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Jon Quinn Former software engineer and self-confessed watch Obsessive-compulsive disorder, recalling the troubles encountered when changing the strap on a luxury watch. “I remember taking Breitling to a jewelry store a few years ago and asking them if they had a strap. The assistant had to browse through countless catalogs to find a suitable strap, and then told me that it had to be sent away before it could be installed,” he said. “And it will pay some ridiculous price.”
Quinn has other ideas. In 2010, he started buying and selling this strange watch on eBay, and he realized that if he wears a better strap on them, he can sell it even higher. This has led people to find that wholesale and selling straps is a more efficient business, and the customer base continues to grow.
The original eBay account quickly developed into a company called WatchGecko, with annual sales of 2.5 million pounds (2.8 million US dollars) and customers all over the world. Quinn said that the customer is someone like him: watch lovers are happy to be equipped with some small tools that can insert and remove the strap on the fixed lugs, and are willing to change and upgrade the strap according to their mood.
“It’s an act of customization, making it your own, just like someone who buys a beautiful pair of shoes and changes the laces,” Quinn said. “Anyone can do it, but most people can’t. Those who do, they are really invested. When you start to research it, it’s a pretty big niche market.”
Traditionally, watch brands themselves don’t like this kind of experimentation, but their cold In recent years, it has been greatly thawed. The craze for colored “Nato” straps first appeared in the mid-2010s. This cheap nylon strap was designed for military use, but with Tudor’s successful launch of Black Bay in 2013, it gained more tailoring. Status-Tudor directly drew on this initiative about the subculture into which WatchGecko and its peers are integrated.
Since then, watchbands with increasingly diverse colors, fabrics and textures have stood out, and the brand has become more relaxed with the idea of shredding and changing. Some, including Omega, Breitling and Jaeger-LeCoultre, now have a dedicated website section to sell straps, although they are still a minority. It is increasingly becoming the norm to release watches with a variety of strap and bracelet options, and watches that usually come with alternatives.
On the one hand, this is the natural influence of the broader trend of looser and versatile styles. In contrast, traditional calfskin or crocodile leather straps no longer have the prestige they once were. (In fact, vegan and recycled materials are currently one of the most prominent trends in watch straps.)
But Mike France, CEO of British watch company Christopher Ward and long-time supporter of interchangeable straps, believes this is Apple Watch This fundamentally changed the belt game.
“Jony Ive and Apple have a great influence. In the next 20 years, Apple will lead more trends than other traditional industries combined,” he said. “People realize that a well-designed strap like a watch can make this thing on our wrist more fun to wear. In terms of excellent engineering design, there really is no bracelet that can touch Apple.”
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