Toshi Straps Avis 

Can't recommend Toshi Straps and Rich's service highly enough.The whole process, from the clarity of the website to early delivery of the strap to the beautiful quality and craftmanship of the product has been faultless.
Rich was very helpful with the initial queries I had (really just to ensure I had the right measurements) and was always prompt to reply.

If you are looking for an individual, bespoke, handmade strap that will enhance the look of your watch and the comfort of wearing it then in my opinion Toshi Straps should be your first stop.

I just received my 2 new straps for a Panerai Luminor 1950 (PAM 1359)

Strap one:
Phantom leather
Butterscotch stitching
24mm wide
120/70 long
Ti Pre-V buckle (screw bar)

Strap two:
Lapis Blue leather
Denim stitching
24mm wide
120/70 long
PVD Pre-V buckle (screw bar)

Great, personable service from Rich (feel like going for a pint with him) and delivery ahead of time

The first strap, the leather is as soft and worn in as a pair of slippers with butterscotch stitching that matches my watches “dirty dial” perfectly. The second, lapis blue strap with denim stitching works well with the blue second hand

Both straps are masterpieces and will get noticed regularly. This means more orders for Toshi on the horizon

If you need or just want beautiful hand crafted leather watch straps, you’ve found the right place!

Thanks for reading S

I am a watch enthusiast. I've bought watch straps from strap makers all over the world and have chosen Richard as my go to strap maker. I have bought well over twenty watch straps of various sizes and leathers over many years from Richard. I have found his straps to be excellent that's why I keep coming back for more. I have never had any problems with my orders and find his communication both cordial and clear.
If you want a bespoke, thick robust strap, In my experience, you can't go wrong.
Mark Boyles

Over the past 3 years I've ordered 8 custom straps from Rich @ Toshi Straps.

I've ordered custom straps before but they pale compared to what Rich delivers.

In addition, the ordering, payment, delivery all works like a dream. His reputation speaks for itself so delivery times are 4-5 weeks as he makes everything himself.

But quality is worthwhile waiting for and Toshi/Rich does so every time.

Just thought I would add a review.
I recently bought 3 straps for my Panarais.
Plum Burgundy and Caramel.
Sent in my order and wrist size.
Rich immediately came back and advised me to change the sizes ordered.
He assured me that for my size of wrist he was adamant that I would be pleased at altering the lengths.
I took a bit of persuading but eventually agreed to his changes.
A few days later I contacted him about the colour of the stitching I had ordered on one and said the stitching wouldn't begin till the straps were ready to stitch. A week or so. Immediate reply.
Two weeks later Rich contacted me to say the straps were posted and would receive next day.
Well they duly arrived the next day.
My fears of the straps being too long were unfounded as they fit perfectly.
They are beautifully made.
My one regret and this is no bad thing,
The Caramel is a fantastic looking strap against the black of the Panerai.
So much so I can't bring myself to change it.
The picture on the website doesn't do it justice.
I will get round to changing it but not too soon.
The Plum and the Burgundy also look really good.
I have since contacted Rich about other matters and always get a reply the same day.
Workmanship and customer service were excellent throughout my order so can't give anything less than 5 stars.

Ordered a £140 strap. Waited for 6 weeks and on receipt was disappointed. It was really roughly made, not well finished, the keepers and strap hadnt been scythed well at the joins, there was exposed "raw" leather at joins in places, and the holes werent in the centre of the tail strap. It was so over-oiled / waxed it looked plastic. I was gutted. Ive bought £20 straps that were better made than this.

I bought a strap from here over a year ago. There were absolutely no problems. It arrived exactly when the seller said it would, and it was exactly as described. Great leather, great craftsmanship.

As these straps are handmade, it isn't just a case of them instantly being
taken off a shelf and posted. They have to be made to the correct size, from the correct material, and to the buyer's specifications. The other reviews speaking of poor customer service or the wrong strap being created and no refund being given are pretty unfair from what I've seen.

If you order the wrong size strap how can you blame the seller? It's bizarre. I know from experience that there's nothing more frustrating than getting a customer who orders the wrong thing and then leaves a negative review and demands a refund as if it's the seller's fault...

As for my order, the seller made it ahead of schedule and sent me this message:

" Hi ******

I want to confirm that I managed to get your order finished a few days ahead of schedule and your strap was posted to you this morning using Royal Mail 1st class recorded delivery.

Please let me know when it arrives, and of course I hope you like it. Thank you once again for the business, and if you ever want another Toshi Strap I'd be delighted to hear from you again :)

Best wishes
Rich "

Definitely not poor customer service. I would recommend buying from this site, although it can be quite pricey so if you're on a budget 'd look elsewhere. Then again, if you're going to wear something every day for years then you may as well go for the best quality possible imo.

Also make sure you take note of the watch strap thickness - some of the straps are very thick and meant for large watches.

****** This is 1 of 3 emails i recieved from this horrible customer service company) beware ...i didnt read the fine print. there was no choice to designate which watch you wanted the strap for. i tried to send back I would pay postage. it was recieved three days ago ..just read the rudeness...

Frankly I'm amazed that you are blaming me for any error. I would have thought by now you would have realised the errors are yours and have taken responsibility for them, so to read that you demand either a full refund or replacement when I have made the strap as you ordered is bordering on annoying.

Quite how you imagined my business is making straps for Anonimo Militare watches only is beyond me. It is true that I have written a blog post about making straps for the Militare, but it doesn't say anywhere that I only make straps for the Militare. If you look at my blog, you will see there are lots of posts about my strap making, and they are shown on a variety of different watches. I have also written blog posts about making straps for other watches - Panerai, Oris, Ennebi etc. etc., so I really can't understand why you would think making straps for the Militare is all I do.

You tell me that you were forwarded to my website from the blog post (that you sent a link to) where there is a link to order a strap for a Militare. This is the last paragraph of that blog post you are referring to:

"So if anyone is looking for a decent watch strap for their Anonimo Militare you have come to the right place. Take a look through the leathers I have available (you can see them all via the straps pages) – I’m sure there will be something there that is of interest regardless of the dial colour of your watch. I don’t charge any extra for notching the strap to fit the Militare, so the prices shown on my website are the prices you will pay, but remember to mention when you order that the strap is for a Militare so I know to cut it to fit."

Two important comments stem from the last sentence in that paragraph:
1) "I don’t charge any extra for notching the strap to fit the Militare, so the prices shown on my website are the prices you will pay" - if I only made straps for the Militare why would it be necessary to write that? Surely this implies that I make straps for other watches too?
2) "remember to mention when you order that the strap is for a Militare so I know to cut it to fit." - again, if I only made straps for the Militare why would it be necessary to write that? If I only made straps for the Militare would every strap not be notched?

Even ignoring all of that, when you get on to the store pages you can see that every one of the leathers available is modeled not on a Militare but on a Panerai. How does that give the impression that I only make straps for a Militare? and when you come to order there is an option to select the strap width - again, if I only make straps for the Militare why would this be necessary? Every strap would be 22mm wide, wouldn't it? Can you name me one strap maker, anywhere in the world, who only makes straps for one type of watch?

When you placed your order, you did so without making contact with me first. You ordered a 20mm wide watch strap and made no comment about what watch the strap was for or that there were any unusual aspects to the fitting. Not being told otherwise, I assumed you knew what you needed and your watch could have been any with 20mm lugs - Rolex, Sinn, Breitling, Omega, Tudor etc etc. Before I started work on the strap I emailed you asking you to confirm the specification you had given me, which you did (you mentioned a concern you had at that time about the strap length, but said nothing about the notch that was required, or about the watch the strap was for, or any doubts about the strap width). Once the question of strap length had been addressed, and with no further information, I set to work and did what you had asked me to do i.e. make you a 20mm wide watch strap in Heavy Horse leather.

At any time if you had mentioned that the strap was for a Militare I would have known that (a) you had made a mistake with the strap width, and you actually needed a 22mm wide strap, and (b) it would need a notch to fit the crown (which would have brought up the question about which specific model of Militare you have, because some of the newer models have the crown at 12 o'clock, not at 6 o'clock, so I would have needed to know which half of the strap to notch).

In short, I can see that a mistake has been made and you now have a strap that is of no use to you, but I absolutely reject your assertion that I am at fault or that my website is in any way misleading. I have never responded well to demands and ultimatums, so for you to completely ignore your part in this and throw the blame at me when you demand a refund or a replacement is insulting. I have made the strap you ordered, the fact that now it is obvious that you ordered the wrong specification is not something I will take responsibility for. I am sorry that you feel that this is my fault, but I feel you are completely wrong in this and I will not help with either a refund or a replacement.

Rich

Poor quality control and awful customer service.

I was looking for a leather watch strap for my vintage Rolex Submariner.
I used the internet and found this company. I phoned and spoke with a guy called Rich who owns the company and he answered all my questions without any need to worry.
I placed the order and waited a couple of weeks for the strap to be made.
All through the buying process from placing the order to the order being sent out I was kept informed of what was happening.
The strap arrived and it is stunning!
Soft to touch but of a quality that I could have only dreamed of.
I will be back for more as and when I need them.