Amalthea: a goatskin I didn't expect to fall for

I wanted to write a blog post to review a leather that I have started to think is really quite special. I came across Amalthea earlier this year, and I've been wearing my Panerai PAM000 (or "zero" as I call it) on it ever since. 

Amalthea is a goatskin, but not your everyday garden-variety goatskin. It was described to me as a "heavyweight goatskin". I was a little intrigued by this - aren't goats all of a similar size? Apparently not, and I am reliably informed by the tannery that they only use "the larger, heavier skins compared to regular goats". This means the finished leather is thick for a goatskin, at around 3mm, though still thinner than my usual straps.

This is wonderful news for me. In the past I've found some lovely goatskin on my travels, only to realise that they are so thin they would need padding out to make a watch strap - and that's something I've always refused to do. As a result, the only goatskin I've ever offered in almost 20 years of making straps, are Heidrun and Anthracite (now sold out). If this makes you think I am picky about the leathers I offer - I am. This leather is also fully vegetable tanned, so ticks a lot of boxes for me - vegetable tanned leathers age so well.

After 45 minutes with the tannery foreman, who was keen to educate me on the relative size of goats (!) and talked me through the tanning process they use, I was won over. I brought some home, and I'm so glad I did.

One aspect I am always looking for in a leather is the potential for patina. This is why I always use either full or top grain leathers, and almost always vegetable tanned hides. This is both full grain and vegetable tanned, and after 3 months of wear my strap has started to darken and become more characterful. 

Amalthea features a rich, visible, and uniform natural grain that gives the strap a refined look, and as part of the tanning process it is glazed, so it has a shine that makes it look luxurious (and I will add, incredibly difficult to photograph!). The glazed finish actually makes the depth of colour change, depending on the light conditions, appearing to darken slightly under bright sunlight. 

Being a goatskin, it has a tight, dense fibre structure that makes it remarkably strong and tear-resistant, so despite it being thinner than many of the leathers I use, it will stand up to heavy wear just as well. Unlike many stiffer cowhide or thick calfskin variants that can require a break-in period, Amalthea feels soft, flexible, and comfortable against the skin from day one.

For me, this strap just works with my zero. Goatskin may not be as sexy as kudu or shell cordovan, but if you are looking for something a little thinner than my standard straps, and want something comfortable and hard wearing, then I really don't think you can do much better than Amalthea.

If you are tempted, Amalthea is available to order here to be made into a strap to your exact specifications. You select the width, length, stitching colour (FYI I have used "natural" thread in the strap photographed here) & buckle that you want, and I'll do the rest.