The Reason
An evolution of the calibration buckle design concept of Roland Iten with the same complexity and detail used in watchmaking, employed in the manufacture of a complex belt buckle.
Manufactured entirely by Montanari SA in St. Imier, Switzerland.
Functions
The buckle has two fundamental settings that allow the tension of the leather strap once attached to the buckle and being worn by the user, to be easily adjusted through a lever system. In addition, the mechanism by which the strap is fixed to the buckle allows for a quick release system to alternate between different custom made material and colour straps.
Technical Specifications
169 components in total constructing 59 different individually-engineered component elements. 11 axels in the construction. 6 low friction wheels sliding on three tracks along a mechanically leveraged ‘Superdriver’ carriage with friction control. Tension and impact control titanium architecture. 0-36 mm buckle expansion-contraction range. Weight: 93 grams. Self-locking mechanism to prevent accidental release.
A selection of the finished components. All screws are absent from the image.
These 19 components when assembled form the ‘superdriver’, the main assembly in the buckle that rolls up and down the main section of the structure of the buckle moving the strap
All of the rollers are made from stainless steel, the main carriage from titanium
The driver being assembled. The rollers are held in place by solid pins that click into a central sleeve allowing the external rollers to turn freely.
The assembled driver. Once finished as shown here, no lubrication is previewed
The components that form part of the side mechanism.
The black parts are made from titanium before being decorated then treated. The slimmer sections are made from stainless steel in this model, but can also be made from gold.
The steel section sits into the titanium piece.
Then 3 stainless steel screws hold the two pieces together.
The soft cerated edges on the inner curves are to facilitate grip when manipulating the buckle
The principle lever of the buckle that is pulled upon to adjust the length of the strap once the buckle is assembled. The first image shows the back that is viewed when the buckle is loosened in wear. The second image shows the surface that is more commonly viewed when the buckle is in its usual position.
The components that comprise of the assembled main lever.
8 baguette diamonds form the headlights.
The section that will eventually hold the tail of the strap onto the buckle.
The red colour is an anodized treatment used as a surface treatment for protecting or decorating a piece of aluminum.
Roland Iten’s manufacturing partner is Montanari S.A., based in Saint-Imier in Switzerland’s Jura Mountains
The system that sits under the above assembly to lock in place the tail of the strap
The first assembly of components to be added to the chassis.
The main shaft that holds together the tail section between pushed into place.
A collection of the assembled elements about to be added to the main structure.
The time taken to assemble the final buckle is between 3-4 hours. This is once all of the manufacture and decorating of the components is complete.
As with the manipulation of watch movement assembly, the technician wears protective finger cots to avoid his fingerprints touching areas that will be difficult to clean later.
Watchmakers precision screwdrivers are also used for the assembly.
Before and after assembly of the pieces that push against the underside of the strap when it is removed from the buckle. The rollers prevent the material under the strap from being damaged as it is being pushed free.
All of the pieces are solidly designed and built to handle the daily rigours of use.
The surfaces are polished and straight grained manually
The side levers link to the release mechanism for freeing the strap
One side of the buckle is assembled at a time.
Continuing to assemble the buckle.
Nearing completion with only a side section to be added.
Summary
There does not exist another company and brand producing mens mechanical accessories to the level shown on this page using the same technologies found in watchmaking, made in Switzerland.
The final buckles are easy to manipulate, solid, well conceived and constructed with a vision of reliably performance into the future.
The first image below shows the top of the buckle prior to it being clipped into position, that is shown in the following image. A small spring loaded ball bearing system can be viewed in the side of the first image
The two positions of the belt buckle that allow for the 36 mm of movement of the strap.
The first image shows the tail section open so that the strap can be slid into position, the second is closed.
Open
Closed
The final buckle with the strap in place.
Default position.
Loosened position.
Original sketches made by Roland Iten
OPTIONS
· 35mm calfskin leather straps are available in a choice of colors (exotic skins available on request).
· Buckles are available in 18-karat white gold, 18-karat 5N red gold, and/or Steel, with a titanium architecture and the ability to further customize certain parts with coloured titanium and/or aluminium components
To learn more about Roland Iten click on www.rolanditen.com