The past two years were spent in a leather shop in Sofia, trying to resolve an issue that their customers had continued to complain about: locating quality replacement straps for their expensive watches. BGStraps is now dropping a collection that is based on three distinct brands: Omega Watch Straps, Panerai Watch Straps, and Tag Heuer Watch Straps, following a long period of testing and development that began way back in 2023.

"We kept seeing the same frustration," says the BGStraps founder. "Someone would buy a €5,000 Omega Watch Straps, wear through the original strap in two years, and then couldn't find a replacement that matched the watch's quality. Factory options were expensive and took months. Cheap alternatives fell apart quickly. There was this massive gap we wanted to fill."

That gap became the workshop's entire focus. Working from Sofia, the team spent two years figuring out how to make straps that could actually stand next to high-end Swiss timepieces without feeling like compromises.

That sent the BGStraps founder and his team down an 18-month research process. They borrowed watches from friends, wore them for months, and photographed how straps bent and aged. They discovered that stress points around the spring bars needed a completely different leather treatment than the rest of the strap. The buckle holes required reinforcement techniques they'd never used before.

"Watch straps aren't belts," says the BGStraps founder. "They flex in multiple directions constantly. They get wet from hand-washing and sweating. They need to look elegant while being mechanically tough. That combination is genuinely difficult."

BGStraps now sources calfskin from an Italian tannery that supplies luxury goods manufacturers. Getting that relationship took eight months—the tannery initially refused because their order volumes were too small.

"We finally convinced them by showing up in person with our prototypes," recalls Maria Georgieva, who handles sourcing. "Once they saw we understood leather quality, they agreed to trial orders."

For rubber straps, they work with a German manufacturer that produces materials for dive equipment. "We needed rubber that wouldn't degrade from sunscreen, saltwater, or chlorine," Georgieva says. "Dive equipment makers solved those problems decades ago."

The team analyzed two years of customer inquiries and found these three brands represented nearly 60% of strap replacement requests.

"Omega Watch Straps owners typically have Speedmasters or Seamasters they actually wear daily," says the BGStraps founder. "These aren't safe queens, they're tool watches getting real use. Those customers burn through straps and need quality options at reasonable prices."

Panerai Watch Straps presented different challenges with very specific lug widths and style expectations. "You can't just slap any strap on a Luminor. It needs to honor the military heritage while offering something fresh."

Tag Heuer Watch Straps customers tend to be younger and more experimental. "They're comfortable mixing sporty and dressy. They'll wear a Monaco with a suit. That permitted us to try bolder colors and materials."

"We deliberately kept it simple," Georgieva says. "Too many options paralyze people."

The most popular combination? Dark brown calfskin with cream stitching and brushed hardware for Omega Watch Straps Speedmasters. "Perfect vintage racing look," says the BGStraps founder. "We probably make three of those every week."

Production is done by six full-time artisans who specialize in various stages. Vesela measures it all up; she has 31 years working with hides, and she can see through the thickness change that would have taken most people a caliper to measure. Georgi does edge finishing, which is a tedious task of sanding, dyeing, and burnishing, which differentiates quality straps and cheap straps.

"People don't notice edge work until they see bad edges," Georgi insists. "Cheap straps have rough, unevenly colored edges coated with thick paint. Proper edges should be smooth as glass. That takes time."

Each strap goes through about 40 individual steps. The team produces roughly 20-25 straps daily. They're not trying to scale up dramatically.

"We'd rather make 25 excellent straps than 100 mediocre ones," says the BGStraps founder.

Nothing revolutionary. BGStraps isn't claiming to reinvent leather working. They're executing traditional techniques really well and making them accessible to watch owners who want quality without boutique pricing or month-long waits.

"The strap market is weird," says the BGStraps founder. "You've got €15 Amazon garbage on one end and €500 boutique straps on the other. We're trying to occupy the middle—really well-made straps at €80-150 that you won't feel guilty wearing on a €4,000 watch."

Every strap ships free worldwide with spring bars, a storage pouch, and installation instructions. Delivery takes seven to nine business days. Returns work within 30 days for standard orders, though custom straps are final unless defective.

The team is already getting requests for Rolex, IWC, and Breitling compatibility. "We'll probably expand eventually," Georgieva says. "But we want to nail these three first."

About BGStraps

BGStraps operates from Sofia, Bulgaria, where six artisans handcraft watch straps for Omega Watch Straps, Panerai Watch Straps, and Tag Heuer Watch Straps timepieces using traditional leather working techniques and ethically sourced materials.

Media Contact
Company Name: BGStraps
Contact Person: Customer Support Team
Email: Send Email
Address:Sofia City Center
City: Sofia 1000
Country: Bulgaria
Website: https://bgstraps.com