ColaReb Firenze Grey Leather Quick Release Watch Strap

When I was a young boy, and then in my early teens, I used to visit my grandfather on my mother’s side. He was a life-long machinist, and he had a workshop in his home. As a boy, I’d approach my grandfather with mechanical problems such as with my bicycle, and we would work on them together.

At that time, my grandfather’s home workshop was a magical place to me. At his home, he adapted the needs of a proper workshop into a relatively small space. One of my favorite work habits that I learned from him was his practice to keep an assortment of box wrenches in an old, leather, ‘Boston-style’ bag. When he needed a certain size wrench and could not grab it from the bag by just looking inside and grabbing it, he would splay out the contents of the bag onto the shop floor and find what he needed that way. Because the wrenches were different patterns and from different manufactures, the tool bag was accommodating of the multitude of wrench sizes and shapes. Decades later, I remember this splaying out of those wrenches, and it is something that I now do, with similar items.

After this grandfather died, I inherited this tool bag. I used to carry the bag to my job, and I used it like someone would use a briefcase. Eventually, I transitioned to carrying briefcases, and I retired the bag from being an everyday carry item. I do not know the bag’s age, but it is most likely well over 100-years old.

Now in my later sixties, I am thinking about things that were formative to me. My grandfather’s tool bag was one item, as is a certain mechanical wristwatch that I purchased when I was 20-years old. I still have this now used and abused ‘tool watch’, and it is currently being overhauled. The watch’s metal bracelet wore-out beyond repair years ago, and I am selecting a couple of different straps for this watch. While examining watch straps on-line, I learned of the Firenze watch straps from ColaReb, and thought it had the perfect aesthetic for my used and faded watch (which really looks like it has been around the block a few times).

As I viewed this watch strap on-line, it reminded me of my grandfather’s tool bag and when the strap came in, I juxtaposed these items, and their resemblance is something else.

This 20mm-wide, Firenze watch strap from ColaReb was made in Italy and it has features that I was not familiar with. One would be the ‘bar stitches’ near the spring bar end of the strap halves, and I really like this aesthetic. Another design feature that I have not seen before is that the two strap keepers (or the loops, near the buckle end) are retained by a segment of the nearby bar stitching. This method of retention reminds me of a tether on a surfboard, or as utilized on other sporting equipment. So retained, the keepers can free-float somewhat, but not too far from the buckle. This design is not a negative; it is just something new to me. The strap is beautifully made and it is supple, not stiff. I’m thrilled with it, and look forward to receiving my watch in the future so I can start wearing and enjoying both of them.

I believe that every time that I wear my vintage watch on this strap, I will think of this grandfather. I will refer to this ColaReb Firenze, as "my grandfather’s watch strap". I am very happy to have learned of Holben’s Fine Watch Bands, who enabled this new keepsake.

The photos speak for themselves. I got many compliments.

Beautiful quality leather strap. Loads of character. Would look at home on a high end piece or can really elevate something modest. It is a thick piece of leather so be prepared for a bit of break in. Seen here on my Vaer A12 dirty dozen homage.