Watch Strap Storage/Display

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Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by jbm90 »

I’ve now accumulated quite a lot of straps…I’ve filled up the storage compartment of one watch box, but this means it’s a bit of a pain sorting through it each time I want a different strap.

Does anyone have a good way to store their straps, possibly even displaying them a bit like watches, rather than just stuffed in a draw/box. Ideally for a decent number of them rather than just 2/3, to make swapping straps easier

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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by nycWATCHnerd »

I have been considering the strap folios from Delugs:

Strap Folio (Small) - Black
Strap Folio (Large) - Black
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by timepieces_and_bags »

@alexqaws SOTC strap storage is among the best I’ve seen.
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by ajax87 »

When my old winder quit working, I gutted it to use for strap storage. It’s not very organized but it works. I was previously using a too-small cigar box.

IMG_9892.jpeg
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by ajax87 »

@gwells and @rkovars have some pretty neat setups! Maybe you’ll post some pics here gents?


Found the thread:
offtopic/incoming-t61417.html?hilit=Machinist
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by alexqaws »

timepieces_and_bags wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2025 6:14 pm @alexqaws SOTC strap storage is among the best I’ve seen.

Thank you, I really appreciate it! I can also post a picture here for reference.

I was also asked on another forum how did I make it, so here are the steps below, if anybody is interested.
  • First step was to decide on the outer cabinet, and I settled for an Ikea Eket 2 drawer cabinet (70x35cm), I think this is good enough size and if I absolutely need it, I can potentially find another identical cabinet 10y from now (since it's Ikea).
  • Ikea glides for this cabinet are actually Blum Tandem with partial extension, so I bought 2 pairs of 30cm Blum Tandem with full extension so that the drawer will go out all the way, otherwise access to the top row would be really bad.
  • Also, since the new glides did not have push-pull system as the original glides, I had to add in two button handles so I could get the drawer out. Fortunately, I already had some spares from a different Ikea furniture, and they were perfect for this.
  • Then I started measuring and testing out my watch pillows to see how much width I needed per line. It's a very specific 73-76mm width. If the rows are larger, the pillows don't stay in place. If they're smaller, the strap rubs too much on the edges. So for this, your mileage might vary. You can find these types of pillows on aliexpress, and they're relatively cheap. The height of the slots is also important, I don't want it to be too high, just enough to keep the pillows in place.
  • Since the internal drawer width is exactly 28cm and I wanted to have 3 rows (of 75mm), this means the 4 battens of wood that make up the slots need to have exactly 55mm (280mm - 3x75mm), so 13.75mm per wood strap, so I bought 13mm x 45mm (height) wood to leave a bit of margin. I also lost about 2mm due to the screw head for the button handle, so I had to account for that.
  • I'm no expert and not the most handy, so I bought some extra wood in case I had issues with it (and it's good that I did), since cutting it and putting it together was not easy. I had to cut everything to size, I first started with the lateral battens (28cm long), and then with the 4 long battens (\~60cm), cutting and polishing each piece to ensure that it fits into the drawer and into the other pieces without being too loose. This was not easy, and I had to cut some pieces multiple times. This part took about 2h.
  • Then I had to screw in the pieces, using small thin wood screws. But I also had to pre-drill all the holes, otherwise the wood would crack or the screw will not go straight (since 13mm does not offer much tolerance when inserting a screw). I also had to pre-drill a larger hole end for each screw head so that it goes all in, otherwise it would mess with my measurements (and potentially scratch the drawer walls), this is something I have not account for from the start but was able to solve it on the fly. Each long batten is held together to the lateral battens by 2 screws, and all screws go from the sides into the lateral batten and then into the long batten. So again, this part required a lot of patience and was not very easy to do.
  • Afterward, I used a big roll of velvet to wrap up the wood, cutting multiple pieces to size. The exterior wood parts are not wrapped up on the back (the side towards the drawer) since they already fit to the millimeter so I was worried they won't fit anymore if I add velvet to that side as well. I tried to wrap each piece of wood in a single velvet strip, so there are no overlaps in the middle of the parts and so that the overlaps are hidden. Cutting the velvet was also a bit tricky but easier than dealing with the wood. You'll need a good tool knife and, again, a lot of patience. Might be best to have some spares.
  • Finally, I bought Ikea's wall mount rail for this cabinet so that it stays on the wall. Else, if you put it on another cabinet without having it fixed to the wall, there's a good chance it would fall when the drawers are open, especially with the full extension drawers.
Hope I didn't miss anything, but please let me know if you have any questions!
_straps.jpg
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by UncleLoco »

2nd vote for @alexqaws DIY strap storage as best in class.

On a smaller scale, I received this strap case as a Christmas gift and quite like it…

https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Storage- ... sto_dp_btp
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by biggus_richus »

I bought a cheap folder off of eBay a few years back for a few quid. It’s holding up surprisingly well.
IMG_4457.jpeg
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TOGEVAL-Holder ... MLHSF2X986
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by nbg »

Other watch forums of interest:
TZ-UK
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

A couple of old shoe / hat boxes and some flat, stackable plastic boxes.

NATO straps are looped on a long boot lace with 20mm in one box and 22mm in another.

Bracelets that are not fitted are in small brown paper or plastic envelopes, with a note identifying which watch they belong to.

All a bit of a hotch potch; but I generally know which box a particular strap is in.

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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by jbm90 »

alexqaws wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2025 6:52 pm
timepieces_and_bags wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2025 6:14 pm @alexqaws SOTC strap storage is among the best I’ve seen.

Thank you, I really appreciate it! I can also post a picture here for reference.
I’d love something more like this, but have no skills or place to
work on something like this!

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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by gwells »

biggus_richus wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2025 7:05 pm I bought a cheap folder off of eBay a few years back for a few quid. It’s holding up surprisingly well.
IMG_4457.jpeg

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TOGEVAL-Holder ... MLHSF2X986
i have one of these that i used to keep my straps / bracelets in. it works pretty well. and then, as @ajax87 mentioned, i picked up a machinist chest and turned it into my watch box and those drawers are great for strap/bracelet/tool storage.
ajax87 wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2025 6:50 pm @gwells and @rkovars have some pretty neat setups! Maybe you’ll post some pics here gents?
offtopic/incoming-t61417.html?hilit=Machinist
Image

i didn't go as far to create "slots" like the other person that @rkovars posted in the thread above did for the straps. i built my own pillow grid on the top (i have my own laser cutter).

mine's a pretty big machinist chest, they do make smaller ones. and the pricing varies pretty significantly. but honestly, it's really a beautiful piece of furniture when it's refinished, even when it's just closed (the picture above is pre refinishing and before i replaced all the green felt). it sits on a table in the corner of our bedroom.
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

I have a box of straps and the odd bracelet lying around, but I must confess that I hardly ever change them. All my watches seem to be on my preferred straps or bracelets, and they seem to last forever.
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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »


Bahnstormer_vRS wrote:A couple of old shoe / hat boxes and some flat, stackable plastic boxes.

NATO straps are looped on a long boot lace with 20mm in one box and 22mm in another.

Bracelets that are not fitted are in small brown paper or plastic envelopes, with a note identifying which watch they belong to.

All a bit of a hotch potch; but I generally know which box a particular strap is in.

Guy
Image

Image

Image

Last pair of boxes are my CW straps.


Guy

Sent from my Galaxy S23 Ultra using Tapatalk


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Re: Watch Strap Storage/Display

Post by rkovars »

@gwells Has me in spades but he does have a leg up with the laser cutter :thumbup:

Here is my setup.

IMG_3971.jpeg
IMG_3969.jpeg
IMG_3968.jpeg
IMG_3972.jpeg
IMG_3975.jpeg
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