit on top of your skin and simple geometry means that the average radius of the back pad is greater than that of the wrist, but this effect is difficult to measure exactly because wrists are not round.

I estimate that the effect means that your wrist can be 10mm less than the length of the back pad for the ends to only just touch. However, be aware that this is a guide and if you are close to the limit and want to be sure that the ends of the back pad do not meet, then see Designs for Smaller Wrists.

Design	Back Pad Length	Minimum Wrist Size
Type A	164mm	154mm
Type B	171mm	161mm
Type C	172mm	162mm
Type C XL	188mm	178mm

If your wrist is less than the minimum size for the design you want given in the table, please see Designs for Smaller Wrists.

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Buckles

The ready made stock trench watch straps that can be ordered from this page are fitted with silver coloured base metal (usually chrome plated) buckles of the best period look that I can find, usually the ones shown in the image.

Gold coloured buckles: I don't keep straps with standard base metal gold coloured buckles in stock. They can be supplied as a Custom Order at no extra cost, but manufacturing can take up to three weeks under normal circumstances.

Sterling Silver Buckles To improve the authenticity of my replica World War One straps I offer straps with hand made solid sterling silver (925) reproduction buckles. These are copies of authentic period buckles and are hallmarked by the London Assay Office, with a full set of hand punched UK hallmarks including the leopard's head and the walking lion, just like the originals were marked 100 years ago. There is a separate page for ordering Sterling Silver and Nine Carat Gold Buckles.

Carat Gold buckles I make nine carat yellow and rose gold buckles, these are hallmarked by the London Assay Office. I keep only a small number of 12mm gold buckles in stock because of the high cost of the gold. Details of these buckles can be found at Sterling Silver and Nine Carat Gold Buckles.

Your own buckle If your watch is fitted with a buckle that you would like to re-use, this is no problem and I have done this many times for customers. If the buckle uses spring bars we can simply leave off the standard buckle, but if it is an older type buckle that needs to be stitched in, you just need to post the buckle to me and it will be stitched into the strap as it is made. Email me for posting details. If you don't have a matching metal keeper loop, a leather loop in the same leather as the strap can be supplied.

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Order a Stock Strap

To place an order for a stock strap of standard length with silver coloured buckle, please just select your items from the Stock and Order List below by clicking one of the PayPal buttons.

You will then be taken to the PayPal web site. You will need to return to this page to choose more straps, or to add postage to the shopping cart. If you are using a tabbed browser you will probably find that the PayPal page opens in a new tab and that you can just select the tab for this page to return to where you were. If not, choose the "Continue Shopping" option on the PayPal page to return to this page.

You can use the "View Cart" button to review your selections at any time, and make your purchase. If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to email me.

If PayPal says that an item is out of stock, please let me know.

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Custom Orders

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Postage & Packing

The cost of Postage and Packing (p&p) is not included in the price of the straps. I make a single charge for p&p, no matter how many straps you order.

The current p&p charges are shown underneath each set of ordering buttons.

Postage & packing must be added to your order, the PayPal “shopping cart”, before checking. If you pay for p&p as a separate order, PayPal charges make it expensive for me.

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Temporarily Out Of Stock

If an item is marked Temporarily Out Of Stock it will be replenished when the next batch of straps are made, which is usually within a week from the item going out of stock. It is not practicable to replace straps as soon as they sell.

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Type A Straps with Base Metal Silver Coloured Buckles

Stock list updated: Wednesday 20 September 2023. If PayPal says an item is unavailable, please let me know.

NB: Postage and Packing must be added to your PayPal cart before checking out. Use either browser tabs or the “back” button ← to return to this page from PayPal.

For full details of leathers and additional colours see Leathers. To order a custom made item see Custom Orders.

Back to the top of the page.

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Type B Straps with Standard Slots and Base Metal Silver Coloured Buckles

Stock list updated: Wednesday 20 September 2023. If PayPal says an item is unavailable, please let me know.

NB: Postage and Packing must be added to your PayPal cart before checking out. Use either browser tabs or the “back” button ← to return to this page from PayPal.

For full details of leathers and additional colours see Leathers. To order a custom made item see Custom Orders.

Back to the top of the page.

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Type B Straps with Double Slots and Base Metal Silver Coloured Buckles

Stock list updated: Wednesday 20 September 2023. If PayPal says an item is unavailable, please let me know.

NB: Postage and Packing must be added to your PayPal cart before checking out. Use either browser tabs or the “back” button ← to return to this page from PayPal.

For full details of leathers and additional colours see Leathers. To order a custom made item see Custom Orders.

Back to the top of the page.

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Type C Straps with Double Slots and Base Metal Silver Coloured Buckles

Stock list updated: Wednesday 20 September 2023. If PayPal says an item is unavailable, please let me know.

NB: Postage and Packing must be added to your PayPal cart before checking out. Use either browser tabs or the “back” button ← to return to this page from PayPal.

For full details of leathers and additional colours see Leathers. To order a custom made item see Custom Orders.