# All you ever wanted to know about Stowa Flieger Straps in one thread!



## The Naf

Ok after going through the same thought processes as most of those who ordered a Stowa Flieger (i.e. which straps to pick) I decided to collate all the information I found dispersed in this forum and place it all under one roof as a resource and reference for people facing the same dilemma in the future  I do not claim this to be an exhaustive reference by any means and I do hope that other members can chip in and add more info. as well as piccies :-D To keep this thread simple I shall only be concentrating on the Riveted Flieger Straps (both old & New styles) as well as the Flieger Original Strap. The difference between the non-riveted & riveted new style straps is...well only the presence or lack of the rivets :-D and should you choose to get your Flieger on a Croc strap or a milanese bracelet well then you won't find any help here. Or support for that matter :-d (jokes jokes people)

Anyway first up lets talk about your choices for the 40mm 2824/2801. Basically you have a choice of either the old style in black or brown or the new style in black or brown. The difference between these is fairly well covered in an excellent thread started by member "GBeZeFromNAPeZe" which you can read here: https://www.watchuseek.com/f36/new-vs-old-flieger-straps-769472.html

But for those of you interested in keeping it all under the one roof here are the basic differences:

The old style strap is thicker, softer, longer & has a metal keeper. It has a more uneven & less refined finish (deliberately so) and feels almost like suede (nude leather apparently).

The new style is thinner, not quite as soft, shorter & does not have a metal keeper. It has a more even & refined (dressy) finish and feels as normal leather would. Below are some pictures burrowed from GBeZeFromNAPeZe's thread to show you the difference. I shall keep that section in quotes as I do not wish gain credit for work I did not do.



GBeZeFromNAPeZe said:


> From the top:
> New Style, Black, Small (100/70mm)
> Old Style, Black, Regular (135/80mm)
> Old Style, Brown, Small (125/70mm)
> View attachment 863407
> 
> 
> Here are the backs:
> New Style
> Old Style
> View attachment 863411
> 
> 
> The edges:
> Old Style, 3mm Thick
> New Style, 2.7mm Thick
> View attachment 863410
> 
> 
> The next 2 pictures are to show the texture:
> Old Style: Feels almost like suede, I believe it's called nude leather
> New Style: Feels like what I'd expect from leather
> View attachment 863408
> View attachment 863409


Also important to note that the new style strap being thinner fits the Stowa Deplyant whereas the old style apparently does not (though I could be wrong). Here are member Saxon007's pictures of the difference between the new & old style brown & the deployant. But be forewarned that stuffler,mike our beloved moderator around here considers it a sin to wear a Flieger on a deployant :-d





















Now what about that gorgeous looking Flieger Original Strap pictured below:









Is that available in 20mm for the 2824/2801? Not from Stowa. But there is an alternative which looks exactly the same with one major exception. The Di Modell Tornado pictured on a B Dial below (picture burrowed from kwcross):









whats the one major difference? Well unlike the 22mm version from Stowa which comes in a variety of sizes (confirmed with Stowa) the Di Modell only seems to come in one. And if your wrist ain't big enough it can end up looking something like this or worse (pictured from member Jonmurgie):















Below is the minimum wrist size I believe you need to have in order to be able to pull this strap off (picture from member Suso);









So what is the minumum wrist size? Well its very difficult to say as there are a lot of variables. First of all how tightly or loosely we measure our wrists, whether there is rounding up/down involved, how tightly loosely we wear out straps etc. Just to give you an idea both members Jonmurgie & Suso stated that their wrists were approximately 6.75" yet there is obviously a big difference in what the strap looks like on their wrists. Now these are both 22mm versions so it is possible that one or the other is a different sized one from Stowa. kwcross's picture (the one with the B-dial) is on a wrist size that is just under 7" as he stated and chickenlittle's picture below is on what he stated as a 7" wrist:









So what's my conclusion? Well if your wrist is above 7" you should be ok. 6.75" to 7" appears to be a grey area. So in that range its up to you if you wish to take the risk or not. Anything below and avoid this strap for sure. Is there a shorter alternative? Yes. The Rios Aviator strap which is also a bit cheaper. Pictured below in the three different colour options:





















Now other than the size issue the Di Modell tornado appears to be a much coveted strap and has great reviews on the Net. Haven't come across one for the Rios Aviator unfortunately :-( how much shorter? No idea...There is a soul out there who tried to shorten his Di Modell...Here is the link: HOWTO - Shorten your Di-Modell Tornado strap

have a read and decide for yourself if its for you.

And finally onto options for the 41mm with Unitas. Basically you have only three choices from Stowa. The old style straps in either black or brown which have been covered earlier on or the Flieger Original strap (similar to the Di Modell Tornado) which comes in 5 different sizes according to Luisa 

Now after that long post with lots of referencing and burrowing from members I hope I haven't violated any forum rules. If not than I hope that others can add further to what I have said and make this a great resource for those contemplating one of Stowa's Flieger straps in the future 

p.s. I know I'm from Australia and that I should be using the matrix system but dammit everyone seems to be quoting their wrist size in inches :-d


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## Soulspawn

Wow. Very well written mate.
Thanks for all the hard work. 

Good to see another Aussie supporting stowa!


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## chickenlittle

Great post. Information like this may have stopped me from trying 3 different straps. But what would be the fun in just having one LOL!


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## Red Rocket

Amazing post.
All the strap information I could possibly need, right at the perfect time when I'm nearly ready to order.
That being said, I'm still probably going to order all 3 straps available with the 6498.
It's just a more informed purchase now


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## Shieze

One comment I will add from previous searching the old strap can be used with the deployant, although it does not close quite as nicely. I have still ordered mine with an old style strap and the deployant as I like the functionality and I believe I can live with that little bump.

My next step is to measure my wrist again (I think it is 170mm) and send an email off to Luisa to see which size of straps I should end up with. Yes I have also ordered the milanese which seems to be another sin around here


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## kai1839

The short version of the old style strap seems to work well for 6.75" wrist and under. Although some may prefer more tail. Here is how it wears on my wrist 6.75".


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## megamustang

I have a 7" (somewhat square-shaped) wrist. My flieger arrived (used) on the short old-style strap. When buckled in the 2nd to last hole, the excess barely went into the keeper, but it was a tad too tight. When I buckled into the last hole, it was about right, but looked odd, in that the excess did not enter the keeper.

I ordered the regular size direct from the Stowa website and received it very quickly. You know how new straps are... they take a while to form to your own wrist shape, so you often dance between two holes until the strap becomes "used to you," and then you settle in on one or the other. I'm still in that dance now... but truly love the look and solid feel of the old-style strap.


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## megamustang

A few more pics (taken moments ago) to show the sizing of the regular size strap on my 7.00" square-shaped wrist (measured just now).

The pic above (in blue shirt) shows it in the fourth tightest hole, the pics below are in the 3rd tightest. Again, I am alternating between the two until the strap shapes up to my wrist and I will settle into one or the other. Therefore, in these pics, the strap looks (and feels) a bit tight.









































I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Matt


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## inlieu

megamustang said:


> The pic above (in blue shirt) shows it in the fourth tightest hole, the pics below are in the 3rd tightest. Again, I am alternating between the two until the strap shapes up to my wrist and I will settle into one or the other. Therefore, in these pics, the strap looks (and feels) a bit tight.


Do you feel like the rivets dig into your wrist and affect the blood circulation to your hand or is it just me? I'm also alternating in between the third and fourth holes on the strap and trying to break it in.


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## megamustang

inlieu said:


> Do you feel like the rivets dig into your wrist and affect the blood circulation to your hand or is it just me? I'm also alternating in between the third and fourth holes on the strap and trying to break it in.


No, the rivets don't bother me a bit... it's not THAT tight. As I wear it more (on the weekends only) and the leather becomes more pliable, I think I'm going to land in the 3rd hole.


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## Dankoh69

Great info.. Thanks..


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## PK-GAT

kai1839 said:


> The short version of the old style strap seems to work well for 6.75" wrist and under. Although some may prefer more tail. Here is how it wears on my wrist 6.75".


I also had an old style in short size in 22mm. The short version has both advantage and disadvantage for a 6.75 inches wrist.

The disadvantage is this strap didn't show its tail for 6.75 inches, and I think it reduced "the theme of this old style strap" with the lack of its tail =p
The advantage is when the leather keeper comes off because of the wear process, you still can use the strap thanks to the metal keeper.

This is the standard size old style on my 6.75 inches wrist.


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## DWMC

Thanks for this helpful thread. I've just placed an order for the flieger handwinding 6498 with small second, with the original dark brown strap. I notice the Naf mentioned the 'original' strap comes in a variety of sizes, but there was no option to specify what size through the ordering process. Just wondering, do I need to inform Stowa of my wrist size to ensure I get the right size strap?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## somo

The option of strap size I think is only available when buying just a strap. 
When you get a payment request for the watch, thats the time to specify strap sizes and any other changes you may want to make.


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## DWMC

Thanks Somo.


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## somo

DWMC said:


> Thanks Somo.


Went through the same scenario myself only 3 weeks ago.


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## DWMC

somo said:


> Went through the same scenario myself only 3 weeks ago.


I just now received an email from Stowa asking me for my wrist size, having placed my order only yesterday. This forum is magic!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## jas_kidd32

I just wanted to share my experience with the Rios Aviator 20mm strap on a Stowa Flieger. I have a small wrist, 160mm or 6.3", and finding a well fitting strap is very difficult.

I've taken some photos of my Flieger with the Rios strap to show how it fits on a small wrist for anyone else who is considering this strap as a Di Modell Tornado alternative as per the OP's suggestion.

The strap is on its last hole and is at the brink of being too big for the 40mm Flieger. If the watch had a bigger diameter, i.e. the 41mm Flieger, the strap would've gone pass the dial for me.


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## GBeZeFromNAPeZe

Happy to see my pics and measurements have been of use to Flieger Fans!


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## ChiILUS

Hi all- how sure is everyone that the original black / midnight brown strap for the flieger as seen on their website with the flinger chrono, is not actually the also German made and visually identical RIOS 1931 black aviator strap? The RIOS says it's from bison leather and the Stowa just says leather. It's not implausible the neighbors shared a handshake over a pint so if someone can show pictures to compare that would be interesting. I don't see anyone else making a strap so identical.


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## ChiILUS

...the grain of the Stowa is also very bisoneske...


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## StufflerMike

Even if it is a Rios 1931....no secret that Stowa sources straps rather than producing them inhouse.
The rubber on the TO2 for example is a Bonetto Cinturini.


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## The Naf

ChiILLeica said:


> ...the grain of the Stowa is also very bisoneske...


Its definitely not the Rios because it is most likely the highly regarded Di-model Tornado ;-) have a look and compare for yourself


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## zaratsu

Resurrecting an old thread, but just purchased a couple of old style straps from Stowa. Thanks to all that posted pictures of the actual straps on their wrists, it was really helpful to decide which size to go for as my wrist size (6.5-6.75") is on the fringe between short and normal.

Ended up going for Normal as I prefer more tail than no tail.

Cheers!


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## adashu

im EXTREMELY happy with some of the flieger RIOS1931 straps from panatime I got.


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## kellit

This post is very useful, I don't even know stowa provide short version of the old style strap. Are they still offering this short old style strap as well as the new style trap??


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## B....

kellit said:


> This post is very useful, I don't even know stowa provide short version of the old style strap. Are they still offering this short old style strap as well as the new style trap??


This is my understanding :
*Old style Flieger (black or brown) comes in either short or normal length with 18, 20, 22,or 24mm width. 
*New style without rivets (black or brown), nappa straps, are available in 3 lengths : Small - 105 / 75 mm, Regular - 110 / 80 mm, Large - 120 / 90 mm, with 18 or 20mm width. (Be advised that these straps are of a different leather, texture & colouring than the old style straps) 
*Hand stitched premium leather straps (available in a number of colours (shown on site) comes in the aforementioned 3 lengths with 18, 20 or 22 mm width.

When ordering a watch you can specify EXACTLY the strap desired in the notes at the end of the ordering procedure if that option is not included beforehand. The strap length & width is specified here, in all cases. I would qualify it as substitution OR additional strap.
B.


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## ChiILUS

If you guys want to double the fliegerness of your Stowa, this bison leather bund moved onto your old style Stowa strap does the trick! Matches perfectly. Just search "bison flieger" on eBay. Here is mine with the screws through the bund on only one end, to see enjoy seeing screws on top not covered by the bund, and soas to still see the beautiful movement when I want:


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