LEATHER STRAPS
Leather strap is attached to the case and closes with a pin buckle or a folding clasp.
It can be made of different leathers and is comfortable to wear. If the watch is worn every day a leather strap will have to be replaced after a certain time. We can say that it is a consumable good. There are different qualities of bracelets, especially in terms of the stitching.
Some are hand sewn, others machine sewn. Some are upholstered and some are lacquered.
Historically, leather bracelets were often made of calf or cowhide and other leathers have been added. In particular exotic leathers such as alligator, ostrich, elephant, lizard or python for example.
Alligator (alligator misisipiensis to be precise) has been for many years the leather of choice in the high-end category.
Some exotic hides, including the msisipiensis alligator, require CITES export documentation certifying that they are farmed hides and not sourced elsewhere.
Pigskin has also been used in some cases, but this poses a problem of acceptance in some cultures.
With the emergence of certain animal rights groups, the popularity of leather has declined somewhat. This is also due to the arrival of rubber bracelets or NATO bracelets which have the advantage of being easier to export.
Advantages: Its flexibility makes the leather strap particularly comfortable to wear.
Disadvantages: It is a consumable good, because it is particularly sensitive to moisture. It must be replaced from time to time, which has its price.
For the artisanal method the leather bracelets are regularly hand sewn with the saddle stitch technique. The advantage of this stitching is that it does not open in case of one or more breaks.
Also, when a bracelet is hand sewn there is only one thread used. So when the color of the thread is the same on the inside and outside of the bracelet, it is usually a hand sewn bracelet.
For the industrial method the leather strap is almost always machine sewn.
A sewing machine having a thread coming on top and a second one coming underneath when we see two threads of different colors we have the confirmation that it is a machine sewn bracelet.