Bespoke Dark Brown Alligator Strap for Breitling Navitimer B01 Artemis II

This bespoke alligator strap was made for a Breitling Navitimer B01 Artemis II, reference AB02307A1C1P1.

The order began after I shared another bespoke alligator strap for a Breitling strap on Reddit. The client saw that work and contacted me with a similar idea for his own Navitimer: dark brown alligator, light stitching and a more precise fit on the wrist.

The original 125/70 mm Breitling strap worked well for him visually. He liked its appearance, proportions and general character. But in terms of length, it was slightly too large. The client was between standard strap sizes, which is exactly the kind of situation where a ready-made strap can be almost right, but not fully comfortable.

After discussing the wrist size, the clasp and the desired fit, the client chose the final dimensions for the new strap: 22/18 mm width and 120/65 mm length.

This strap was made for the client’s own butterfly buckle / folding buckle. For this reason, the length was not just a formal measurement. With a folding clasp, the position of the buckle on the wrist is especially important. If the strap parts are too long or not properly balanced, the clasp can sit in the wrong place, shift on the wrist, create pressure or prevent the strap from following the wrist naturally.

That is why the task was not only to make the strap shorter, but also to improve its ergonomics. The strap had to sit more naturally on the wrist from the beginning, without relying only on a long break-in period. For a smaller or intermediate wrist size, even a few extra millimeters can affect not only the visual balance, but also the physical feeling of the watch on the wrist.

For the upper leather, the client chose dark brown alligator. He was especially interested in the flank part of the alligator skin. Compared with the more regular scale pattern from the central belly area, the flank has a more natural and less predictable rhythm. It gives the strap a more individual character without making it look overly decorative.

Near the watch case, the strap has additional volume created with an internal layer of padding leather. This is not simply a decorative thickness. For a large and visually complex watch such as the Navitimer, a strap that is too flat can look weak next to the case. The added volume helps create a better transition from the case to the strap and supports the proportions of the watch. At the same time, the construction should not be unnecessarily stiff, because the strap was made for a smaller wrist and had to sit comfortably from the beginning.

The strap was made with a cut edge construction. The edge was finished and painted to match the color of the upper leather, so it remains visually integrated with the dark brown alligator. This construction gives the strap a cleaner, more defined silhouette and works well with the character of the Navitimer.

The strap was stitched with natural white thread. On dark brown alligator, this stitching is clearly visible and emphasizes the construction of the strap. Here, the thread works not only as a color accent, but as part of the object’s visual language. This is exactly the kind of situation I discussed in my article about choosing leatherwork thread consciously: the thread should suit the object, the leather, the stitch spacing and the intended character of the finished piece. For the Breitling Navitimer, this light stitching adds a more technical character without making the strap too formal.

The lining leather was made in a light natural tone. It creates a clear contrast with the dark upper leather, but its role is not only visual. The lining is the part of the strap that comes into direct contact with the wrist, so its surface, flexibility and tactile feel are directly related to comfort.

The result is a strap that does not try to radically change the character of the watch. It remains connected to the classic image of the Breitling Navitimer, but is adjusted more precisely to the owner: his wrist, his buckle, his preference for leather, color, stitching and fit.

A bespoke watch strap does not always have to be brighter or more unusual than the original. Sometimes its task is more subtle: to correct the length, improve the fit, choose the right part of the hide, preserve the visual balance and make the watch feel more natural on the wrist.