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Cork straps?

Discussion area for watch straps, boxes, winders and other accessories.
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Elkins45
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Cork straps?

Post by Elkins45 »

How do cork straps hold up to wear and to sweat/dirt/body oils? I’m pretty tough on watches and straps but I like the look of some of the cork straps I’ve seen.
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TheJohnP
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Re: Cork straps?

Post by TheJohnP »

This seems like a [mention]Sussa[/mention] question.

I've got a couple of cork straps but don't wear them regularly enough to comment.
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Sussa
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Re: Cork straps?

Post by Sussa »

I have cork straps from Martú and Portuguese Watch Museum. First was a brown dyed strap from PWM. It was in heavy rotation and showed wear pretty quickly, mainly a little fading of the dye. Indentation wear is similar to leather. Spring bar tools will chew up the ends even if you’re careful. Natural color straps from both places have fared better, with Martú seeming to be the most durable. All are still perfectly wearable, and the oldest strap is 6 or 7 years old. I would not consider myself tough on straps though. I can post pics tomorrow.
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Re: Cork straps?

Post by Sussa »

Photo time!

First up, the brown dyed strap from the Portuguese Watch Museum. This has seen a lot of wear. It's a shade or two lighter than it started, with some spots and streaks being more pronounced. Notice the discoloration on the keepers. I tried to get a close-up of the wear at the lugs from changing straps. The part of the strap that feeds through the buckle and keepers is starting to lose cork at the edges. Like I said before, this is 6 or 7 years old.
PWM-brown1.jpg
PWM-brown-lug-wear.jpg
PWM-brown-buckle-wear.jpg
Strap #2 - natural cork from Portuguese Watch Museum. This has also seen a decent amount of wear because it looks good on so many watches. Little to no discoloration, some wear at the buckle point, little to no wear at the lugs.
PWM-natural1.jpg
PWM-natrual-buckle-wear.jpg
The Martú vintage cork has seen little wear. It feels flimsy due to the thinness but shows little wear except at the buckle point.
martu-vintage1.jpg
martu-vintage-buckle-wear.jpg
Last, the Martú padded cork. This feels like a robust strap. Minimal wear except at the buckle. I think the black spot at the lugs is just runover of the black sealer on the edges. The back is lined with black-dyed cork which does not seem to have faded.
martu-padded1.jpg
martu-padded-buckle-wear.jpg
martu-padded-back.jpg
Some cork strap makers line the back with leather. The one that came with my EMG Horizon is like that, but I haven't worn it and can't speak to its durability. That may be an option worth looking into if you're concerned about the wear on the cork. The two from PWM have clear points where pieces of cork were joined together. There's been no extra wear or degradation there, but the seam is noticeable.

I know trapped moisture is bad for cork floors, so if the strap is exposed to a lot of sweat or water you might want to give it a good chance to dry out to prevent damage.
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