# Deployment Clasp - Yay or Nay?



## *El Ocho 1* (Jan 7, 2009)

*Deployant Clasp - Yay or Nay?*

I have an Antea KS on order, which should be ready in about 2 or 3 weeks. I am debating whether or not to add a Stowa deployment clasp to my order. Or should I just go with another generic make of clasp? I definately do want a deployment clasp one way or another.

I would like to hear you opinions on the Stowa deployments, how are their quality & comfort, do you guys like them?

If any of you guys have pics of them on one of your watches I would like to see them.

any & all opinions welcomed.


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## Dre (Feb 29, 2008)

I'm a fan of it. It is a very well made deployant, with a retaining screw to hold the size fixed. I did find that it works best on thinner straps though. I ordered one with my Marine Original roman. The strap that came with that watch is a very solid and thick brown leather strap. With that strap, it would take a quite a lot of pressure to firmly secure it closed. Even then, I never felt like it was solidly closed.

What I ended up doing is buying a custom alligator strap from Lone Star Watches in the same 22 x 18 size as the original strap. That strap is much thinner, and works much much better with the Stowa deployant. So much so that I don't move the deployant from that strap. I bought a Stowa buckle for the thick brown leather strap, and swap straps as they are assembled with buckle / deployant.

I don't have any pictures of it, I'm sure somebody else will.


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## rfjacques (Feb 8, 2008)

Ditto all of Dre's comments. My MO was delivered with a thick, black leather strap and the Stowa deployant. Due to the strap's thickness, there was far too much bulk at the deployant and it bent the strap outward. When I wear that strap, I use the regular Stowa buckle now. However, the Stowa deployant works VERY well with thinner straps, such as my blue Hirsch Duke.


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## daviswalker (Jan 29, 2007)

Yay! It is so much more refined-looking than a generic. Comments about thick straps do apply, though.

Dave


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## zetec786 (May 20, 2009)

rfjacques said:


> Ditto all of Dre's comments. My MO was delivered with a thick, black leather strap and the Stowa deployant. Due to the strap's thickness, there was far too much bulk at the deployant and it bent the strap outward. When I wear that strap, I use the regular Stowa buckle now. However, the Stowa deployant works VERY well with thinner straps, such as my blue Hirsch Duke.


Do you have any pictures that show how the strap gets bent? I am thinking about a croco strap (which presumably is thick) and deployment clasp.

Thanks.


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## nr 071 (Oct 25, 2008)

I wear my MO on an a Stowa croco strap with deployant. It works for me, no problems at all. Just curious and jealous looks of people not familiar with these beautiful watches. IMHO strap and deployant certainly "upgrade" the watch.

Greetings, W.


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## Dr. Robert (Jun 10, 2008)

yes, by all means get everything "Stowa", it'll look fab.


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## zetec786 (May 20, 2009)

nr 071 said:


> there was far too much bulk at the deployant and it bent the strap outward..


So you have no problems at all with too much bulk and the strap being bent?

I would love to see any pictures you have.

Thanks.


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## Philippe4 (Sep 22, 2007)

I wear my AO with the strap usually sold with the MO (Black nappa with white stitching).
I have used the deployment for two months but the result was not perfect:
=> As the strap was new and quiet thick, it was not very easy to close it.
=> I have a small wrist (16.5 cm) and one part of the strap is the little bit to long (0.5cm). As a result, the deployment was off center and the wearing was not very comfortable (sometimes some pinches) and not so nice looking (the shape of the deployment stretches the strap).

So I go back with the 'simple' buckle but I will probably use the deployment with a custom made strap.


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## nr 071 (Oct 25, 2008)

View attachment Stowa.pdf


Hello, here som pics. I hope they give you some info.

I could not upload all the pics, so I also uploaded a pdf.

Greetings, W


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## ctarshus (Apr 7, 2009)

I have the deployment clasp on my airman auto and like it. It took a little while to get comfortable with it, and the riveted nappa airman strap is a little thick for it, but I really like the look and convenience of the deployment. I just wish Stowa offered a flip clasp...IMO it is much more comfortable than the butterfly clasp.


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## rfjacques (Feb 8, 2008)

zetec786 said:


> Do you have any pictures that show how the strap gets bent? I am thinking about a croco strap (which presumably is thick) and deployment clasp.
> 
> Thanks.


I'll install the deployant again and snap a photo as soon as I get a chance.


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## rfjacques (Feb 8, 2008)

OK, I installed my deployant clasp again to take some pictures. As you can see, the Stowa deployant is not a good fit with THICK straps. (It does, however, work very well with THIN straps.) I would guess that 2-3 mm is the max that would work. Obviously you could use a strap that is thicker at the lugs since that would not affect the deployant.

The pictured strap is a black Stowa called "Chronosoft"; it's the thicker premium leather strap that they offer

Here are the photos. The last one gives a good close-up look at the problem. The thickness of the strap doesn't allow the deployant to lay flat against itself. It may not look like it, but the deployant is completely latched and closed in these pictures.


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## zetec786 (May 20, 2009)

Excellent Pictures. Thanks so much you for taking the time to reinstall the clasp and post the photos. 

If anyone could provide similar pictures with a Croco Strap from Stowa it would be the final step prior to me sending through my order.


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## rfjacques (Feb 8, 2008)

No problem. :-!

Can't get the Stowa crocs here in the US, so I'm afraid I can't help on that one directly. For what it's worth, this photo appears on the Stowa website. It looks good from this angle, but it's hard to say whether it has the same thickness issues I have experienced with my leather strap. You might try emailing Stowa (feel free to send them a copy of my previous photos if you need to describe the thickness issue).


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## JML (Dec 21, 2006)

That's what happens with any double-fold deployant on a thick strap, and why I use single-folde deployants. This is worse when you have thin wrists, because the strap usually get thicker as the clasp goes further towards the spring bar end... One reason to use deployants is that a properly fitting clasp will let you avoid any sharp bends in the leather, so the strap lasts longer.

That strap is a 22x18, and there are many brushed or polished stainless steel single-fold 18mm clasps available. They may not say "Stowa," but they'll fit far better!


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## rfjacques (Feb 8, 2008)

JML said:


> That's what happens with any double-fold deployant on a thick strap, and why I use single-folde deployants. This is worse when you have thin wrists, because the strap usually get thicker as the clasp goes further towards the spring bar end... One reason to use deployants is that a properly fitting clasp will let you avoid any sharp bends in the leather, so the strap lasts longer.
> 
> That strap is a 22x18, and there are many brushed or polished stainless steel single-fold 18mm clasps available. They may not say "Stowa," but they'll fit far better!


I'm glad you revived this thread and posted this, because it never crossed my mind to try a single-fold. It makes sense, though, as the clasp would only be under the longer strap end and would elevate it so it doesn't have to bend upwards to insert into the shorter end.

I have a few, but none in 18mm. Guess I'll order one and give it a shot! :thanks


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## *El Ocho 1* (Jan 7, 2009)

I ended up ordering the Antea with the deployant clasp. Works fine, I like it.

I'm surprised how many people (out in the world, not here) have never seen a deployant clasp. Everybody is like "Wow, how neat. I've never seen a buckle like that"


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## Edro (Nov 4, 2008)

JML said:


> ...there are many brushed or polished stainless steel single-fold 18mm clasps available. They may not say "Stowa," but they'll fit far better!


JML, would you mind pointing me in the right direction for where to find single-fold clasps. Thanks in advance.


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## JML (Dec 21, 2006)

Edro said:


> JML, would you mind pointing me in the right direction for where to find single-fold clasps. Thanks in advance.


We'll see if these survive moderation and forum rules:

My favorite is the EOT Deluxe, a German-made clasp which is no longer available. It has the nicest finish, IMHO, a slight dome shape on the hoop, and the nicest tight curve on the clasp's bars. It won't fit thick straps, though, topping out at a dome-shaped 4mm. Just thought I'd throw that in...

You can peruse these sites below; they all offer different clasps. The differences to look for are (1) locking buttons versus friction-fit, (2) depth of the hoop -- some are for thick straps and some are for thin straps, (3) shape of the hoop -- slightly domed versus flat, (4) the shape of the curve of the clasp's bars -- the part along your wrist, (5) the method of pinning the clasp to the strap's holes -- pin on the base under the hoop, separate screw-fit pin, or some other method, (6) the flexibility of the clasp where the hoop meets the bars -- some will pivot there and others will not, affecting the fit on your wrist, and (7) the overall finish of all the parts, such as the ends of the hoop where the pivot pin fits, the inside of the bars, etc.

If you get a polished clasp, you can very easily add a brushed finish (I do that myself, using flexible abrasive cloth from MicroMesh, with the scratch lines going along the long axis of the hoop, because that can easily be refinished if it gets scratched). Some are available in a matte finish, or you can get a clasp bead-blasted by someone like IWW (in the USA).

EOT Deployant Clasps: http://65.181.166.146/eotstore/page4.html
Freda Watch Straps: http://fredawatchstraps.com/
TimeDesign.de: http://www.timedesign.de/home_e.html?bands_e.html
Watchbandcenter: http://www.watch-band-center.com/shop-watchstrap.html
MyWatchmaker.net: http://www.mywatchmaker.net/

My suggestion is to get ONLY the "Made in Germany" clasps, and avoid the cheaper Far East versions (they're often poorly finished, reflecting a cheaper price). I have many of these German-made clasps in my watch straps/parts bin, but I use mostly the EOT Deluxe clasps, which I bought several years ago. They only offer their "Standard" version now for single-folds in stainless/18mm, which is slightly less curved than the Deluxe. For thick straps, I use the Watchbandcenter single-fold or a EOT Standard single-fold. If you want a locking clasp, look at MyWatchmaker or Freda Watch Straps. In Europe, try Watchbancenter (they ship fast to the USA, anyway!).

The arms of the single-fold usually make the thickness of the strap the same on both sides of the watch; in other words, the doubled thickness of leather after the clasp is balanced by the thickness of the clasp's arms and one layer of leather on the other!


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## PipPip (Jul 31, 2009)

Anyone got a Stowa clasp on the Marine Auto? I ordered it with mine but I'm not sure about it now after reading this thread.


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## Edro (Nov 4, 2008)

JML, thanks for the links, and for the great info on the differences. Shopping around is always a treat.


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## jdop (Feb 9, 2010)

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum...and also to Stowa watch enthusiasm.  I did, however, catch the bug, and have recently ordered an MO roman with matt case and the standard issue black leather strap...I was going for a semi-formal and understated corporate look.

The general recommendation on deployment clasps seems to be finding a single-fold clasp somewhere else. I guess one might also go with the Stowa branded butterfly clasp and find a thinner/croc strap elsewhere as well (I live in NJ not EU so no Stowa croc strap for me).

So I had a few nagging questions :think::

1. I assume if I order the Stowa branded deployment buckle they can finish it matt to match my case?

2. Then, if I do order it, clearly the combined thickness is an issue with the MO standard strap (thanks to rfjacques's helpful photos that show this clearly)... So I'm wondering why Stowa wouldn't address this by either: 1. simply offering a thinner strap with the deployment buckle for the MO ,or 2. find a single-fold deployment to brand and offer with the MO w/thicker strap? Otherwise, offering this buckle seems slightly ingenuous for those buying an MO, who haven't seen this thread.

3. Stowa writes on the site, they have a new strap...How new, and is it thinner than the previous one everyone is discussing above?From now on we have a new black leather strap with white stitching, 100 % Made in Germany from one of the best german strap companies. We have decided to use this strap now as the serial strap. The feedback of our customers was great!​Thanks in advance. I will wait to see if there are any recommendations/answers, and then possibly email Stowa directly.

John


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## PipPip (Jul 31, 2009)

PipPip said:


> Anyone got a Stowa clasp on the Marine Auto? I ordered it with mine but I'm not sure about it now after reading this thread.


Yes, it worked very well on the standard strap and also does on the croc strap that I replaced the standard strap with. I like it a lot.

I also have the deployant on a very thick strap on my Flieger Auto (thicker than the standard Marine Auto strap). I agree that if you look at it carefully you can see that the clasps do not close flat with such a thick strap. However until I read this post I had not really noticed it and I don't find it to be remotely an issue.

One issue I did have is that the locking screw was threaded on the original deployant I received with my Flieger so although the screw went in, it did not lock tight. To the credit of Stowa they posted me a replacement within a few hours of me emailing them about this problem and I had the new clasp within a few days.


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## fachiro1 (Jan 24, 2007)

It's deployant!!!

Not 

deployment!!


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## *El Ocho 1* (Jan 7, 2009)

fachiro1 said:


> It's deployant!!!
> 
> Not
> 
> deployment!!


yes, I realized that after I had made this thread & I have tried to edit the title but it seems I either can't or don't know how :-(


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## jdop (Feb 9, 2010)

Oh!! I do see that now...
Thanks for you're helpful correction fachiro1 !!! ;-)

Oh well, at least I won't make that error again...


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## jdop (Feb 9, 2010)

PipPip said:


> Yes, it worked very well on the standard strap and also does on the croc strap that I replaced the standard strap with. I like it a lot.
> 
> Thanks for your helpful comment PipPip.
> 
> ...


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## PipPip (Jul 31, 2009)

jdop said:


> PipPip said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, it worked very well on the standard strap and also does on the croc strap that I replaced the standard strap with. I like it a lot.
> ...


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## Eurosport (Dec 21, 2009)

+1 on good with thin straps, not good with thick straps


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## jdop (Feb 9, 2010)

I added the 'deployant' clasp to my order after being assured by Stowa through email that they...'sell a lot of MO with the black napa strap and depl. buckle...' ​and I was assured that'..the depl. clasp is no problem for this strap, only for the airman with rivets - this strap is too thick.'
​So I will find out for sure hopefully some time mid-April...

Eventually, I think I'll look for a tobacco brown colored croc strap for the watch anyways, so will wait to see how thin that would need to be once I can verify.

I like the option of the watch 'dressed up' on a black strap, but probably the croc will work better for everyday use. Too bad it seems so difficult to get the Stowa ones exported to the States.


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## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

Hello,

I guess shipping individual crocodile watch straps to the US is more trouble
than it is worth. This has nothing to do with Stowa.

I copied this information for your viewing pleasure.
-----
The Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) needs to be fully complied with in the trade of any part of the crocodile. Both the seller and the purchaser need to comply with CITES requirements and certification. Compliance is required to export skins from South Africa. CITES permits and tags on skins demonstrate that the skins are from farm bred animals and not illegally poached. Under CITES regulations all skins must be tagged. These tags give details of country of origin, year of skinning and an individual number. This is necessary for the protection of wild crocodile populations.
An approved CITES skin tag needs to to be attached to each skin as soon as is practicable after its removal from the crocodile carcass. This tag remains attached whether the skin is in an unprocessed or tanned state (that is, the tag remains attached to a whole skin during and after the tanning process). 
Tags are be locked to the final 5-10 cm (approximately) of the tail. To minimise the potential for tag 'loops' getting caught and tearing free of the skin during tanning, a hole is punched through the skin (not cut with a knife) and the tag attached and locked in a manner that reduces the size of the resulting 'loop'. 
Each skin must bear a skin tag upon export. A skin tag may be removed when the skin is cut into two or more major segments. A 'nick' cut in the side of a whole skin would not warrant tag removal - a skin cut into two equal halves or into multiple watch-strap strips would. 
*Exporter certification and requirements for purchaser*

*Customer requirement checks*

The customer (purchaser, importer) requires to ensure they have the necessary documentation for hei country. This will include:


A CITES import permit;
Some form of registration permit may be needed to deal in skins (e.g. farm registration);
Countries may have specific restrictions, such as the banning of the import of live species, so some country-specific permit may be needed;
 *Supplier certification:*

As necessary, the supplier will provide:


A CITES export permit and the correct tags on all skins;
A veterinary health permit if required;
A certificate of origin;
-----
You can see the problem that could be encountered when a croc strap tries to pass customs.

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## jdop (Feb 9, 2010)

Ah, thanks. I did see reference to that on the Stowa site, but had no idea what was involved.


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