Despite The Great "Third Party Band/Strap" Thread, I miss a thread on luxury leather straps for our Apple Watch. In particular interested in bands made of calf- or cow leather so not alligator, salamander or other species.
As a collector of vintage IWC's and Rolex’s I do enjoy the look of a leather straps on watches. Of course never compare these with the Apple Watch being a totally different watch.
I bought my first Apple Watch steel 42 mm last september when it became available in the Netherlands. I got it with the black Sport band and additionally bought an Apple Milanese band and PRODUCT red one. As stand I got an ElevationLab NightStand. BTW this stand is really a terrible design so I ordered an Spigen 350 stand, which suits much better.
Being an Apple evangelist for 30 years, the Apple Watch was a must have ‘gadget’, wether I would like it or not. Well, I did’t. watchOS 1 was so slow, without twisting your wrist, the screen was hard to read during running and no native apps were available. I waited for watchOS 2 which gave sone improvements on options and speed, but for me wearing the watch all day, it was not optimal. Also important was the fact that I did not wear my mechanical watches anymore. I gave the watch to my eldest son and he wears it now with pride and joy.
Back to mechanical watches only, I needed another watch for running. I use iSmoothRun on iOS and as I know the developer of iSmoothRun for quite some time I asked him for advise. He told me to buy a Pebble Time as he also makes a native app for Pebble OS so could easily compare. Pebble OS is blinding fast with iSmoothRun so I took the plunge and bought a Pebble Time. I have it now for about 4 weeks and for my use it is a great performer.
What a big surprise that 2 weeks ago at a sudden a parcel arrived from Germany. Inside was a watch I got as a present from business associate. It became even more pleasant when I found out it was a Hermès Single Tour version in fauve.
Well, of course I could not refuse this present so I must admit I wear an Apple Watch again and… I love it.
One of the advantages of the Apple Watch is the ease of switching straps. As there was only one strap with the Apple Watch I wanted to buy some others (again). The Hermès strap is of course beautiful, but not for everyday use. I keep it in a drawer for special occasions only.
No doubt the black Sport band would be my first purchase, simply because it is IMHO the best Apple Watch strap available. The material feels like velvet and wears very pleasant indeed. It is also the cheapest Apple strap.
What about a milanese again ? It is lovely build, relatively cheap compared to the other Apple metal bands, but IMHO not in par with the looks of a smart watch. I have some vintage milanese straps for an IWC Mk XII and XV but with the high tech Apple Watch it felt not right. That said, it might perfectly fit with the Hermès watch faces, so I have to further investigate that. If somebody has a picture ?
No other steel bracelet Apple Watch bands for me. Sure people love them but they are too pricey for what they actually weight. Don’t shoot, I am just too much used to the heavy vintage watches.
What about leather then ? The topic of this thread and the material which gives the Apple Watch such a different look.
Apple has some nice ones, although I prefer the Classic Buckle type. The Modern Buckle band is too expensive for just adding this ridiculous buckle, and the Loop doesn’t look like leather and has no adapter system. A bit an odd design.
So, if I buy leather it must feel and smell like such and after use it must look and wear as only real (natural) leather can.
I did some initial research on the Classic Buckle and came not further than some cheap knockoffs, which almost looks the same but are so different on detail. Superphen's Tech Blog was a great help learning and discovering (http://superphen.co)
I first ordered the Black Buckle (rev 2) because it has a nicer texture (grain) than the saddle brown one. When it arrived the next day, I was pleasantly surprised because it looks actually quite well with the stainless steel Apple Watch.The buckle is well designed and perfectly fits the watch. After I did the smell test, I felt less happy. If I should do some blind testing is also could be some cheap China made plastic object if you know what a I mean. The design of the Classic Buckle is a true Apple design and in mind for a big audience. At the end though, it has nothing to do with ‘real’ leather…
Did I do wrong buying the black Classic Buckle ? No, of course not as it gives the Apple Watch a distinct look. Especially the adapters play a role in this. After a few days I was in love with the black Classic Buckle so I ordered the saddle brown one. It was of no surprise it looks totally different than the black one. Completely without grain and more like the Hermès strap if not identical in color. Feels smoother too and in a couple of months I hope it will develop a nice patina. Let’s see what some "skin oil" can do… of course from my own skin
If apart from the smell and leather texture, the Classic Buckle would improve for me the overall look of the Apple Watch, what would other high quality straps do ? So here’s my reason to start this thread.
During the last days I have been busy looking for other leather straps that came in mind for purchase. Till so far I have not found many though. Perhaps I should first be more clear in my definition of an high quality strap.
- made of 100% calf- or cow leather
- made by hand or at least partly hand sewn
- stitching (please read this excellent article from Mike Rundle https://medium.com/@flyosity/inconvenient-truths-about-the-apple-watch-11bafa44551b#.oasdlmk5d
- wow effect
- quality looks on detail etc.
Bearing in mind the price I pay for IWC leather straps, I would not mind paying USD 100-150 for some above well crafted bands.
Particularly in the USA but also in Vietnam and Italy, small ateliers make nice leather Apple Watch straps which fulfill a nichae.
Let’s start with the first that came in mind as it is also the first leather straps I read about middle 2015 anyway.
The Nomad strap. http://www.hellonomad.com/products/strap Nice natural leather with ditto stitching, awesome wear after use, a Panerai like buckle (which I don’t like for its huge size) but probably made somewhere in China so with a price tag of USD 150 overpriced. See the knockoffs on Amazon which look almost the same but with a friendlier pice. http://www.amazon.com/iStrap-Vintag...r_p_img_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FESSA1YCWN2T53RM8W9
Hoco make a identical Classic Buckle band which you can buy here http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016...-Excellent-Top-Layer-leather/32589809110.html and is discussed here http://superphen.co/2016/01/30/revi...assic-buckle-15-us-itunes-gift-card-giveaway/
But once you have seen the real thing there is no way back.
Some Etsy mentions:
Black Forrest Ateliers (Vietnam) this strap comes in my mind https://www.etsy.com/listing/236729589/sale-handmade-vintage-leather-strap
Pionier1956 (Vietnam) (identical strap as above)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/235906930/custom-made-vintage-leather-strap-incl
AttirailStraps (France)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/236729589/sale-handmade-vintage-leather-strap
Some mentions if you love NATO or ZULU straps:
Choice Cuts (USA)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/choicecuts?ref=l2-shopheader-name
BuonGustoItaliano (Italy)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BuonGustoItaliano?ref=l2-shopheader-name
E3 Supply Co. (USA)
http://e3motorcycles.com/collections/watch-bands-for-apple-watch
I realize that a lot of above straps are a bit the same i.e. with NATO/ZULU look hardware. If you are looking for a NATO/ZULU strap ‘made by Apple’, it might be interesting to wait for the March 15th Apple Event were probably new straps will be announced. Sources say NATO band are among them, but as we all know Apple, they probably will come in some special material and certainly not in leather.
Some other lovely products from you get at Pad & Quill http://www.padandquill.com/apple-watch-accessories.html but my taste says that should use a light color stitching.
Last but not least I found a small atelier which makes really beautiful bands: Bexar Goods from Texas USA. http://www.bexargoods.com/collections/watch-straps
There is hardly info on their bands (some on MacRumors) and most photos are with black hardware only. I contacted them a couple of day sago with some questions and hope to hear from them soon. These straps are definitely above on my shortlist.
Well I hope you didn’t mind my thoughts and I am looking forward to all comments and contributions
As a collector of vintage IWC's and Rolex’s I do enjoy the look of a leather straps on watches. Of course never compare these with the Apple Watch being a totally different watch.
I bought my first Apple Watch steel 42 mm last september when it became available in the Netherlands. I got it with the black Sport band and additionally bought an Apple Milanese band and PRODUCT red one. As stand I got an ElevationLab NightStand. BTW this stand is really a terrible design so I ordered an Spigen 350 stand, which suits much better.
Being an Apple evangelist for 30 years, the Apple Watch was a must have ‘gadget’, wether I would like it or not. Well, I did’t. watchOS 1 was so slow, without twisting your wrist, the screen was hard to read during running and no native apps were available. I waited for watchOS 2 which gave sone improvements on options and speed, but for me wearing the watch all day, it was not optimal. Also important was the fact that I did not wear my mechanical watches anymore. I gave the watch to my eldest son and he wears it now with pride and joy.
Back to mechanical watches only, I needed another watch for running. I use iSmoothRun on iOS and as I know the developer of iSmoothRun for quite some time I asked him for advise. He told me to buy a Pebble Time as he also makes a native app for Pebble OS so could easily compare. Pebble OS is blinding fast with iSmoothRun so I took the plunge and bought a Pebble Time. I have it now for about 4 weeks and for my use it is a great performer.
What a big surprise that 2 weeks ago at a sudden a parcel arrived from Germany. Inside was a watch I got as a present from business associate. It became even more pleasant when I found out it was a Hermès Single Tour version in fauve.
Well, of course I could not refuse this present so I must admit I wear an Apple Watch again and… I love it.
One of the advantages of the Apple Watch is the ease of switching straps. As there was only one strap with the Apple Watch I wanted to buy some others (again). The Hermès strap is of course beautiful, but not for everyday use. I keep it in a drawer for special occasions only.
No doubt the black Sport band would be my first purchase, simply because it is IMHO the best Apple Watch strap available. The material feels like velvet and wears very pleasant indeed. It is also the cheapest Apple strap.
What about a milanese again ? It is lovely build, relatively cheap compared to the other Apple metal bands, but IMHO not in par with the looks of a smart watch. I have some vintage milanese straps for an IWC Mk XII and XV but with the high tech Apple Watch it felt not right. That said, it might perfectly fit with the Hermès watch faces, so I have to further investigate that. If somebody has a picture ?
No other steel bracelet Apple Watch bands for me. Sure people love them but they are too pricey for what they actually weight. Don’t shoot, I am just too much used to the heavy vintage watches.
What about leather then ? The topic of this thread and the material which gives the Apple Watch such a different look.
Apple has some nice ones, although I prefer the Classic Buckle type. The Modern Buckle band is too expensive for just adding this ridiculous buckle, and the Loop doesn’t look like leather and has no adapter system. A bit an odd design.
So, if I buy leather it must feel and smell like such and after use it must look and wear as only real (natural) leather can.
I did some initial research on the Classic Buckle and came not further than some cheap knockoffs, which almost looks the same but are so different on detail. Superphen's Tech Blog was a great help learning and discovering (http://superphen.co)
I first ordered the Black Buckle (rev 2) because it has a nicer texture (grain) than the saddle brown one. When it arrived the next day, I was pleasantly surprised because it looks actually quite well with the stainless steel Apple Watch.The buckle is well designed and perfectly fits the watch. After I did the smell test, I felt less happy. If I should do some blind testing is also could be some cheap China made plastic object if you know what a I mean. The design of the Classic Buckle is a true Apple design and in mind for a big audience. At the end though, it has nothing to do with ‘real’ leather…
Did I do wrong buying the black Classic Buckle ? No, of course not as it gives the Apple Watch a distinct look. Especially the adapters play a role in this. After a few days I was in love with the black Classic Buckle so I ordered the saddle brown one. It was of no surprise it looks totally different than the black one. Completely without grain and more like the Hermès strap if not identical in color. Feels smoother too and in a couple of months I hope it will develop a nice patina. Let’s see what some "skin oil" can do… of course from my own skin
If apart from the smell and leather texture, the Classic Buckle would improve for me the overall look of the Apple Watch, what would other high quality straps do ? So here’s my reason to start this thread.
During the last days I have been busy looking for other leather straps that came in mind for purchase. Till so far I have not found many though. Perhaps I should first be more clear in my definition of an high quality strap.
- made of 100% calf- or cow leather
- made by hand or at least partly hand sewn
- stitching (please read this excellent article from Mike Rundle https://medium.com/@flyosity/inconvenient-truths-about-the-apple-watch-11bafa44551b#.oasdlmk5d
- wow effect
- quality looks on detail etc.
Bearing in mind the price I pay for IWC leather straps, I would not mind paying USD 100-150 for some above well crafted bands.
Particularly in the USA but also in Vietnam and Italy, small ateliers make nice leather Apple Watch straps which fulfill a nichae.
Let’s start with the first that came in mind as it is also the first leather straps I read about middle 2015 anyway.
The Nomad strap. http://www.hellonomad.com/products/strap Nice natural leather with ditto stitching, awesome wear after use, a Panerai like buckle (which I don’t like for its huge size) but probably made somewhere in China so with a price tag of USD 150 overpriced. See the knockoffs on Amazon which look almost the same but with a friendlier pice. http://www.amazon.com/iStrap-Vintag...r_p_img_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FESSA1YCWN2T53RM8W9
Hoco make a identical Classic Buckle band which you can buy here http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016...-Excellent-Top-Layer-leather/32589809110.html and is discussed here http://superphen.co/2016/01/30/revi...assic-buckle-15-us-itunes-gift-card-giveaway/
But once you have seen the real thing there is no way back.
Some Etsy mentions:
Black Forrest Ateliers (Vietnam) this strap comes in my mind https://www.etsy.com/listing/236729589/sale-handmade-vintage-leather-strap
Pionier1956 (Vietnam) (identical strap as above)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/235906930/custom-made-vintage-leather-strap-incl
AttirailStraps (France)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/236729589/sale-handmade-vintage-leather-strap
Some mentions if you love NATO or ZULU straps:
Choice Cuts (USA)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/choicecuts?ref=l2-shopheader-name
BuonGustoItaliano (Italy)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BuonGustoItaliano?ref=l2-shopheader-name
E3 Supply Co. (USA)
http://e3motorcycles.com/collections/watch-bands-for-apple-watch
I realize that a lot of above straps are a bit the same i.e. with NATO/ZULU look hardware. If you are looking for a NATO/ZULU strap ‘made by Apple’, it might be interesting to wait for the March 15th Apple Event were probably new straps will be announced. Sources say NATO band are among them, but as we all know Apple, they probably will come in some special material and certainly not in leather.
Some other lovely products from you get at Pad & Quill http://www.padandquill.com/apple-watch-accessories.html but my taste says that should use a light color stitching.
Last but not least I found a small atelier which makes really beautiful bands: Bexar Goods from Texas USA. http://www.bexargoods.com/collections/watch-straps
There is hardly info on their bands (some on MacRumors) and most photos are with black hardware only. I contacted them a couple of day sago with some questions and hope to hear from them soon. These straps are definitely above on my shortlist.
Well I hope you didn’t mind my thoughts and I am looking forward to all comments and contributions
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