Luxury watch straps come in two main categories, which are leather and metallic. The ideal leather strap is one that is stylish and comfortable to wear while also providing the strength needed to secure your investment.

Which Type of Leather is Preferable?

Broadly speaking, you want a leather strap which is smooth with sophisticated craftsmanship. When viewing a leather strap online or within a shop in person, one thing that you want to look for is pores. This is because authentic leather displays a porosity that is inconsistent, which is referred to as grain; because it’s natural and no 2 sections will feel or look alike.

Imitation leather, on the other hand, will usually be machine printed, which means that it will resemble leather at first glance, but upon closer inspection will lack the look and feel of the real thing. The best leather that money can buy is full grained. With full grain leather you’ll notice miniature imperfections, which is a good thing because this means it has natural coloration and marbling.

Another thing to consider is the scent, which is currently not possible when shopping online (this will likely change with future technological advances). Authentic leather has a distinct fragrance which is a pleasant mixture of oat grass and cowhide, while synthetic leather will emit a chemical plastic scent.

Touch and Feel

Because true leather is absorbent and porous, this means it can be tested by wetting smaller areas and then watching to see what happens. With true leather, the liquid will be absorbed after a short time, whereas fake leather won’t. Touching and feeling it is also important if you’re shopping in a physical store. This is because authentic leather manifests a texture which is smooth on one side, that is referred to as the coarse or grain side (suede).

However, true leather should never feel smooth on all sides, because of the inconsistent texture that was mentioned previously. If you feel both sides of leather watch strap and it feels too smooth, this means it is very likely that you’re dealing with fake leather.

Split, Junction and Grain

Three key attributes to consider when purchasing a leather watch strap are the split, junction and grain. The split refers to the suede or rough hide portion. It is regarded as the hide’s weakest area yet comprises the largest portion of its backside thanks to the loose and soft fibers. It will often be split or shaved down, which will thin out the hide’s top layer.

The junction refers to the area where the grain and split meet one another. Here the fibers will begin to loosen, while the grain will transition into the suede/split portion of its hide. The grain refers to the hide’s top layer. It is prized for its high durability thanks to the fibers which are tightly woven and quite dense. It should be noted that any alterations which are applied to the hide’s top layer will negate its status as full grained leather.