When people decide which material to use for certain products, they often seek different alternatives. However, leather is one of the most common ones. If you don’t know much about this subject, you might be wondering why.
Basically, leather is a very versatile material. This is incredible because it means you can use it for many things. Therefore, handcrafters love to use it to make watch straps. Think about it and look around you. How many leather watch straps are on your watches? It’s likely you have one or two on a leather strap.
However, not many people know about the types of leather commonly used for watch straps. In this article, we will discuss this. If you want to know everything, keep reading!
Horween Chromexcel® Leather
This type of leather is one of the most famous among manufacturers. Many people believe it’s one of the best kinds you can buy. Horween Leather Company exists since 1905, and it was founded in the United States. It’s an American tannery, and many people love it because of its high-quality products. If we mention Chromexcel, we must point out that its leather is tanned in chrome. It’s the best type of leather for some things, whereas other types work better for different ones. Chromexcel is one of the best types of leather to use to make boots, bags, and wallets. Nonetheless, it’s the perfect one to make watch straps.
Epsom Leather
Epsom leather is a specific type of leather by the Hermes brand. It’s one of the most known ones for its durability and other aspects we’re about to mention. First, Epsom leather is one of the easiest leathers to clean. It’s stiff and has an embossed grain surface. Epsom’s common stamped-grain surface makes it one of the customers’ favorites, especially when they get the chance to behold it in their handbags’ straps or wallets. Likewise, the embossed feature allows Epsom to look stiffer, harder, and more rigid than other kinds of leather. Epsom is incredibly designed by Hermes, and its specific characteristics allow it to hold its shape no matter what. Finally, due to its stamped-grain texture, if you scratch it, it probably won’t show as much. It’s perfect for many different uses, especially for straps.
Pueblo Leather
Pueblo leather is special. It’s different from the two types of leather we’ve mentioned in this article. Unlike Horween Chromexcel leather, Pueblo originated far from the United States - in the region that also brought to life pizza and spaghettis. That’s right - Italy! Pueblo leather originated in San Miniato, Italy, specifically in a tannery called Badalassi Carlo. For over 40 years Badalassi Carlo has produced top-quality leathers. Nowadays, they’re known as one of the best tanneries worldwide. This specific type of leather is vegetable-tanned, which makes it look like it’s suede. Don’t worry, it’s not. If you look closely, you’ll find that Pueblo has a matte finished with some white scratches, which make it look more elegant and luxurious. Besides, unlike other kinds of leather, Pueblo gives off a specific fantastic smell. The main reason why this leather is so luxurious is that its making doesn’t include any chemicals. Thus, it has a natural beauty. We love it! Do you? If you have Pueblo leather, you won’t be able to stretch it. Likewise, it doesn’t crease much. It’s greatly used for watch straps.
Calf Leather
Calf leather is a very common type of leather different companies produce. As its name suggests, it’s made from a calf. Among all kinds of leather, this is chosen by many companies due to its versatility. If you compare calfskin with other kinds, you'll probably notice this leather has an incredible texture, lasts long and is immensely soft. Since calf leather comes from a younger animal, it has high amounts of collagen. Thus, calfskin is usually softer than aged leather due to its composition. However, although calfskin is softer, some people prefer aged leather due to cosmetic reasons. Nonetheless, if you want something with a different texture, this one is for you. You'll probably love the way calfskin looks and feels since the first time you wear it. Besides, it's immensely durable due to the way it's made. Calfskin is often used to produce many different things. Among the most common ones, we can find straps of all kinds because this leather is incredibly versatile.
The Bottom Line…
There are different kinds of leather, but all of them have specific characteristics that allow them to work best for some products. Likewise, many types of leather have rich origins and stories. They come from the United States, Italy and much more.
Which one is your favorite? We hope you know more of them by now!
