Crocodile Strap for a Bulova Accutron 314
Most strap orders pick a length from a list. This one could not: the owner of a Bulova Accutron 314 was fitting a clasp the watch already had, and a clasp changes the arithmetic. Rather than the usual short-side / long-side split, the order specified 85mm on the keeper end and 105mm on the tail, plus one instruction the configurator has no box for — leave the pin notch out.
Build sheet
| Leather | Brown crocodile |
| Strap length | Custom — 85mm keeper end / 105mm tail end |
| Buckle width | 16mm |
| Buckle | Customer's own clasp — strap ships without one |
| Spring bars | Quick release |
| Style | Classic |
| Stitching | Side stitching, matching thread |
| Padding | Flat |
| Tip end | Tapered |
Why these choices
The 85/105mm split is the whole reason this strap had to be made rather than bought. A standard strap is deliberately lopsided — something like 75/125mm — because the tail has to travel through the buckle and back under the keepers. A clasp folds that distance into itself instead, so the two sides even out and the total length comes down. Fitting a stock strap to a clasp usually means a tail that overshoots by an inch or more.
The pin notch instruction is the detail that no drop-down would have caught. In the owner's words: "Please do not put a pin notch as the clasp doesn't have one." A pin notch is the small cut-out that lets a buckle's tongue seat flush against the underside of the strap. On a clasp with no tongue there is nothing to seat, so cutting one anyway leaves a hole doing no work — a small blemish, but on a strap this size a visible one.
Brown crocodile flat-built, with matching side stitching and a tapered tip, keeps everything else deliberately conventional. Flat rather than padded is the right call for a slim vintage-style case: padding would lift the strap above the case line and undo the proportions. Crocodile softens with wear and takes a hand-rubbed patina, which is a better match for an older watch than a hide that stays rigid.
★★★★★
“…The new watch band is just what I was looking for to accent my new Accutron 521 watch. The quality and craftsmanship exceeded my expectations and I’ll be coming back in the future for more of these excellent straps.”
Jeffrey S. · Verified purchase · Burgundy crocodile strap
Questions
How do I measure for a crocodile strap for a Bulova Accutron 314 with my own clasp?
Lay the clasp out flat and measure from the lug bar to where each side meets the clasp, keeper side and tail side separately. Send both numbers rather than a single wrist size — a clasp build needs the two halves specified independently.
Can you work around other clasp quirks?
Usually, yes. Notch placement, keeper position, thickness at the clasp end and taper can all be set per order. If something about your clasp is unusual, describe it in the order notes or send a photo; that is where instructions like this one get read.
If your watch came with hardware worth keeping, the strap can be built around it. Browse crocodile leather straps, start in the custom strap builder, or go straight to the brown crocodile strap. Made to order — allow 2–3 weeks to delivery.