ETA 20-30 days.
Bought the orange strap for a friend of mine, intended use was for his Speedy Reduced... That's before I realised the lug-lug size is 38mm
http://www.vietnambeautiful.com/
Just purchased 3 gator straps from Tung, friendly chap. Arriving in about 3 weeks time. Will post photos here then.
Couldn't resist getting myself of of em' custom gator belts, a steal considering it's genuine.
P.S. Do clear your browsing history to avoid a potential bicker or two as the URL is a bit dodgy
Last edited by Dan95; 15th March 2016 at 16:05.
ETA 20-30 days.
Bought the orange strap for a friend of mine, intended use was for his Speedy Reduced... That's before I realised the lug-lug size is 38mm
I hope they are not real gator. I'm guessing not at £16. Otherwise you may be in for a lot of trouble with the CITES regulations.
Edit. Just saw you have a real gator belt incoming. Not good. :(
It's nice to see reptiles being put to good use.
I don't think it matters they're farmed if you don't have the necessary paperwork in advance. At least that's how it is in Finland and I'm guessing it's the same in all EU. I would get my reptiles from within the EU for peace of mind.
I hope they come past customs without trouble.
This is what the EU has to say:
Captive Breeding and Artificial Propagation
Since trade in animals that were born and bred in captivity and in plants that were artificially propagated does not have the same potential impact on wild populations of fauna and flora, CITES and the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations include provisions that are less strict for trade in such specimens.
I imagine Vietnam has something similar.
Edit: After having posted the above I looked into this some more and I'm struggling to find anything that says a CITES certificate isn't needed. Was there any paperwork with what they sent to you, the OP, please?
I'm guessing that even if one was needed, if it's already through customs you'll be OK unless an official asks you where you got them at some point in the future.
Last edited by PickleB; 7th March 2016 at 18:45.
The upcoming three weeks or so would be less than settling
I ordered a genuine alligator strap from the USA (Panatime straps) and it had a CITES certificate attached to the outer box in a clear sleeve and was declared as reptile skin on the packaging. I'm pretty sure this is required as customs will seize it if they discover it otherwise.
Last edited by SIB; 8th March 2016 at 12:40.
hi,i have a crocodile strap from this vietnam seller,definately real crocodile and super value for money, looks a treat on one of my omega's,have another custom made to order strap on its way from them now..
It's the belt you'll get jail time for.
I'm waiting on two to arrive too from Tuan. photos of straps arrived yesterday.
Burgundy strap's the next one on my list
Using a deployant I see. Nice!
this arrived today,dark green hornback crocodile 25mm to 22mm custom made for me for my PRS30,cost about £20 inc post..[sorry for cr@p iphone pic]...........
hi,i specified padded to 5mm and thats what i got,it thins down at the buckle area obviously,contact tuan, he's a very helpful pleasant chap and keen to do business,tell him what you want ,a couple of weeks later,he will email you thats its ready,another two weeks in the post and there you are, a custom made one off strap for your watch..quick cr@p photo's on the wrist ......................
Last edited by greasemonkey; 10th March 2016 at 20:26.
Straps are here!
Took 8 days to arrive! Having an urge to get more... Better than expected!
I like that blue one. A sort of understated subtle injection of colour.
But I'll not lie - it kind of put s me off that they are selling belts with fake Hermes buckles. Really puts me off.
Thought it felt thin at first. But it's the exactly the same when compared to the Lange OEM strap I have.
- - - Updated - - -
Have some interest in the specifications of the straps I ordered; here ya go!
20/16mm Dark blue Genuine Crocodile leather Skin Watch Strap Band #TC371
20/16mm Black Genuine Crocodile leather Skin Watch Strap Band #TC360
20/18mm Orange Deployment Genuine Real Crocodile Leather Strap Band #C496
Any more indication of the veracity of these being farmed crocodiles?
I'm tempted, but still a little sceptical about them being above board (not least, as someone else mentioned, because they sell fake goods).
M.
Why wouldn't they used farmed crocodiles:
...?
Because it might be cheaper to poach wild ones?
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2...t_23216109.htm
M.
Given their rarity, I don't think it would be cheaper. But it is a valid point and I may be wrong.
Vietnam Beautiful has a presence on eBay.com (anhtuantom1) and so I'd have thought that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have been on the case if there is a problem. In that case, wouldn't we see lots about this on the US forums etc? Maybe I've missed it? All I found was an exchange between a supplier in Vietnam and Gary of Watch Obsession.
Said the bishop to the actress...
Last edited by PickleB; 16th March 2016 at 11:38.
Possibly.
I'm not suggesting I have any evidence these aren't farmed (and I wouldn't be interested if I did), but I'm equally not seeing much (beyond their statement) that they are ,which I take with a pinch of salt...
I'm assuming there's nothing arriving with these straps to support the assertion?
M.
Will get clarification from Tung as to the origins of the animals.
On a side note, anyone have a clue why this thread goes missing from the front page after a day or two? Only way I could access it is by means of go ing to "My Profile".
"Hi Danish,
All crocodile leather get from Crocodile Farmed (not from natural) .
Regards.
Tuan"
Arrived ,stitching looks better than most I have seen. You can smell chemicals but first appearance looks money well spent.
Am loving the blue strap Andy!
I couldn't resist putting through another order of 2 straps, this time with larger scales (as in the example below).