On my travels a couple of months ago I came across a few new and different leathers that I found interesting and wanted to try. Over the past 8 weeks or so I’ve been making some straps from them, and putting them through their paces. A couple didn’t make the grade for one reason or another (unfortunately this is normal – until I start working with a leather it’s not always obvious whether it will work as a watch strap, and some simply don’t work out), but I’m pleased to announce six did. This morning I launched them onto my website store, and I’m very excited to show them to you!
These six are all leathers that I found on my latest pilgramage to a leather wholesaler that I’ve been using ever since I started making watch straps. Over the eighteen years or so I’ve been visting them I’ve built a good relationship with them, and so now they put leather aside for me if they think it will be something I like. I try to get to see them a couple of times a year, and they never let me down. I always find they have something interesting for me when I get up to see them. This trip was no exception, and (as always) I came away having spent far more than I planned to. Here they are, in no particular order. I hope you like them.
Kiwi
The first is a leather I’ve decided to call Kiwi. When I saw this I knew I had to take it – I hope you can see why. The popularity of Candy & Ultraviolet over the last couple of months has shown me that there is a definite demand for brightly coloured leathers, so for anyone who has enough browns and blacks in their strap collection, Kiwi should be of interest.
Just to be clear – I don’t actually think you can ever have enough brown or black straps, but I do like the occasional splash of colour too!
Titan
Titan is one that I can see I will be wearing a lot. It is a very soft leather in a pale blue colour. When I first saw this it was inside under artificial lights and I thought it was a light grey, but taking it outside I found it’s actually a pale (almost baby) blue colour. I’m a sucker for a light coloured leather on my Panerai, and I know this would work so well with my Zero that I had to have it. I’m pleased I did.
Cherry Bomb
Cherry Bomb is a leather that I wasn’t sure about when I first saw it. Not because of the way it looks. I loved the dark cherry red colour, and the shiny crackled glaze, but it is very thin (the leather it’self is just 1mm, so the straps will be only 2mm thick). Normally I won’t consider a leather that is less than 1.5mm thick, but I liked it so much I took a chance and have been testing it for the last couple of months to make sure it will stand up to daily wear. I’m pleased to say it does. For such a thin leather it’s very robust and has performed admirably as my daily wearer over the last 6 weeks.
Nirvana
Nirvana is probably my personal favourite of the six. It’s an Italian veg tanned leather from a small Tuscan tannery, and has a sharkskin emboss which makes it a little different. This has a similar handle to Horween Essex (and anyone who’s familiar with Horween Essex will know just how soft and pliable a leather that is) and is a lovely warm yellow that reminds me of custard (and I love custard!). This is highly recommended.
Iguana
The fifth is a leather I’m calling Iguana. It’s a calf leather with a lizard emboss in a dark, warm brown colour. It’s another thin leather, albeit not as thin as Cherry Bomb, but straps in Igiuana leather will be approx 2.5mm thick. It’s a classic brown strap for anyone looking for something a bit less casual than many of the leathers I use, and although I’ve chosen to stitch it with natural thread for the store page photos, I think light brown or dark brown stitching works just as well.
Marlin
The final leather is called Marlin, and is a thick, bright blue patent leather. This was something that caught my eye as soon as I saw it, and although it doesn’t have the very high shine finish that many patent leathers have, it certainly isn’t matt. This is a substantial strap, so better suited for larger watches, but perfect for a Panerai.
So here they are, and I hope you like them. They’re all live on my site now and I’m taking orders for them (and the other 100 or so leathers I have in stock), so check out my wesbite store and get in touch if you have any questions.