Strap Check: My Lovely Wonky And Wobbly Bonklip

March 01, 2017

Welcome to Strap Check, a column on Fratello where our editors showcase their favorite watch/strap combinations. We all know the feeling. When you ve been wearing a watch for weeks on the same strap, there comes a time when the excitement starts to fade a little bit. Maybe that s the time when you start looking. But looking for what? A brand new watch? Sometimes the answer lies not in the watch, but the strap on which you wear it! From the classic to the unique. From cheap NATOs to bespoke leather and special bracelets. This is where we get excited about perfect combinations that make you feel like you ve got a brand new watch on your wrist. So tune in every week for a new Strap Check. Are you in a watch rut? Change your strap, and the rest will follow.In contrast to my colleague Tomas, Ive always been a bracelet guy. I bought my first Seiko SNP003 on a bracelet and wore it day-in-day-out for about 15 years. I like how a steel bracelet extends the look of the watch around your entire wrist. Its easy to put on in the morning, it can take a beating, and it shows you exactly where youve been with it. And at the same time, it also gives watches a more sporty look, whereas the leather alternative often makes them feel too dressy to me. So what do you do when youre a bracelet guy and the watch youve bought doesnt come on a bracelet? Or even worse, when there isnt even a proprietary bracelet option available? Thats when I found the Bonklip as a very welcome alternative!All that jazzWhen Tomas reviewed his vintage Bonklip, he asked whether it could become your new leather option. And well, for me, it definitely has! My watch collection started out with the Oris Art Blakey. It s a watch from the Oris Artelier line, certainly the more dressy department within the Oris portfolio. The watch also came on a very smooth brown leather strap with a folding clasp. Its a good combination and the strap is of good quality, but it makes the watch feel even more dressy than it already is. And as its also a watch from Oriss jazz-themed collection, I wanted to jazz it up even more.I started out with various leather options, and while they looked good, they couldnt convince me. And thats when I found the Bonklip option. I ordered the one from Serica/Joseph Bonnie (I think that at that time, the one from Forstner wasnt available yet, or I simply didnt know it was out there). Its the same one the Serica 4512 field watch comes on, and just like Jorg said in his review of that watch, the bracelet adds a lot of style! In my case, it also did so with the Art Blakey. It definitely gave it some jazz and even made that very dressy watch look a bit more like a field watch. So I completely agree with how Rob summed it up in his review of the Forstner Klip: it adds a stunning effect on a watchs character.I also feel the Bonklip matches very well with the steel clams Oris used to resemble the bass drum on the dial. And even though the whole watch case is polished, I dont mind the Bonklip being almost all brushed. Maybe its because of the polished rings holding everything together. But I think its more because it actually gives the watch a more rugged feel. It s also because the Bonklip doesnt taper and is 19mm all around. Oh, and did I already mention its comfort??The Bonklip is oh so comfortable, especially in summerThe Art Blakey is already a very comfortable watch to wear because of its reasonable dimensions and rounded shape. But with the Bonklip, it hugs my wrist even more! Leather can be quite stiff sometimes, especially when you start out with a brand-new strap. Not the Bonklip; its flexible straight out of the box. And its true that it can feel a bit wonky and wobbly, or dingly and dangly at first. But once its on your wrist, it fits like a glove and doesnt make any noise at all.?You can even adjust it at any moment of the day without having to use any tool whatsoever. Just release the fastener, adjust the size, and clip it back on. Combine that with the space there is between the links and you ve got yourself the perfect summer bracelet - not too sweaty, adjustable for expanding wrists, and light as a feather. Thats also why it has found its way to another watch within the collection, the 38mm Blancpain Bathyscaphe.Vintage allureThe 43mm version of the Bathyscaphe comes with its proprietary bracelet, but the 38mm version does not. Of course, being a bracelet guy, that annoyed me a bit when I was looking to buy the watch. I also dont really like black straps, so I also wasnt really a fan of the sailcloth it came with. But hey, a strap is easily changed, so this wasnt really a reason not to get it. When it arrived, I immediately tried out all the different straps I had, but the one combination I didnt think of upfront was actually the best one. And most importantly, it also solved the problem of not having a steel bracelet for it!?Although the Bathyscaphe is a fairly modern watch, it is of course very much vintage-inspired. The Bonklip takes that vintage vibe just a bit further, and I love it. The two together are definitely my favorite summer combo to wear - a rather small, thin, and beautiful diver on a very light, comfortable, and stunning Bonklip.Mind the gapAlright, alright, isnt there anything to complain about then? Well, not that much actually, but I can name a few things. Im certainly not a fan of straight end-links. But the lugs on both of these watches are quite short (both watches are 38mm wide and measure 44mm from lug to lug), which means there isnt a massive gap between the case and the end-links. So it doesnt really bother me if Im honest.?But it did when I tried it on some of the bigger watches in my collection, for example, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight and the Seiko SPB143. It didnt work so well, and that s also because the combination of the bigger cases with the slim Bonklip looks a bit off. The weight of those bigger cases also isnt very comfortable with the very light bracelet. So if you were just thinking to get one for one of your bigger watches, beware!Then theres the small clasp, which opens and closes with a satisfying click. Ive read many complaints about it opening when you dont want it to. Its also something people expect to happen when they first see and use the mechanism themselves. To me, this hasnt been an issue at all. OK, it has sometimes opened when putting on or taking off a jacket, for example. But when that happens the watch wont fall off, because its still looped around your wrist. And honestly, this has happened to me two or three times in the almost two years since I got it.Final thoughts on the Bonklip braceletWhen it comes to the Bonklip, I really think you either love it or hate it. Some already start making faces when they see one from a distance. Others cant get enough of the comfort and style it adds to their watches. Im definitely part of that second group. I ve even considered getting a second one so I dont have to constantly swap it from the Oris Art Blakey to the Blancpain Bathyscaphe.What about you? Are you a fan of the Bonklip, or are you part of the other group, and why? And if youre a fan, has your experience been as good as mine? Id be happy to hear your feedback in the comments.Oh, and if youd like to see more wrist shots of the Bonklip on the Art Blakey and the Bathyscaphe, head over to my Instagram @fliptheparrot!