The Forstner Klip - Stainless Steel Ladder-Style Watch Bracelet
The Story
Forstner, in the 1940s, created a series of Bamboo- or Bonklip-style watch bracelets. These stainless steel watch bands, with their ladder design, had many of the same features that popularized the Komfit with NASA astronauts. They were adjustable, having the ability to be sized in increments of about 3mm, fit a wide variety of wrist sizes, and, of course, were extremely comfortable. The bracelets also could be worn with watches having fixed (non-removable) lug bars. As a result, the Bamboo- or Bonklip-style bracelets were often provided with military-supplied watches (for example, the "Bonklip" (English made) bracelet was supplied with the IWC Mark XI) which often had such fixed bars. Forstner created a version, however, that improved on prior designs, with a spring-loaded clasp that made the wearing experience more intuitive yet still secure. This feature is included on the current reissue
Details
The Forstner Klip brings back one of the most popular bands in Forstner's historic catalog. The present bonklip-style bracelet has an 18mm wide central portion, with alternating brushed and polished finishes on the rectangular "ladder" design, and a polished spring-loaded clasp. Made entirely of stainless steel, the band is light, breathable, and extremely comfortable, having the ability to be easily sized in approximately 3mm increments for the perfect fit. Here are the specifics:
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Length: adjustable between 115mm and 230mm (fits wrists ranging from approximately 6 inches to 8 inches).
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End pieces: fixed design, and offered in 18mm, 19mm, 20mm, 21mm, and 22mm widths.
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Fits fixed lug bars up to 1.5mm thick.
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The central "ladder" portion is 18mm wide, for all end piece sizes.
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A "keeper" portion connecting the two sides of the band helps maintain fit while sizing and wearing.
Please note: Forstner recommends caution if wearing the bracelet on watches with spring (or fixed) bars narrower than 1.5mm (typically, removable spring bars are at least 1.5mm, so this should ordinarily not be an issue). If wearing the bracelet on watches with bars under 1.5mm, we recommend practicing fitting the bracelet over a soft surface to ensure that the fit is sufficiently secure. Moreover, on watches with such narrow bars, a tighter fit is better--while the risk of inadvertent removal is small, it is increased when the bracelet is worn loosely.