A while ago I posted my initial experiences with ordering a strap from Camille Fournet and then Jean Rousseau - http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...s-I-ve-learned.
There has been a little flurry of things arriving in the post lately (Mrs Patnmand getting suspicious, narrowing her eyes and asking "HOW much are these straps?") and, now that everything is here I thought I'd post some comparisons. So I have three straps now. The GP and Breitling are sporting Camille Fournet Straps, while the Zenith has a Jean Rousseau strap:
I went a bit OTT on the Breitling Strap and ordered a red lining.....
Strap 1: Camille Fournet Matt Chocolate Square Scale Alligator 4mm thick
I won't bother to say too much about this one here as I covered it extensively in the other thread. Yes, knowing what I know now I might have ordered it thicker, but it has moulded nicely and generally follows the contours of the lugs well. I'm very pleased with the colour, which I think suits the watch extremely well indeed.
Strap 2: Jean Rousseau Shiny Midnight Blue Square Scale Alligator 5mm thick
This only arrived yesterday so I haven't actually done much more than attach it to the watch so far. I went for the blue/red stitching to reflect the colours of the dial. The blue is so dark it appears black in many lights, which I like as it gives a sporty appearance to the watch, without being so loud that I can't wear it with a suit. Jean Rousseau were excellent after my initial 'whevs' experiences. They rang me when they were posting it and Cécile said "the red stitching looks really good". It also came in a very nice box with a hand written note. I did, however, have to wait the full 5 weeks. As this was the quoted time I was happy - but it is longer than Camille Fournet take...
Strap 3: Camille Fournet Shiny Honey Square Scale Alligator 6mm thick
Second attempt with Camille Fournet. This time I went in armed - I placed the order and then emailed to explain that it was for a Breitling and Breitling straps are pretty thick, so could they bear that in mind please? Sébastien came back very quickly and said that, not only would they do that, but they did have one machine which could replicate the thick thread that Breitling use as well if I wanted to go for the full look, but that would take longer. I considered it and decided to stick with the double stitching I'd ordered so it didn't look like a 'wannabe' Breitling Strap. This one arrived today and I can't tell you how pleased I am with it. I know the black face/brown strap is not everyone's cup of tea but it is very much mine and I'm chuffed to bits
The Verdict
Boringly I think they're pretty closely matched. CF have more options but need to sort their website out and have more "real" pictures of the different materials and colours. CF are also quicker. Customer service is also good - especially if you engage with them. They are more expensive than JR.
JR have the advantage that you can go to their Boutique and actually see the hides and threads. It's busy in there though so if you're expecting niceties like drinks and unhurried service you may be disappointed. They also don't have quite as many options as CF (such as linings). They are slower but cheaper than CF.
In terms of quality I don't think I can call it at this stage. They're both exemplary products. I'd be happy to order again from either - in fact I probably will!
Last edited by patnmand; 30th June 2016 at 18:56.
Just as an update to this, on reflection...
- Yes, OK, I'm very pleased with all of them so it wasn't much of a review was it? More a "show and tell". I'll see about changing the title of the thread. Sorry
- BUT, having said that I think my preference would be Camille Fournet.
- Brexit might make dealing with them a bit trickier though with import tariffs and so on, so in that instance going to the JR boutique in London will be a very good second choice.
The two CF straps look superb. Both colour choices and the beautifully pronounced Alligator scaling are perfect - even the red lining is a lot of fun
The JR doesn't look up to the same standard to me from the pics, but I'd say that's more down to the choice of hide and thread option, rather than a reflection of the quality.
I am a big fan of CF anyway, and have used them often. Perhaps I'm a little biased, but as evidenced by those two straps, when they get it right, they really get it right.
I like the strap on the Breitling a lot. Looks great.
For me, the matt choc on the GP wins in this particular shoot out.
I think you are correct in favouring a slightly thicker strap, however that is very easy for me to say from the ivory tower of a distant PC and hind sight is always 20/20.
The combo you have is delightful and works very well to my eye.
But what are they like to wear? Soft and supple? A bit stiff?
I guess you get what you pay for. CF looks much better than JR.
The new ones are both quite stiff at the moment but my experience with thicker straps is that they do "bed down" over time so I expect that will happen here.Originally Posted by GrandS
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[QUOTE=patnmand;4014121]
There has been a little flurry of things arriving in the post lately (Mrs Patnmand getting suspicious, narrowing her eyes and asking "HOW much are these straps?"
[QUOTE]
1. Oh, nothing, I sold them to someone but he returned them and I had to give him a refund. By the way, I have recently sold a number of things so my watch buying fund is swelling!
2. Those?, they are just samples, no cost.
3. I have been looking for straps like this for years and suddenly they were available for a huge discount so I had to pounce.
4. They cost nothing, I won them in a forum raffle.
etc. etc...
All of which might have worked had the Jean Rousseau not come in a package clearly stating Piccadilly Arcade as the sending address....1. Oh, nothing, I sold them to someone but he returned them and I had to give him a refund. By the way, I have recently sold a number of things so my watch buying fund is swelling!
2. Those?, they are just samples, no cost.
3. I have been looking for straps like this for years and suddenly they were available for a huge discount so I had to pounce.
4. They cost nothing, I won them in a forum raffle.
etc. etc...
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I agree that the CF straps look better in those photos.
Love the red lining on the Breitling's strap; that, for me, epitomises the joy of custom-made straps.
I popped into JR the other day and must have got lucky. Quiet and no pressure in sorting out something for my 190. Not cheap the custom service but definitely looking forward to when it arrives.
Great service.
I've also just had my custom strap arrive for my Zenith EP.
This one from combat straps - very please how Aaron has matched the blue leather to the blue on the minutes sub-dial - lovely thick strap too. Here's a few pics to compare against the CF and JR straps!
That looks really good. I particularly like the way the red shows through the holes. If I had to criticise mine I would say that the shininess is a bit OTT and has a whiff of "wipe clean" about it, but it was the only way I could get the really dark blue/black I wanted. You have solved that very nicely.
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I wonder if they make shoes?
Looks well – Aaron’s done an excellent job on the stitching, and colour matching.
Might be worth adding prices to this thread (you and Pat) – so that others have a good idea what cost is involved with each.
Happy to oblige. Camille Fournet will be more expensive now because you have to pay in Euros, but mine worked out at around £260 each. Jean Rousseau was about £240. If you're choking on your coffee thinking that's an absurd amount to pay for a bit of dead reptile it might help to know that Breitling charge £480 for a new alligator strap....
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No problem with that either.
Mine was £130 but again, you don't pay in £ but US$ so it would obviously be a bit more than 5 weeks ago. Alligator straps were obviously more but Aaron is definitely cheaper than CF or JR. Mine does look ever so slightly more handmade from the pictures - if you are really anal, the stitching and punch holes are not absolutely perfectly aligned, and the long end of the strap was probably more like 19.5mm so it was a bit of a squeeze to fit into the lugs. All extremely minor points though, and very pleased.
Still fancy a D9 strap, but that would have been north of £300 even before the £ tanked last week so holding off for now!
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