Aftermarket Panerai Review

JnS Straps Review

JnS Panerai Watch Straps

Origin: Singapore
Construction: Hand-Stitched
Materials: New Italian Leathers, Vintage, Crocodile, Python
Buckles & Tubes: Tubes and Buckles Included
Price Range: $120+
Website: Click Here
Date of Review: July 3rd, 2008
Review Updated: February 13rd, 2009

Updated Review: February 13, 2009

Having picked up one of JnS' new straps, I felt it was time to re-write and update the older review. Jason and Sharon have really evolved a lot as leather strapmakers in the last 9 months since I last got something from them. I have one of their new Italian Vachetta leather straps on my PAM90 as you can see above, and it looks terrific.

The green thread is brilliant, I love it. As usual, their straps are hand-stitched, not lock stitched like the majority of their Asian competitors. Hand-stitching requires more work, and results in a stronger stitch. Granted, a lock-stitch is plenty strong for a watch strap, but stronger never hurts right?

As you can see, the Italian Analine Dyed Vachetta leather has a beautiful texture to it, and it smells just like the Italian stuff from Simona and Manifattura Firenze. Very nice.

The stitch lines are tooled in before stitching, making a very nice professional-looking strap. The large single floating keeper is also tooled along the edges. The rear of the long strap is stamped with a bull's head, I suppose to indicate that it is cow leather. The buckles that accompany the straps are just basic buckles, but JnS also has handmade buckles that are laser cut and then hand bent and finished. They are some beautiful buckles - I would check them out if you have the chance!

The leather is very soft and flexible as you can see, and to be quite honest, this easily rivals any of the Simona straps that I have handled, at a slightly lower price point. It might not have that Italian made pedigree, but it is definately a top grade hand-stitched strap, with beautifully tanned and prepared Italian leather. Holes are punched for wrist size 6-8" approximately, with 5 holes in total.

Price-wise, JnS straps may be near the top of all the Asian strap manufacturers, however they are also at the top quality wise. Their straps have a distinctly handmade feel to them with the consistency and care that you would expect from a top tier strapmaker. Additionally, JnS also offers python and Crocodile straps, which is not always common among the Asian strap makers. All things considered, if you want to spend a few bucks more for a more hand-made quality strap, JnS is a great alternative.



Original Review: July 3, 2008

Note: JnS no longer makes this kind of strap using this kind of leather. Quality has improved and prices are a bit higher now. Please See above updated review.

I have one of JnS’s mustang straps in distressed brown leather. They are very soft on the surface and the brown lightens slightly where it has been bent, giving it a nice worn look. The strap is triple stacked leather, with light cream hand-stitching.

They are available with an optional Titanium screw-in buckle, one of the only manufacturers that offer a Titanium buckle, perfect for owners of a PAM176. I think you can get them with a sewn-in Titanium buckle as well, but unlike most sewn-in buckles, theirs are not the flat kind, but rather the bent style.

The single wide floating keeper is not sewn together, only glued. I prefer my keepers to be sewn as well as glued, though the look is cleaner without the stitching. The keeper is nice and tight, just the way I like it, but might be a little bit nicer if it was harder or thicker as it cannot be moved once the strap end has been put into it as it is very snug and the leather is kind of fuzzy.

The strap also comes with a little paper identification/warranty card showing the birthdate as well as the model number of the strap. The card is a nice feature but not necessary, nor as nice as the Strap Culture ones.

Overall, the quality of the strap is fantastic for the money. I feel that the quality exceeds the other straps at the same price such as the Pantast straps. The only downside is the lack of included hardware like buckles and tubes, however, they are definately worth consideration.