And the winner of the first Delugs Design Competition 2020 is...

Before we get into announcing the winner, I just wanted to say that we had a ton of fun running this competition. We hope that it gave people a chance to dream of your ideal strap, and have it crafted according to your vision. It also allowed us a chance to demonstrate what was possible with leathercrafting, and the options you had when going for a bespoke strap.

Just some points to recap:

Introduction and rules of the overall competition here, and the individual entries here.
Two ways to vote: Vote by Form (1 point per vote), and Vote by Pre-Order (5 points per pre-order)
Prize: $300 in store credit, with the winning strap named after the designer and open for order for a limited period.

And now, announcing the winner of the inaugural Delugs Design Competition, we have...

Winner: Mad Wax by @the_casual_horologist! You can place your order for the Mad Wax here, at USD$60.

Style: Rally Slim

Top Leather: Waxy in Navy

Lining Leather: Waxed Camouflage in Blue

Keeper Leather: Waxy in Navy (Fixed), Waxed Camouflage in Blue (Floating)

Thread Colour: Blue

Description/Message from Designer: The inspiration for the strap came from a few areas. First and foremost, I wanted something that stood out but wasn’t too ridiculous. It’s easy to take the idea of wide customization options too far, so I wanted something that would look stunning and have a bit of personality. After browsing through the leather options, I thought, why not combine the best of two waxy leathers? The top leather is a familiar navy blue, but under it is a subtle yet bold statement of blue waxed camo, which can only really be viewed when the watch is off the wrist and inspected. I love admiring my straps and the case backs of my watches, so I thought this would be a great visual touch. Because the color will be shown as the wax rubs off (over time), I thought it would be awesome to see the bottom leather change gradually as you take your watch off while the top leather kept its resilience in appearance. To make an already good idea great, it had to then become a rally strap. The results are stunning.

Honorary mentions for the first and second runner-up:

First Runner-Up: The Le Mans by @bigcrown44

Second Runner-Up: Scarlet by @dicksonquek

Thank you to all the Designers for taking part in this competition, and to everyone else for participating, whether in voting or just joining in the fun on IG. We hope it gave some of you inspiration on what can be done when you go the bespoke route.

To those wondering if the DDC will be an annual affair, we will have to re-consider as the effort needed to run the competition and craft the various straps (with their many different requirements) did become a bit taxing. The response in the form of pre-order was also not as enthusiastic as we thought. But if you think this is a good idea and we should carry on, just drop us a message and let us know!