I have a very nice watch that I never wear.
That tends to bother me. But I’m also not someone who forces it—if I don’t connect with something, it’s not making it into the rotation. And for whatever reason, this Omega Schumacher Speedmaster (3506.31) has been sitting at the bottom of my watch box for a while now.
I’ve thought about selling it, and still might. It holds its value well, and there’s an argument to be made that it deserves a better home than the one I’ve been giving it.
But before I move on from it, I figured it was worth one more shot.
A couple of months ago, I pulled it out, put it on my wrist, and spent a little time with it. The watch itself isn’t the issue. It never was. It’s the band. And I know that sounds a little backwards (this is a Speedy, after all), but I tend to prefer simpler watches, and the bracelet just never did much for me.
So I went down the rabbit hole. Forums, strap swaps, a little light research. Plenty of guys have taken these in different directions, so I used that as a guide and started looking around.
The goal was simple: dress it up a bit.
I’ve got a Tudor Black Bay that handles daily wear and anything in the water, so with the Omega, I leaned the other way. Went with an alligator strap (this one). Not the typical racing-style leather you usually see paired with a Speedmaster. This is a little cleaner, a little more refined. Exactly what I was after.
So far, it’s working.
First thing you notice is how much it lightens the watch. It wears easier. Feels less like a tool and more like something you can throw on with a jacket. The alligator does exactly what I hoped: it elevates it without trying too hard.
I’m going to keep it in the rotation for a bit and see if it sticks. But first, I need to take it off, give the case a proper clean, and start fresh.
Since the band came in this week, I figured I’d show the before and after:
What do you think?
