Racing Strap for the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT
This one started with a request no catalog covers: a racing strap for the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT, cut in brown shark and finished for a folding clasp rather than a pin buckle. The owner sent a wrist measurement and the gap across the lugs, and the strap was built to those figures. Racing straps are usually a calf-and-white-stitch affair; this is not that.
What was built
| Watch | Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT, 39 mm |
| Leather | Brown shark skin |
| Style | Racing, padded, tapered tip |
| Length | 75/115 mm (2.95 in / 4.53 in) |
| Buckle end | 18 mm (0.71 in) — this is the buckle width, not the lug width |
| Clasp | Omega-style deployant, stainless steel |
| Stitching | Golden brown, side stitch |
| Spring bars | Regular (tool removal) |
The owner gave a wrist of 17.5 cm (6.9 in) and measured 20 mm (0.79 in) across the lugs. Those are the owner’s own figures, not a specification we looked up.
Why these choices
A racing strap is defined by two things: perforations through the leather and contrast stitching down the sides. Shark is the toughest of the exotics, with a dense, tooth-textured grain, and that is the practical reason to reach for it on a strap that is going to be punched through in two rows — the holes have to sit in a hide that holds its shape around them. The texture also does something a plain calf racing strap cannot: the perforations read as one pattern and the grain as another. More of the same hide is on the shark skin strap page.
The stitch color is the quiet choice here. Racing straps are usually stitched in white or red, loudly, against a dark strap. Golden brown against brown shark is a half-tone away from the leather, so the stitch line reads as an edge rather than a stripe. On a 39 mm case that matters — there is not much strap on show, and a white stitch would have been the first thing anyone saw.
Two fitting decisions are worth naming. The strap tapers from the lug end down to an 18 mm buckle end, so it narrows under the wrist rather than running full width to the clasp. And the spring bars are regular tool-removal bars, not quick release: with a folding clasp on one end, the strap comes off the watch rarely enough that the extra security is worth the tool.
★★★★★
“Bought for my Tudor Black Bay P01. Great quality, bespoke sizing requested and it’s a perfect fit. I found that the quick release pins I selected were not suitable so swapped them out for standard pins when fitting the strap.”
Iain B. · Whisky suede strap
Questions
Does a racing strap for the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT take the same width as the 41 mm Black Bay?
Measure your own watch rather than going by the model name — sizes are not consistent across the Black Bay line, and the reference matters more than the family. The owner of this one measured 20 mm across the lugs and chose an 18 mm buckle end. Send us your figure and we cut to it.
Can a racing strap be built for a folding clasp?
Yes. This one was made for an Omega-style deployant in stainless steel, so the clasp end was punched and finished for a folding clasp rather than a pin buckle. Say which clasp you are using at the order stage, because it changes how that end is finished.
Any leather in the range can be ordered in the racing cut and sized to your wrist. Start on the brown shark skin strap page, or browse the brown leather straps and custom leather watch straps. Each strap is made to order — allow two to three weeks to delivery.