Open-Ended Green Buttero Strap for a Vario Trench 37mm

The open-ended strap is built for watches whose spring bars are fixed into the case, where there is no way to thread a conventional band on. That is the constraint this order worked around on a Vario Trench with a 37 mm case: green Buttero, cut 75/115 mm, finished with a 16 mm slim stainless buckle.

Strap specifications

Strap type	Custom open-ended
Leather	Green Buttero
Length	75/115 mm (3.0 in / 4.5 in)
Buckle width	16 mm (0.63 in)
Buckle	Slim, stainless steel
Watch	Vario Trench, 37 mm case

Why these choices

An open end is a loop, not a tab. Rather than ending in a pierced tongue that sits on a removable spring bar, each end of this strap wraps the bar that is already there and closes back against itself. The consequence for the build is that thickness is a fit problem, not a comfort preference: too much leather in the loop and the strap will not close cleanly around the bar.

Buttero is a veg-tanned leather from Walpier in Tuscany. It is dense, which is the reason it works here — a firm hide can be skived thin through the loop and still hold its shape, where a soft one collapses. It also takes a patina as it is worn, so a green strap on a field watch darkens and settles rather than staying flat and new-looking. Green is not a color you find in stock on a 37 mm trench homage, which is usually the reason people go custom in the first place.

The 16 mm slim buckle keeps the tail end in proportion to a small case. A heavy buckle on a 37 mm watch reads like hardware borrowed from a diver; the slim profile stays out of the way. At 75/115 mm the strap is 190 mm overall, cut to the wrist on the order rather than to a stock length. Note that on an open-ended build, the width at the case end and the width at the buckle are set independently — the buckle figure here is 16 mm and says nothing about the lug measurement.

Questions about this build

Do I need an open-ended strap for a Vario Trench, or will a standard one fit?

It depends on the bars. If the bars come out with a spring bar tool, a standard strap fits. If they are fixed into the case — as they are on many trench watches and trench homages — nothing can be threaded on, and an open-ended strap is the answer.

Will green Buttero stay this color?

No, and that is the point of a veg-tan. Buttero darkens and gains depth with wear and light. Expect the strap to look noticeably richer after a few months than it does on day one.

Open-ended straps are cut to the measurements on the order, so allow 2–3 weeks to delivery. Start with the custom open-ended strap if your bars are fixed, see the rest of the Buttero range for other colors, or browse green leather straps across the other hides.