The PUCK Strap Shoot-out
Okie bros, a month more to your Pucks, so time to prep your straps !!! I've put together an assortment of 24mm's representative of our favourite genres and hopefully these photos can help us all visualise how the Puck looks on different shoes :mrgreen: These are the ones that the Puck will try on:
From left to right:
Zulus, Isofrane, Leather, Omega Mesh, Stock Bracelet....
First up: Stock Bracelet
This is the Puck on its stock bracelet. The bracelet is comfortable, although I find the clasp a little short, and the hidden dive extension creates a slight bulge when the clasp is closed (like Doxa's BOR clasp). The links are held together by pins with screws on both sides, like Sinn U1's bracelet iirc. The bracelet does an adequate job of balancing the watch head.
In this photo the bracelet had 4 links removed, to achieve a 7.25" fit. Because the lug-lug distance is close, I am not able to wear it any more snug than this, without pinching the top of my wrist...
Shark-proof Puck...
This is the Puck on an Omega Mesh. The ends of the mesh fits neatly into the lugs, with negligible freeplay. And because this is a mesh, it mitigates (for my wrist size at least), the relatively close lug-lug distance of the watch head.
In terms of balance, this bracelet does a better job than the stock one, thanks to the large heavy clasp. The suppleness of a mesh allows a close fit, and works well with the clasp to give a very nice balance to the watch, offering good grip and minimal watch flop without sacrificing blood flow. I am almost certain that this combination weighs more than the stock bracelet, but it is apparent immediately that the better distribution of pressure makes the whole watch feel lighter. The mesh of course offers great ventilation in our weather.
Paros Leather Strap
Next is the Puck on a set of affordable and value-for-money Paros water-resistant leather straps. These are CF print with orange stitching, to match the orange lume pip on the Puck's bezel.
I mentioned earlier that the lug-lug distance was close, because of the hidden-lugs design. Typically what this means for my wrist size is that the top of my wrist will get pinched if I wear the straps too tight. or the watch head will flop if I wear the straps too loose. But look at this:
Notice that I am wearing the straps quite snugly, and yet there is no pinching and "lifting" of the watch head off the top of my wrist. Another angle...
I got this fit through "seasoning" the straps; I folded the straps 180 degress, and rolled the fold throughout the length of the strap. This introduced a suppleness that allow the straps to gently follow the contours of the wrist, and the resultant comfort and fit is remarkable 8-)
Isofrane...
Isofranes are thick, and how well do they fit? Let's start with this photo...
The rubbers fit very snugly in the lugs, without any need to squeeze, and also without any freeplay. Unlike the leather strap though, I was not able to achieve as good a fit. To get the fit as seen in the following photo, my wrist was actually feeling a little pinched at the top. Still much better than the stock rubber strap though.
Isofranes have TWO keepers, and perhaps this is one of the incidental features that creates comfort. Take a look:
With one keeper at the buckle, and the other at the end of the tail, the straps are more or less held together in parallel at the bottom of the wrist. This creates a natural curve at the sides, and lessens the pinch at the top. I am guessing that in our humidity and heat, the isofranes will vent much much better than the stock rubber.
The outfield Puck...
Lastly, let's check the Puck on Zulu's. I picked the sand zulu to give the Puck a more earthy look.
The Zulu is easy to mount - fold where you want the spring bars to be into half, and tuck into the lug space, then snap the spring bars in. Same for the other side... once mounted, the watch head doesn't around, and I think there is no danger of it slipping off the strap. The converse is true, there is no adjusting of the watch head along the strap once the spring bars are in... :cry:
Unlike any of the above strap/bracelet options, in this install, the spring bars lifts the strap upwards, the straps "exit" the lugs perpendicular to the sides before falling down on the wrist. Although this seems trivial, and happens over 5mm or so, it creates a flare that (in my case) absolutely removed any pinch. Please have a look at the following photo and notice the "air-gap" between my wrist and the part of the strap right after the lug...
...and this gap is maintained despite wearing the zulu comfortably snug!
I've no conclusions just yet, because all these were tested in a cool room, and I had the various combos on only very briefly. My hunch is that the Zulu would be the overall winner for me. It is tough, water-proof, and complements the tool-watch nature of the Puck.... just like how I like my Tuna....
Hope this post has been helpful or at least mildly entertaining :D :D :D Goodnight SC65!
