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Located in Germany's Bavarian Forest, Fluco manufactures 100% in-house at its headquarters in the town of Furth im Wald. Owner Ulrich Fleischmann represents the third generation of his family to lead the company that his grandfather founded more than 70 years ago, producing handmade watch straps of the highest quality for men and women.
Fluco carefully vets every partner they collaborate with. They work only with tanneries that produce ecologically and ethically responsible leather, complying with the strictest regulations to ensure environmental safety and exercising verifiable control from the origin of the raw material to the end product. Fluco's buckles are made entirely in Germany, at a traditional company in Baden Württemberg that tasks itself with producing premium clasps for watch straps.
Fluco's Consul strap is handmade in Germany using fine calfskin leather with a soft, smooth, matte finish. At just 3mm thick throughout with no stitching, it has a slim, minimal profile for an elegant look. The lining leather is hypoallergenic.
If you don't own one of the new sub-$100 Casio moon-phase-apple-watch-jokes, there is just something wrong with you. The dial is insane and the concept is hilarious. Shaped like one of those little monsters you can check your email on, but instead of such technology, it's equipped with a moon phase complication... powered by quartz. If you get it, you get it. The bracelet it came on was expectedly atrocious, so I've been shopping. The Fluco Consul is my 3rd try, and I've hit the value jackpot.
The matte black contrasts well with and does not distract from the vertical lines on the silver-white dial. A lot of people would disagree, but they are wrong. White dials belong on black leather and black dials belong on stainless. Don't lie, you WANT people to notice your watch, so go ahead and make it pop.
The strap took zero break-in time and is immediately soft and comfortable out of the OEM packaging. I am attaching some pictures, including a comparison to another strap I bought recently for my Bambino. I want to show how distressed the other strap is after only one day of wear, compared to the Consul. The Consul has only minimal folding near the sizing holes. There is also virtually no folding on the hypoallergenic lining of the Consul compared to the more expensive strap. This phenomenon has never been a deal breaker for me since the folding is not noticeable on the wrist, but it is worth mentioning.
One last point I'd like to make is about smell. One of the straps I bought previously for this Casio MTP-M305D-7A was a very thin and comfortable faux-croco. I stopped wearing it because the smell was just so unnatural. The Fluco is made up of what I would call a very average smelling leather. It doesn't smell bad. I've bought some expensive straps made of higher end leather, like Shell Cordovan and Essex from Horween that smell gooooooood. The Consul doesn't have this quality, but as long as the smell is not off-putting, I am okay with it.
The Black Fluco Consul in 20mm Regular should cost more than it does, and it is torturous that they are now out of stock in that particular fitting. I'd buy another for my 38mm small-seconds Bambino immediately.
Fluco makes good quality bands at an affordable price. This Consul strap is matte and very smooth. The short size fits well for a wrist 6 inches and under. The quality of the leather feels okay, not great, and maybe for a similar price or a little more, one can attain a strap that’s a bit nicer. For the relatively inexpensive price of the Consul, it’s not a bad choice though for this style. There is a some adhesive showing on the edge and the underside of mine says “Juwel” rather than “Consul” as in the product photo. Great service, communication and shipping from Holben’s as usual. Thank you
Really comfy strap that goes very well with the vibe of the vintage Q Timex I helped bring back to life.
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Independent watch strap specialist since 2007
