Etsy is a great source for watch straps. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a regular at several well-known, online strap retailers, but I enjoy poking around Etsy searching for new vendors and bargains. My latest find is the Ukrainian leathercraft of Balabanoff. I ordered a bunch of straps on a whim and was very pleased with the products.
Igor Balabanoff has been making watch straps in his Kharkiv workshop since 2019. He also offers a fine array of small leather goods such as wallets, Dopp kits, fobs, and even sneakers, all at reasonable prices, but of course, I zeroed in on the watch straps, choosing a mix of tailored and rustic designs. All of them are equipped with handy quick-release pins. The straps arrived carefully packed and individually wrapped, accompanied by a nice note.
The value leader in the group was the $29 Simple Horween Chomexel strap. For this modest price, you get a single-layer strap with minimal stitching. You choose the leather and thread colors, buckle style, dimensions, and taper. The standard length is 120/80, but he is happy to adjust it as necessary and offers helpful sizing advice for the uninitiated.
I ordered a selection in Natural, Black, and Brown Chromexel with a 2mm taper. Balabanoff’s are cleanly cut and tightly constructed. There is no edge paint, but one would not expect it on this type of strap. It is meant to be stripped-down and functional.
I particularly like this style on vintage and tool watches, such as the Rivelta Metrodive and Vario 1945 D-12.
Perhaps my favorite was the Natural on my Seaborne Surfer Wavecatcher GMT, as its casual style and mellow color synced perfectly with the faded tan, red, and blue of this laid-back watch. It definitely caught a vibe.
Balabanoff’s $39 Navy Leather OTAN pass-through delivered a similar feel with an extra measure of military utility that suited my blue Vario 1918 Pilot.
For a more complex strap, I splurged on the still-inexpensive $65 Handmade Camouflage in Orange Reddish Brown. I love oddly colored camo, and the Italian leather from the Conceria La Perla Azzurra tannery did not disappoint. The colors are gorgeous. Balabanoff’s strap is fully stitched and lightly padded with a soft, vegetable-tanned lining. I chose a tapered style with Burnt Orange stitching. The craftsmanship was impeccable, and it looked amazing on my Seiko Safarnie.
My final selection was a wild card: the $65 African Goat in Orange-Black. Similar in construction to the Camouflage, it is made of goatskin from an English tannery. The leather is pliable with a pronounced grain, highlighted in black. I chose a matching black thread.
I honestly had no idea how I would use this one, but I figured it would work well on a PVD black case. It is not at all uncommon for me to buy a strap that I find interesting and then let it sit for months or years until the right watch comes along. I did not have to wait so long with this one, as once I added a black buckle, I found it worked well on my delightfully odd AndoAndoAndo.
Delivery took less than a month, which is not bad considering I had purchased six made-to-order items a couple of weeks before Christmas. I hadn’t intended to review Balabanoff’s customer service, but we encountered a shipping hiccup, and it was the fault of USPS here in Virginia, not Ukrposhta. Still, Igor was extremely responsive and eager to make it right.
Finally, I must note that Kharkiv has been greatly affected by the war, and the city is still facing Russian attacks. I know a strap purchase won’t fix it, but it does my soul some good to support a small Ukrainian business while that sovereign nation is fighting to be free of Putin’s invasion.
Overall, I am very happy with my Balabanoff straps and will not hesitate to order again. They are expertly made and deliver excellent value. You can shop for youra at the Balabanoff Etsy store or directly from balabanoff.com.
Slava Ukraini!
