In today’s modern society, it is hard to think of someone as being “well-dressed” if they aren’t wearing a wristwatch. Although the notion might sound silly, wristwatches have been around for hundreds of years, and even though they started out as exclusively being the purview of women, today they are proudly worn by both genders and often add a touch of class and elegance to whoever is wearing them.
However, the wristwatch, like so many other inventions, has come a long way from its humble beginnings, at least in terms of the technology that powers it and the way that it looks. Smartwatches have begun to rapidly corner a portion of the wristwatch market that was previously the exclusive purview of an older, more traditional style of a luxury timepiece.
And innovation can be found in more places than just the watches themselves, thankfully. Horology is a fascinating place when it comes to innovation, a place where even the tiniest details matter, which means that even the watch straps will eventually find a way to be upgraded as well, to change with the tides of technological innovation.
One of the companies leading the way in this field is Rubber B, a company based in Switzerland which specializes in the manufacturing of high-quality custom rubber watch bands. The company has expanded upon its continually growing reputation by producing rubber watch straps for timepieces from some of the most respected watchmakers in the field, including arguably the most well-known watchmaker in the world, Rolex.
Originally founded by Hans Wilsdorf in 1915, Rolex is considered the true evergreen brand when it comes to luxury watches and has had a litany of celebrity endorsements over the 100+ years since its founding. In fact, a strong argument can be made that much of the company’s success can be rooted in the fact that it was the first watch company to ever have a celebrity spokesperson, thereby paving the way for other companies to do so, and radically changing the industry at the time.
One of Rolex’s most famous watches is the Rolex Daytona, a watch that gained a great deal of notoriety in part because one of its early proponents was the late great actor, philanthropist, and race car driver Paul Newman. In October 2017, this watch was sold at auction for a stunning $17.75 million dollars, making it the third most expensive watch ever sold at auction.
Rubber B offers three different versions of their famous watch strap for the Rolex Daytona, and each of these watch straps is hand-made in Switzerland from 100% vulcanized rubber by a team of highly skilled craftspeople. These straps are capable of withstanding not only the elements but traditional wear and tear from everyday usage as well.
Rubber B was the first company to produce a rubber watch strap for a Rolex watch, and it is likely that they will continue to find new and exciting ways to innovate within the horological world.