Open-Ended Strap for the Hamilton Khaki 36mm

This customer wrote a brief that was really a constraint. He wanted an open-ended strap for the Hamilton Khaki 36mm, reference H69399930, and he wanted the finished stack to stay thin: "It is fairly thin, and I would like the combination with the strap to remain thin to easily slip under a shirt cuff, if possible. So maybe don't use the thickest padding, if you have the option, although durability is the most important to me." Thin, but not at the cost of lasting. That ordering matters at the bench.

Strap specification

Watch	Hamilton Khaki 36mm anniversary edition, ref H69399930
Build	Open-ended
Leather	Badalassi Wax, dark brown
Length	75/115mm (2.95 in / 4.53 in)
Buckle width	16mm
Clasp	Cartier-style deployant, stainless steel, premium folding clasp
Stitching	Side stitch, creamy white
Tip end	V-square

The 16mm figure is the buckle end. No lug width was specified on this order, so none is published here. The leather was changed from the configurator selection to Badalassi Wax dark brown at the customer's written request.

Why these choices

An open-ended strap has no closed loop at the case end. It is the build for watches with fixed spring bars, where a conventional strap simply cannot be threaded through the gap. The end slides in from the side and is secured behind the bar instead. It is a different construction from a standard band, not a variant of one.

Badalassi Wax was the customer's own substitution, and it was the right call for the brief. It is a wax pull-up vegetable-tanned leather, so the finish comes from the wax in the fiber rather than from a thick topcoat or a layer of padding underneath. That lets a strap read as substantial while staying physically thin — which is exactly what "slips under a cuff" needs. Light padding rather than the full stack does the rest.

The Cartier-style deployant is the other thickness decision. A pin buckle adds a doubled-over tail under the wrist; a folding clasp keeps the underside flat. Creamy white side stitching against dark brown is the only decorative note, and on a field-style dial it reads as intentional rather than loud.

Two questions we get about this build

How do I know if I need an open-ended strap for the Hamilton Khaki 36mm? Try to slide a thin card between the bar and the case. If the bar is fixed and there is no room to thread a band through, you need an open-ended build. If a spring bar pops out with a tool, a standard strap will fit.

Can I ask for a different leather from the one I selected? Yes. Write it in the order notes, as this customer did, and we will build to the note. Someone reads every order before anything is cut.

Start on the custom open-ended strap page, or browse Badalassi Wax leather straps, brown leather watch straps and the wider custom leather watch straps range. Made to order — allow 2–3 weeks to delivery.