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AHA Tantalum Universal Bracelet
A work from the Alternative Horological Alliance (J.N. Shapiro, Ming, Fleming, Fears, and Massena) has created a striking Tantalum bracelet. A true work of machining prowess and innovation. Not brand new but rather new to me. Available in 21, 20, and 19mm lug widths.
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AHA Tantalum Universal Bracelet
A work from the Alternative Horological Alliance (J.N. Shapiro, Ming, Fleming, Fears, and Massena) has created a striking Tantalum bracelet. A true work of machining prowess and innovation. Not brand new but rather new to me. Available in 21, 20, and 19mm...
Are those watches all tantalum cases?
Great bracelet, if I had a tantalum watch.
They are.
I think people here are calling it "great" without any direct experience. My comments below share my concern on the bracelet. Also, the original poster hasn't indicated if he has any direct experience. He says they're a new thing to him - even though they...
The gap between the bracelet and the case looks rather unsightly to my eyes.
I think you're giving perhaps just a tad too much praise for something that you might not have direct experience in. Perhaps if you lived with this bracelet, you might feel otherwise. I like the brands in this alliance; I like MING, I find FLEMING is taki...
Looks like the gaps appear on all their watches...
Not exactly what you'd call a "fitted" end link... ...
Yes. You are absolutely correct! But most of the photos seem to draw attention away to that gap - as eyes may be focusing on the watch and shadows downplay the gap.
The "drawing away" attention is my opinion - but a lot of buyers of the steel MING bracelets have confided surprise to me on the gap.
Speaking of the steel Ming bracelet...
Many have fitted it on their Journe watches with a some success and a slightly lesser gap. Here's a borrowed photo from Instagram: Ming on the right: ...
Oh wow. That looks good! Really good!
I'm not sure about steel spring bars with soft platinum cases. Might be some slight microscopic wear. But that sure does look good!
I bought the steel bracelet to put on okenlf my Journes
But ended up not using it, not because of the steel bar but I do think the steel end piece with the large gap would scratch the PT case unnecessarily. Best Andreas
Ahh. Good to know!
That's an important detail!
Spot on! I missed it in the above pictureā¦
just as I did with Ming bracelet I bought. Of course part of that was due to creative marketing and use of shadows by Ming, but I am okay with it after sizing the bracelet properly (per pic below). But it is a lesson learned. ...
Yes. With MING, everything looks SOOO GOOD in the photos that we sometimes forget to look at the details.
Fortunately, nobody who owns one of these steel bracelets was very upset with the surprise, since the cost was relatively modest. But this tantalum bracelet costs A LOT of money. And they might be more upset given the increase in the cost. The bracelet co...
What is the rough cost & time for delivery?
If it costs many thousand $$ and takes years to deliver, whatās the point of promoting or protesting? The AHA website says nothing on either point, just talks about how difficult it is to make this item which to me says we wonāt see many made and theyāll ...
The price is high.
The price was in the 5 figures in USD. About the cost of an entry-level (new) gold Vacheron Constantin time-only watch. I don't remember the exact price. But it was high for a non precious metal bracelet.
patrick_y makes some very good points.
At first glance I thought wow those look rather nice but after reading patrick_y's comments and giving the bracelets and the fitting on the watches a better look I wasn't as impressed as I was at first. I don't have a tantalum watch so I wouldn't be in th...
Thank you for the kind words.
And yes, we've all been foolish - myself many times - when it comes to this hobby. It's natural to be excited when something new is introduced. But, don't be a "fool rushing in" and make a decision right away. It's hard to not be a fool, as the brands hav...
The topic of gaps is an interesting oneā¦
because I see a number of pieces eg Omega with a beads of rice bracelet where thereās a clear gap, but itās accepted as part of the look, vintage perhaps. Against this backdrop, are we being too harsh in our response to bracelet gaps?? Iām not sure based ...
Good point ArmisT! The Omega one shows the gap prominently.
Straight bar gaps are easier to see in the photos and accepted with the vintage sensibility as you pointed out. Curved spring bar gaps are harder to see in photos. And since curved spring bars weren't generally used in the vintage world, we don't have tha...
I think for something billed as āuniversalā
Some amount of space will have to be accepted. Were it a custom made to order bracelet, I could understand the negativity. Rolex released a new bracelet for the 1908 line with very obvious gaps and I only read praise of the āvintageā look. So, I agree the...
Got a little heated in here lol.
I have no direct experience. I just thought it interesting that these watchmakers have teamed up in this way. I think it is excellent looking. The gap between case and bracelet can never be fully closed because of the one size fits all nature of the brace...
š¤£š¤£š¤£No, no, itās not like that at allā¦and definitely not personal!
This was still an intriguing post since I am impressed by the ability to make a tantalum braceletš¤©. And the tantalum watches introduced here were new to me, so the educational value is just as appreciated. The āgapā (and marketing) topics were just natura...
