View single post by bigrustypig
 Posted: Sun Dec 12th, 2010 10:19 am
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bigrustypig



Joined: Sat Apr 11th, 2009
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 7504
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 I've been wanting to get high quality rubber straps that don't suck too much dust and should be able to take sharp differences in temps where I travel and able to further withstand the nature of my job in restaurants, freezers, kitchens etc. I finally found Isofrane and went for the brand because of its great reputation, heritage with vintage divers and known top quality. They are priced up there but what the heck, they're supposed to be good. So last week, I took delivery of 3. The first black one is 22mm with a retro sicurro PVD buckle. This is for my first Seiko Marine Master. The next 22mm one is in very eye-catching orange and also with retro sicurro PVD buckle intended for my 2nd Marine Master. The 3rd and last one is 24mm and is intended for my Pams as back up for the OEM rubber straps. This one comes in polished steel and also in retro sicurro fashion. They each came well-packed in boxes like toothbrush boxes and each have diver extensions. Every Isofrane is hypo-allergenic. They also smell so good, like vanilla. As I type this post, I can just smell the vanilla. Here they are:

This is the diver's extension:  

 Right here is the underside of the strap as it is attached to the spring bar:

I don't know how to use an extension but I think this is how it's done (you'll love this Johnny P). Note how one of the keepers is slanted. I think this is to make very fast attachment to the wrist. All keepers I've seen are symetrical. With this slant, I see a ver good design detail.

And finally, this shot:

Here are my observations on the strap: Very soft, supple and light. Very comfortable on the wrist and don't move around a lot like the cheaper types. The Isofrane brand is nowehere to be seen on the buckle and that's a small detail I value. Their brand/marking is on the underside of the buckle away from view. This is just me but using a watch with Brand A and a strap with a buckle with Brand X is a no-no. Putting in the "fattie" spring bar of the Marine Master was an effort because the hole tunnels are small and probably not conceived for the "fattie" MM spring bars. This was easily fixed when I used a small precision screw driver with a larger diameter than the "fattie". By working the tool through the hole a few times, I made it easier for the next spring bar to slide in without any effort at all. Overall, I'm exteremely pleased with these ones and even though these cost quite a bit, I'm sure I'm getting my money's worth. After I recover from all the expenses over the holidays, I see myself putting in some more orders for the blue variant...aside from another order for a black and another orange. If you're on the fence on this and are sensitive to the price, get off the fence. You'll just love them for sure. They are really worth the difference. Thanks for lookingthumbsup.gif

Last edited on Sun Dec 12th, 2010 10:23 am by bigrustypig