Savoir-fairethe fabric strap
TUDOR is innovating in an unexpected way by equipping its watches with fabric straps meticulously fashioned by a company that perpetuates an over century-old artistic craft. They bring an additional touch of style that reinforces the resolutely modern and sophisticated TUDOR identity. Thanks to a production process including unique hand-made skills, the straps developed for TUDOR endow the watch with a unique dimension expressing cutting-edge style and ensuring peerless comfort on the wrist.
TUDOR is often perceived as a trendsetter in the watch industry. Thanks to the stylistic choices it makes, the brand has always known how to keep a step ahead of trends that today are considered standard in the watch industry. The fabric strap is a good example of this. In 2009, while most of the Swiss luxury watch brands were not yet aware of the fabric strap or did not consider it worthy of the level of sophistication of their products, the fabric strap, which had already gained popularity within the intimate circles of collectors of sporting watches, found in TUDOR an ideal environment for its further interpretation. TUDOR’s Style Workshop, always on the lookout for subtle details to intensify the pleasure that wearing a fine watch brings, recognised the stylistic potential of such an accessory and, in line with its pursuit of perfection, had its own version manufactured by a traditional passementerie company.
INSPIRED BY THE MILITARY
As is often the case with many widely adopted innovations, the origin of the use of fabric straps can be traced back to the military. In the early 1970s, NATO standardised the use of nylon thread-through watch straps. Economical and not very comfortable but sporty and easy to change, from the year 2000 onwards the fabric strap saw a resurgence of interest amongst keen watch collectors. Once the TUDOR Style Workshop decided to become involved, it completely reassessed the design and made it adjustable in length, taking its inspiration from the seat belt system of vintage sports cars. It then found a solution for incorporating “tunnels” in which the strap bars of the watch could be inserted in order to keep the latter fixed firmly in place. Finally, the TUDOR Style Workshop approached a well-established traditional passementerie company, one of the very few remaining in France still practicing the technique of “Jacquard” weaving, thanks to which the room for experimental manoeuvre, in terms of the complexity of the motifs, is practically limitless. The “Jacquard” also has the added advantage of producing a dense weave with a high thread count which ensures the sturdiness and flexibility of the straps made using this technique.
Nowadays, TUDOR offers a number of fabric straps of different styles and workmanship. The use of such a production method creates an incomparable richness of texture and guarantees the utmost in comfort and longevity. The fabric strap has become a classic in the watch-making landscape, but its interpretation as created by TUDOR remains unsurpassed in terms of technical quality and aesthetics.
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