Exotic leathers only make up about 1% of all globally-traded leathers by animal type, which explains why every exotic leather product remains highly unique and valuable. In this article, we will show you the different varieties of exotic watch bands, and the right way to take care of these valuable accessories.
A. Different types of exotic watch bands
Alligator straps
- Texture: Soft and flat
- Price: $200-$500 large square scales, $40-$120 smaller scales.
- Best for: Daily wear, formal occasions
- Durability: Medium
Alligator skin is soft, delicate and highly expensive. Despite its softness, alligator does not tend to stretch out, mostly due to the hard scales that can have a bony structure. However, the skin is more pliable than that of other reptiles. Therefore, alligator is usually easy to cut, stitch or fold. By far the most popular strap material for luxury watches is square scaled alligator. It’s a generally costly material with most brands charging around 400 dollars for a strap. The quality of the leather can vary greatly, high quality alligator exotic watch bands have a soft but firm feel while cheaper alligator straps tend to feel thinner and wear out more easily. It is semi-formal and works well with pretty much any metal case material. Over time, the alligator will lose its shine from wear, resulting in a matte appearance.
Crocodile
- Texture: Generally gloss, can also be matte.
- Price: $60-$100 lower quality, $150-$300 higher quality.
- Best for: Formal occasions (gloss), casual (matte)
- Durability: Low
Along with lizards, the classic leather for dress watches. Crocodiles generally appear flatter than alligators and have small wrinkles in between the scales. Generally suitable for formal occasions, glossy crocodile tends to lose its shine if worn very frequently. Generally speaking, alligator is more desirable due to its more 3D appearance but high quality saltwater crocodile or Nile crocodile can also be very desirable.
Ostrich
- Texture: rough and highly textured, often with quill bumps
- Price: $30-$250 (depending on the brand and quality)
- Best for: Casual
- Durability: High
Although highly interesting, ostrich leather is always very wrinkled. Full quill is more desirable than flat ostrich, although both are similarly durable. Due to its aged appearance, its best suited to more casual occasions.
Lizard
- Texture: Glossy
- Price: $30-$150
- Best for: Formal
- Durability: Low
High gloss lizard is the most classic formal watch strap material. Highly textured and somewhat fragile, it’s most suited to formal occasions. The high gloss finish will wear down somewhat quickly.
Stingray (Also known as shagreen or galuchat)
- Texture: Very hard cartilage
- Price: $100-$250 depending on polished or not, and pearls vs no pearls
- Best for: Most occasions
- Durability: High
Stingray comes in two different textures and two different appearances. Polished stingray (shown above) has the top layer of the small hard bumps polished off leaving a cross sectional series of pebbles while unpolished stingray has sharp bumps on the surface. Pearls are a small patch of white in the middle of the strap that gives it a distinct appearance for which it’s charged extra. Stingray is one of the few materials that can not be edge stitched due to its extreme hardness. It’s my personal favorite material for straps and is highly durable, water resistant, and suitable for all occasions.
B. How to take care of exotic watch bands
The biggest enemy of natural leather is sunlight and water. For you to protect your exotic watch bands as you can, be careful to avoid contact with sunlight, humidity or water. In particular:
- Itβs best to keep your exotic watch bands in a cool, dry place when not being used, and covered in a clean box or dust bag to prevent dust settlement.
- Do not forget to remove it before having a shower or bath.
- Don’t immerse your exotic watch bands in the sea or swimming pools.
- Avoid applying or spraying your skin creams or perfume directly onto your exotic watch bands.
- Remove the strap before you carry out any housework to prevent any greatly detrimental damage to it.
- If your strap needs cleaning, just rinse it in clean water only and don’t leave it to soak. Now, make sure that you dry it well using a soft cloth and then leave it to dry fully, without any exposure to the sun or other strong heat sources.
- If you drop your watch in the sink or get caught in the rain – take it off and let it dry for a night at room temperature. Then use a leather conditioner to bring it back to life from post-water stiffness.
- Sunlight and heat are two factors that have a significant impact on exotic leather. The more of those it gets, the darker it will become. You can wear a natural colored strap for months in foggy London and not notice much of a difference, but take it to Thailand for your vacation and your strap suddenly looks vintage. Just keep it in mind and respond appropriately depending on your preferred look.
- Ideally, you have to change your watch strap always, either by alternating watches or fitting the strap with a rapid-change system that allows you to change it easily daily. This system can be mounted on most models of the strap, and not just does it let you match your outfit with the strap, but it helps you in extending its lifespan too.
- Additionally, avoid fastening your exotic watch bands very tightly around the wrist. It is a bad habit that prevents proper blood circulation around your wrist, moreover it stresses the strap each time you move the wrist leading to an early deterioration of the watch band. Selecting a looser fit spares the strap from the constant strain that will damage your leather faster.
- When other ways fail to get rid of heavy stains as well as dirt, you can use the leather care products. The leather care for home leather furniture is one which fits well for removing dirty stains from your watch band. In case you do not have any, you can also utilize a simple homemade combination of water and baking soda. Mix a tablespoon of your baking soda into water of equal amount to form a paste. Then apply the paste on each part of your watch leather strap, and leave it on for a while. Subsequently, wash your paste off, and leave it to fully dry before reattaching your watch to the watch strap. It is good to cover the strap with special leather care oil after cleaning it.
- Finally, do not forget to select a lining which suits your requirements best. If you reside in a hot country or you practice sports while you wear your timepiece, go for a lining with extra-resistance.
B.A Handmade – Premier quality exotic watch bands provider in the US
B.A Handmade specializes in the design, manufacture and supply of quality exotic watch bands. All products are meticulously handcrafted or imported with clear origins. Sophisticated leather materials with neat lines are the advantages of watch straps at B.A Handmade. Moreover, all of our products are made from full grain leather – the best sort of leather with high durability and uniqueness.
You can choose exotic watch bands HERE or request your own customized straps. Besides, when you buy a leather strap at B.A Handmade, you will get a free needle buckle and strap replacement tools.
