Watch Collectors Pay Big Money for Rare Straps and Bracelets

For Tommy Cabrerizo, When a Miami-based collector bought one of his dream watches from Richard Mille, that was just the beginning of the fun. Soon Cabrerizo found himself deep down the wormhole of authorized resellers and secondary market dealers to find the perfect complement to his new watch. Because when it comes to a watch, bracelets and straps can be just as important, historical and beautifully designed as the head. “It’s part of the chase,” Cabrerizo says. “Just as I was excited when I bought the RM 67-02, there is the same accumulation on the way to buying the straps; it is the same height.”

Cabrerizo is already planning a trip to Geneva and making plans for how he’ll get back home with a few extra groups. To get any of RM’s highly coveted straps, which are made from fabric and rubber in different colors from the Crayola factory and sell for $500 to $1,300 at retail, Cabrerizo will have to bring his watch with him to the store or he will be turned away. If he’s looking for something a little more rarefied, he’ll pay a premium. The more coveted RM straps for the blue sapphire Tourbillon sell for $5,000 on the secondary market.

One of Patek Philippe’s most talked-about releases this year is the iteration of its highly sought-after Nautilus. But it’s not the white gold case or chronograph function that angers collectors. Instead, the watch’s Canadian tuxedo effect, with its denim-colored dial and matching blue jeans-inspired strap, makes this one of the biggest new releases of 2024. Only the best and most desirable watches are given a nickname, and the name given to this piece is unforgettable: Jautilus. Patek Philippe is no stranger to groups that make a difference. In the mid-2010s, Patek Philippe was forced to restrict access to green straps for its sporty Aquanaut. It caused such enthusiasm that at one point the rubber strap alone brought in $10,000.

Vintage metal bracelets are equally hot on the secondary market. Manufacturers such as JB Champion and Jean-Pierre Ecoffey, who made the bracelets worn by astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong on the moon, will be familiar to most hard-working watch enthusiasts. However, Eric Wind, owner of Wind Vintage watch store, says that the most respected name in vintage bracelets is Gay Frères. Gay Frères is responsible for the watch world’s most recognizable bracelets: the company’s work can be seen on almost all sports models from Rolex, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. A true sign of his expertise: Rolex bought him in 1998. Wind now sells vintage Gay Frères bracelets for up to $12,000.

Nowadays, manufacturers are starting to pull legendary bracelet designs from the archives, as well as popular vintage models. In 2023, Zenith released a watch from its catalog using the 1969 Gay Frères bracelet design. The “ladder” style bracelet, with alternative openings at the link points, is now a fixture in the Revival line, which revives and modernizes the watch and bracelet designs of the brand’s past. In August, Zenith reproduced the bracelet in matte titanium for the first time. “Our archives are full of treasures and iconic designs that stand the test of time, like the Gay Frères bracelets,” says Benoit de Clerck, CEO of Zenith. “They continue to be pioneers in the industry and continue to inspire our own designs and approach to watchmaking.”

Watch collecting as a hobby is as much about the quest for the grail and supreme craftsmanship as it is about real watches. For those deep into the game like Cabrerizo, straps and bracelets are a key component of the charm. “That’s one of the things that makes collecting watches fun,” he says. “Like you not only have that watch, but you also have a strap for it?” He recently purchased a highly sought after band for one of his FP Journe watches. “Élégante is so cool,” he says. “Élégante on a pink strap Really very cool.”

Cam Wolf He is GQ’s watch editor.

A version of this story first appeared in the October 2024 issue of GQ under the headline “A Watch Is More Than a Pretty Face.”