I have Long Island deployants on two Hamiltons and my Oceanus. I highly recommend them.

 

The one you ordered from Ali should work.

The middle tab in the “E” in the butterfly you ordered should have a hole through it for the spring bar to pass through. The middle part of the “E” is also where the pin (in the pin buckle) is on the oem strap.

If there is no pass through on the butterfly-(I bet you there is)-simply file it off.

 

The middle tab in the “E” in the butterfly you ordered should have a hole through it for the spring bar to pass through. The middle part of the “E” is also where the pin (in the pin buckle) is on the oem strap.

In the middle tab, the hole size fits spring bar end. So there is no way to pass regular spring bar thru it. And the length of those tabs are only 1mm to 1.2mm. So even if that middle tab is not there (or filed off), cannot fit spring bar of normal thickness and have enough room to get the strap hole in there.

 

Try ARTEM, they have three different deployant clasps.
Also Formex has some nice deployant

 

Try ARTEM, they have three different deployant clasps.
Also Formex has some nice deployant

I checked Artem and Formex before. I need 18mm wide clasps, as my strap is 20mm lug width and tapers down to 18mm.

I am not sure about Artem. Because its RM clasp fits their 19/20/22mm sailcloth straps. So not clear what is the clasp width. Let me contact them on the size.

Formex clasp has quick adjust feature. But double-fold ones are not available in 18mm width. And they are sold out anyways.

 

Here's the Long Island #DEPLOYSSB on my Hamilton Khaki Auto 38mm. The strap goes from 20mm to 18mm, so this is the 18mm clasp.

I also have Long Island deployants on my Hamilton Jazzmaster and Casio Oceanus.

As I said above, I highly recommend this clasp.

 

Look at RHD deployants (mywatchmaker.net). One of the best ones I have used. Their website is quite rudimentary. But clasps provide exceptional quality and value for $40.

<EDIT> Read your post again. It’s surprising and sad about your experience with RHD. Been some time since I bought from him.

 

Agree about the quality of RHD, but he can be tough to contact lately, so might try the Long Island suggestion from carbiner23.

Good luck.

 

I always have problems that these clasps stick in my wrist and they are hard to adjust.

 

Thanks for input. I will get either Holben's or Long Island Watch butterfly. I'm looking at their straps to see if there is something I like to add to the order.

 

Just want to provide an update and share my experience.

Butterfly (dual-fold) clasps from Holben's Fluco, Long Island Watch's, and Hadley Roma are all similarly priced around USD $30. I decided to get Fluco clasp from Holben's because it is made in Germany. And I also bought Hadley Roma clasp from Amazon, made in China. Since I don't have experience with these clasps, I won't be able to tell good vs bad with just one. So wanted to have couple to compare. I can always keep both (if both are good), or just return one (if one is not good).

Summary: I like Fluco from Holben's over Hadley Roma (HR). The deciding factor is opening and closing action and feel.

Clasp action: Fluco's side-press buttons to release the clasp feel solid. When closing the clasp, Fluco has a sharp and audible click. When opening, Fluco ejects the butterfly arms with force. There is satisfying click when opening/closing the Fluco clasp. On the other hand, Hadley Roma has spongy feel when opening and closing the clasp.

Also, the part where strap's tang goes in, attach strap hole to pin, and cover plate flips close: Fluco's cover plate has a snap/click. HR does not close tightly with snap; it will open easily with little resistance.

To me, these actions and feel are the deciding factor between the two clasps.

Below are visual comparisons. There are differences on dimensions. But I don't see any of these are deal breakers.

Clasp closed: (Fluco on left and Hadley Roma at right. Note that HR does come with spring bar; it was not installed in the photo.)

The biggest difference is that Fluco has larger cover plate for strap's tang. This is something you can see when wearing the clasp. So this does make a visual or presence impact. Because I'm using this with a thick strap and tool watch, I like Fluco's larger cover plate. On the other hand, for those pairing this with dress watch, maybe smaller is better.

Clasp open, outside view: (Fluco on left and Hadley Roma at right)

Can see design difference on clasp latch mechanism. Fluco has 2 bars activated by the pushers. The butterfly parts have "hooks", which connect to the ends of the 2 bars. HR's design is quite common with most clasps on Amazon and Aliexpress. The pushers activate a pair of diagonally opposed hooks. The butterfly parts have square hole that mate with these hooks. As I mentioned, Fluco's action and feel are better. Not sure if that is related to this design or internal parts. If it is design related, then Fluco's latch design is better.

Clasp open, inside view: (Fluco on left and Hadley Roma at right)

On the size of side push buttons; HR is larger and wider than Fluco. I don't know if larger or smaller button is better. I believe the action or feel is more important than the size of the pushers.

Side view: (Fluco on top and Hadley Roma at bottom)

Just comparing the metal thickness (not the total clasp thickness), Fluco is thicker than HR.


Comfort: Minor difference between the two. I give slight advantage to Hadley Roma.

Macro scale (pressing into skin): HR over Fluco. This is not a problem normally. However, if watch/strap/clasp got moved off center or toward hand or palm, plus I flex my wrist and push my skin into the clasp, then Fluco's smaller push button will dig into skin more than HR's larger pushers. This might or might not occur depending on the fit of the strap.

Micro scale (sharpness): Fluco over HR. For me, the sharpness is not a problem at all. Still, I purposely run my fingers and wrist against the clasp to check for any sharp edge or corner. HR's push button corners are a bit sharp. And HR has wider push button, so more edge length to potentially cause issue.

Here are photos of Fluco clasp installed on RIOS1931 Chicago Shell Cordovan strap:

 

Just want to provide an update and share my experience.

Butterfly (dual-fold) clasps from Holben's Fluco, Long Island Watch's, and Hadley Roma are all similarly priced around USD $30. I decided to get Fluco clasp from Holben's because it is made in Germany. And I also bought Hadley Roma clasp from Amazon, made in China. Since I don't have experience with these clasps, I won't be able to tell good vs bad with just one. So wanted to have couple to compare. I can always keep both (if both are good), or just return one (if one is not good).

Summary: I like Fluco from Holben's over Hadley Roma (HR). The deciding factor is opening and closing action and feel.

Clasp action: Fluco's side-press buttons to release the clasp feel solid. When closing the clasp, Fluco has a sharp and audible click. When opening, Fluco ejects the butterfly arms with force. There is satisfying click when opening/closing the Fluco clasp. On the other hand, Hadley Roma has spongy feel when opening and closing the clasp.

Also, the part where strap's tang goes in, attach strap hole to pin, and cover plate flips close: Fluco's cover plate has a snap/click. HR does not close tightly with snap; it will open easily with little resistance.

To me, these actions and feel are the deciding factor between the two clasps.

Below are visual comparisons. There are differences on dimensions. But I don't see any of these are deal breakers.

Clasp closed: (Fluco on left and Hadley Roma at right. Note that HR does come with spring bar; it was not installed in the photo.)
View attachment 16431863

The biggest difference is that Fluco has larger cover plate for strap's tang. This is something you can see when wearing the clasp. So this does make a visual or presence impact. Because I'm using this with a thick strap and tool watch, I like Fluco's larger cover plate. On the other hand, for those pairing this with dress watch, maybe smaller is better.

Clasp open, outside view: (Fluco on left and Hadley Roma at right)
View attachment 16431865

Can see design difference on clasp latch mechanism. Fluco has 2 bars activated by the pushers. The butterfly parts have "hooks", which connect to the ends of the 2 bars. HR's design is quite common with most clasps on Amazon and Aliexpress. The pushers activate a pair of diagonally opposed hooks. The butterfly parts have square hole that mate with these hooks. As I mentioned, Fluco's action and feel are better. Not sure if that is related to this design or internal parts. If it is design related, then Fluco's latch design is better.

Clasp open, inside view: (Fluco on left and Hadley Roma at right)
View attachment 16431870

On the size of side push buttons; HR is larger and wider than Fluco. I don't know if larger or smaller button is better. I believe the action or feel is more important than the size of the pushers.

Side view: (Fluco on top and Hadley Roma at bottom)
View attachment 16431876

Just comparing the metal thickness (not the total clasp thickness), Fluco is thicker than HR.


Comfort: Minor difference between the two. I give slight advantage to Hadley Roma.

Macro scale (pressing into skin): HR over Fluco. This is not a problem normally. However, if watch/strap/clasp got moved off center or toward hand or palm, plus I flex my wrist and push my skin into the clasp, then Fluco's smaller push button will dig into skin more than HR's larger pushers. This might or might not occur depending on the fit of the strap.

Micro scale (sharpness): Fluco over HR. For me, the sharpness is not a problem at all. Still, I purposely run my fingers and wrist against the clasp to check for any sharp edge or corner. HR's push button corners are a bit sharp. And HR has wider push button, so more edge length to potentially cause issue.

Here are photos of Fluco clasp installed on RIOS1931 Chicago Shell Cordovan strap:
View attachment 16431878

View attachment 16431879

View attachment 16431880

View attachment 16431891

What's the max strap thickness that the fluco one can handle? Could you measure the strap thickness at the pin setting or perhaps measure the internal vertical size of the clasp to see the maximum strap thickness one could use?can you open the clasp by pushing just one button?

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

 

Freda Watch Straps, Axel Jost DF7. Best one I’ve ever worn. Axel Jost DF7 Long Time Favorite

That center tang on the buckle end fits over the spring bar; absolutely no problem! It also looks far better because it fills the space for the tang buckle. I put a longitudinal brushed finish on mine with Micromesh abrasives.

 

Quick question, I just ordered this and the quality does not seem quite up to the what I was expecting. The clasp mechanism doesn't seem high quality compared to what I've read others have said online. I will attach 1 picture of what I received vs what I was expecting. Could you also post a picture of what your clasp looks like when opened? Thanks in advance View attachment 17109797

 

I've got a Rios strap (New York rather than Chicago, contrast stitching). The real issue is that the strap is quite thick, and it's tricky to get the spring bar into the holes on the butterfly clasp because of that. Lovely strap though.

 

Great post by @SMP300M. Thank you for sharing all the info. It is honestly helpful. I have had a few deployant clasps from Amazon and just never found one that was comfortable to last the day. Admittedly the deployant clasps from Amazon are affordable, but are lacking for me. I have been on a quest to find a comfortable deployant clasp for several weeks. As a rule I’m a bracelet guy, but I do have at least 2 watches I like on strap.

Like others here, I too ordered an RHD clasp last fall and never received the clasp. I was able to catch Bob on the phone and he was able to refund my money to PayPal while we were on the phone. That said, he advised that he was having health issues and that was why he was unable to ship the clasp. My take away was that he was just no longer able to fill orders due to his health issues. The website remains up and the automated mechanism to take the money is working like a champ, but the fulfillment piece seemed to be Bob himself and well, he sounds unable to fill the orders any longer. I hope he is well, but buying from https://www.mywatchmaker.net seems like something to avoid going forward. At least for me it is.

I have the Bear Uhrband Gmbh DF1 Double Fold Push Button clasp I purchased from Freda watch straps recently. It seems decent, but honestly not quite a s comfortable as I was hoping. It is fine most of the day but begins to bother my wrist in the afternoon if I wear it all day. I will continue to wear it however and would even buy it again if I cannot find a more comfortable solution.

At the same time I bought the Bear Uhrband Gmbh DF1 Double Fold Push Button clasp I also bought the Axel Jost DF7 clasp from Freda. This one I found fit me well and was comfortable wearing all day. That said, it made it through only 2 full days when one of the pins connecting one of the sections popped out when I was taking the watch off at night. Murphy’s Law took over immediately and I was unable to find the pin and the clasp is useless until that is fixed. Too bad really as I thought I had found my deployant clasp of the future.

I’ve just received the Fluco Butterfly Deployant Clasp Stainless Steel - 20mm I ordered from Holben’s. I saw the review that discussed that the one part of the clasp didn’t click in but I still thought it was worth the cost to try. I cannot vouch for the long term comfort of the clasp but I do have to say that the clasp does “click in” on the strap. I’ve uploaded pics to show the “nipple/nub/pin” and in addition, a pic that shows it clicked in on the strap. I’ll have to wear it for a bit to assess comfort but the clasp feels well made. I’ll have to follow-up once I have more time on this clasp.

Because I have a problem, I also ordered a Hirsch PUSHER Clasp too. I’ll relate my thoughts on that once that comes in and I get to wear it a bit.

 

Like others here, I too ordered an RHD clasp last fall and never received the clasp. I was able to catch Bob on the phone and he was able to refund my money to PayPal while we were on the phone. That said, he advised that he was having health issues and that was why he was unable to ship the clasp. My take away was that he was just no longer able to fill orders due to his health issues. The website remains up and the automated mechanism to take the money is working like a champ, but the fulfillment piece seemed to be Bob himself and well, he sounds unable to fill the orders any longer. I hope he is well, but buying from https://www.mywatchmaker.net seems like something to avoid going forward. At least for me it is.

I’ve just received the Fluco Butterfly Deployant Clasp Stainless Steel - 20mm I ordered from Holben’s. I saw the review that discussed that the one part of the clasp didn’t click in but I still thought it was worth the cost to try. I cannot vouch for the long term comfort of the clasp but I do have to say that the clasp does “click in” on the strap. I’ve uploaded pics to show the “nipple/nub/pin” and in addition, a pic that shows it clicked in on the strap. I’ll have to wear it for a bit to assess comfort but the clasp feels well made. I’ll have to follow-up once I have more time on this clasp.

Because I have a problem, I also ordered a Hirsch PUSHER Clasp too. I’ll relate my thoughts on that once that comes in and I get to wear it a bit.

I of course was unaware of the health issues Bob was/is having, however, and I know I’m going to sound a bit harsh here, kind of no excuse. If you can’t fulfil orders for one reason or another, and don’t have a plan B, you certifiably should not keep a website up and running that’s going to continue to take money from those who place orders, knowing full well those orders will not be shipped. The website should have been shut down immediately. All of this aside, I of course hope all is well with Bob and his family, I wish him all the best, and hope he recovers from whatever it is he is suffering from.

Regarding, the negative review…I wonder what this individual meant. Perhaps it’s a situation where Fluco listened to their customer base correcting a known problem, as I don’t see a date when his review was posted. Could be an older post. I am happy to hear though that the clasp seems of good quality.

I came across the Hirsh clasp as well. The only real reason I’m most likely going to go with Fluco through Holben’s is simply due to location. Just seems a bit easier ordering from a company in the States rather than UK…shipping time and all.

Thank you for your detailed information…very helpful!

 

I'm glad that others find my post useful. I didn't find a lot of info online on deployant clasp, so just want to share my experience.

Below are close up photos of my Fluco clasps. This is the end that strap's tang (hole-side) go into. I will just call this U-shape piece "cover plate"; not sure what is the technical term. This cover plate is held tight using friction.

To take the photo, I opened the cover plate. It is actually very tight and hard to open. It took me multiple tries to open this. In normal wear, I never open this cover plate. Only reason to open this is if I change strap or I need to adjust the length by going to another hole. Since I won't open this in normal wear, I cannot imagine this coming lose over time.

In comparison, on Hadley Roma clasp from Amazon, cover plate will open with little resistance.

In this 1st photo, you can see there is a divot on the inside corner of the cover plate. There are divots on both ends. On the opposing piece underneath the cover plate, the edges are not flat. This closes/mates with the divot thru friction.

In this second photo, just want to show that the pin for strap hole is quite small. So this pin does not hold the strap in place, unless the cover plate is closed.

When the cover plate closes, the strap is held tight.

I don't have the problem that Holben's review had. If this cover plate is lose, that is a big problem and clasp will not wearable. The strap can slide; pin will scratch inside of the strap. Worst case is a safety concern that strap can open up.

 

I'm glad that others find my post useful. I didn't find a lot of info online on deployant clasp, so just want to share my experience.

Below are close up photos of my Fluco clasps. This is the end that strap's tang (hole-side) go into. I will just call this U-shape piece "cover plate"; not sure what is the technical term. This cover plate is held tight using friction.

To take the photo, I opened the cover plate. It is actually very tight and hard to open. It took me multiple tries to open this. In normal wear, I never open this cover plate. Only reason to open this is if I change strap or I need to adjust the length by going to another hole. Since I won't open this in normal wear, I cannot imagine this coming lose over time.

In comparison, on Hadley Roma clasp from Amazon, cover plate will open with little resistance.

In this 1st photo, you can see there is a divot on the inside corner of the cover plate. There are divots on both ends. On the opposing piece underneath the cover plate, the edges are not flat. This closes/mates with the divot thru friction.



In this second photo, just want to show that the pin for strap hole is quite small. So this pin does not hold the strap in place, unless the cover plate is closed.


When the cover plate closes, the strap is held tight.

I don't have the problem that Holben's review had. If this cover plate is lose, that is a big problem and clasp will not wearable. The strap can slide; pin will scratch inside of the strap. Worst case is a safety concern that strap can open up.

Thanks for all the info. Between your detailed description as well as Johniecats, I just placed an order for the Fluco. Once I receive, I’ll let you know my experience.

Thanks again guys!!

 

Just received my Fluco deployant clasp today. Unfortunately, I'm not all that impressed. As far as quality is concerned, it doesn't seem lacking at all. Nice pushers. The metal seems milled very nicely. There is a clear audible click when closing, and it springs open when I deploy. My disappointment comes from the considerable thickness that this adds to the clasp side of my wrist. I took my caliper to it just to see what we are working with here. Depending on where measured from, this thing is between 12 and 13 mm. Boy is that thick. Just for reference, the watch/strap I put this on is my TAG Aquaracer, with a case that comes in @ 12mm thick. That mean I'm essentially wearing a watch on both sides of my wrist. Ok, ok, I exaggerate a little here, but certainly too thick for me. Maybe it's because it's a double deployant rather than single. Just for further reference, I recently purchased a Seiko Alpinist which came on a decent leather strap with a very nice single deployant, and at it's thickest, that thing only 7mm. Needless to say, it's not very comfortable on wrist, and I have contacted Holben's to see if thereis any refund in order. If not, at least it wasn't all that expensive.

 

Good catch @JaseRicco. This deployant clasp is indeed thick. After seeing your post, I measured mine using a caliper too and you are right - 13mm. Holy smokes! I first noticed the thickness when I put the watch in my watch box as it sat high but I would not have guessed 13mm. No way around the fact that this is a thick boy. For comparision's sake, I measured the Bear Uhrband Gmbh DF1 double fold push button I have on my Mühle Glashütte and the Bear Uhrband is just over 10mm.
That said, I've been wearing the Fluco deployant clasp all day today. I put it on just before 9am and am still wearing it as I write this 7 hours later. This is far longer than any of the Amazon clasps I have. Thankfully, the thickness is not bothersome to me and the comfort is probably my biggest "need to have" measure. Maybe because it is short sleeve weather? Maybe it will be different if I have to wear a long sleeve shirt with it? Time will tell.
Thanks to all participating in this thread. Finding info on deployant clasps and finding deployant clasps themselves, has proven challenging to me. This thread with such good, detailed info by the other posters is truly appreciated. Have a great week!

 

I find myself on this thread because RHD site was not working. I did not know about the issues with the owner. Its unfortunate because his clasps were excellent. I will try my luck with a Long Island clasp.

 

I have found myself in this thread for the exact same reason! Great discussion here, and I appreciate the in-depth review of the Fluco deployant. What I'm having a hard time of making sense of is how to make sure whatever deployant I choose will be comfortable. My wrist size is 6 3/8", and I am also replacing a strap, so I do have some ability to get the ideal strap lengths. But how do I figure out what strap length I need in order to get the deployant to sit centered underneath my wrist? And I know that depends on the deployant, but let's say for the sake of argument I go with the Fluco--what length should each strap be?

 

The comfort is relative. The clasp is definitely not as comfortable as strap only.

If you don't mind strap getting damaged and stretched over time, best to use strap as is. On the other hand, if you want to protect the strap or want to have the clasp style/look, then you have to put up with slight discomfort.

It depends on what I'm doing. Normally I don't feel the clasp. But when I'm at computer typing on the keyboard, and if the underside of my wrist is resting on the table, it will press the clasp into my wrist. And after some time, that is when I feel the discomfort and have to move the clasp/strap.

 

The comfort is relative. The clasp is definitely not as comfortable as strap only.

Great review of butterfly clasps from SMP300...one of the most thorough I've seen in a long time. Through a long process I've found this above statement to be very true.

For the better part of 20 years, I've tried many different 3rd party clasps...double-fold butterfly with push-buttons, single-fold with and without buttons, OEM Omega foldover deployant, and knock-off Omega deployants. The OEM Omega foldover deployant is easily the best made, best locking feel and best method of deployant I've found (for me). It's also horrendously expensive so quite understandable that most people don't want to go this route.

That said, I've found the strap-only with tang buckle the most comfortable and have started moving away from using my Omega clasps, as much as I have loved using them. Most leather sports straps (Hirsch, RIOS, etc) are about 3mm thick at the hole/buckle end, so with strap only you're getting 6mm thickness when worn and slightly more at the keeper loops. Compare that to most deployants and you're adding another 3mm at least, usually more, for 9mm+ thickness. And then there's the added weight, not much, but it's more than a tang-buckle as well as the clasp possibly digging into your wrist. Lastly, I find it more difficult to get a good fit with deployant and I'm often between holes for best fit. Thus I've gone back to using a standard tang buckle with the strap. For comparison, my older Omega pushbutton bracelet clasps are just about 6-7mm thick when closed.

So now I'm on a mission to find good quality tang buckles to use on my straps. Omega's latest rubber strap buckle is again my standard but the price is very high.

 

Third post on WUS on the subject of RHD - Bob Davis . . .

I've bought more than a dozen deployant clasps from Bob in various finishes and each one is a gem.

Recently I wanted to purchase two more, but I noticed the WEB check-out was broken. I emailed Bob with the expectation I'd hear from him in a day or two as always. We would chat on the phone from time to time as well as I would send him a photo of my latest watch with strap and his deployant clasp in use, which he appreciated.

The other day I called Bob's number in Maryland and a woman answered the phone and indicated: "There is no Bob Davis here." I called again just to be sure that I had correctly punched in Bob's number the first time around . . . and once again, the same woman answered the phone and we had a short chat. It seems that she had recently been assigned Bob's number and she'd been fielding calls for him but simply stating that "there's no Bob Davis here." This is not a good sign.

I'm confident that Bob would have returned any payments received if he were able to do so.

~ Joe

 

the photos you used were from posts many many years old and a previous version. This isn’t a quality issue, it’s just a different design. youve been given the opportunity to send it back

 

Hi everyone, I know this is an old thread, but just would like to share my 2 cents about the Fluco clasp I got yesterday.
The clasp function is good , but the finishing and quality I rate 7/10. Somehow I feel the steel quality and finishing kinda cheap 😶 (made in Germany should be beyond things we can get from Temu or Aliexpress).A bit too much polish in my opinion , I prefer brush more. Comparing to the butterfly clasp on my Victorinox, I think Fluco is still lower in finishing and quality feel. I would like to see engrave Fluco name on the clasp. Anyway, the clasp is fine for the price ( comparing to crazy expensive 500$ ones from Breiting). I feel comfortable while wearing it and the feeling when you click and unclick it is good as a gentleman already mentioned in previous post. Im not sure about Artem, Hrish , Roma Harley and Straphabit...etc clasps does anyone here have experiences with other brands comparing to Fluco?