medtech_expat
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2006
- Messages
- 1,084
- Reaction score
- 218
In Paris on Friday and scheduled to pick up my 2 custom straps from ABP. My first strap purchased last year has held up really well, so this time around I’ve decided to be a bit more adventurous with their special tanning of crocodile with a gunmetal grey contrast stitch. The ABP boutique itself is centrally located at place du marchÃ
Saint HonorÃ
in the 1ere arrondisement, just off avenue de l’opÃ
ra. It’s a small establishment, with the walls lined and stacked with bins filled with all manner of skins – from everyday calf, alligator and crocodile to the more exotic like python, anaconda, kangaroo and emu. Suffice to say, they offer skins from many animals which I wouldn’t have even have thought of – PETA would have a collective embolism. Orders are placed online, and the process is very thorough (and the first time around, fairly time-consuming). There is an almost infinite number of permutations available – shape, thickness, stitch type, thickness and color, folded edges, lining material, etc. Customer support via email or phone has been excellent, and as they have just returned from summer holiday this Tuesday they agreed to expedite my order without upcharge (I ordered early August). Most customers have their straps sent to them, but since I’m in town often enough I prefer to come in and have the straps sized to my wrist with a single pinhole. A tiny detail, yes, but how many of us on SF obsess over such tiny details! Now the downside. These straps were already expensive last year, and prices went up substantially for 2010. I have no plans for another order in the near future, but for all the WIS and watch freaks on SF I can state that ABP should be considered one of the top-tier alternatives for customizing wrist candy. I’m really pleased with how my 1815 chrono has increased in versatility, the richness of the strap not only accenting the blued hands but providing visual interest as compared to standard black. Likewise, the special tanned brown provides overall warmth to my L1 MP, the grey stitch complements the rhodium dial, and this combination now pairs well with over 80% of my shoes. Overall, I’m extremely pleased and find ABP to be a perfect complement for my Langes. Enjoy the pics…