Problems of Living With a Leather Strap
Genuine leather and luxury go hand-in-hand. From our wallets to even shoes, for high-end meetings and parties, we prefer to carry something that is made out of leather. So, why not the strap of our watch as well? There are plenty of leather strap watches available in the market. You can even swap your bracelet or rubber strap for a leather strap and it just enhances the look of your watch. There are a plethora of options starting from alligator leather to calfskin leather. However, leather is not considered a durable material.
Yes, it looks premium but it is not something you can carry every day due to its low durability.
Heat and Sweat: Leather’s Worst Enemies
During the summer, especially here in Dubai, your wrist inevitably generates heat and sweat. Due to the sweat on your wrist, you can collect moisture around the area where your wristwatch usually sits. Leather, unfortunately, doesn’t respond well to moisture. Over time, sweat can start to damage the eventually cracking it. The natural oils from your skin also contribute to the breakdown of leather. This just further adds to the deterioration of the strap.
In fact the idea for this blog post article hit me when a client reached out to me asking for a leather strap replacement. He asked me if I could get him a strap that doesn’t crack like his last two leather straps. I immidetly knew what is going on in here. My client was wearing his leather-strapped TAG Heuer Monaco on a daily basis. So, I recommended him either to keep that watch aside for special occasions or get a rubber strap for it.
Overall Shorter Lifespan
Besides the fact that leather does not work well with sweat and heat, it overall gets worn out quicker than its alternative options. What starts as a soft, comfortable strap can quickly turn into a brittle, uncomfortable band that doesn’t look as polished as it once did. While you can always replace straps, that is not the ultimate solution as replacing them frequently can also become quite costly.
Yes, there are some high-quality premium alligator leather straps that can last longer than other leather straps. However, even they cannot last as long as a bracelet would.
Best Alternatives to Leather Straps
Now that you know you cannot carry a leather strap watch every day, what are your options? If you want a strap, you can consider rubber straps as they tend to last longer than their leather counterparts. Also, you get plenty of color and design options to choose from. Only caveat here is that they don’t look as premium as leather. If you want something durable that also looks premium then you need to explore bracelet options. But not all watches support bracelets.
So, it is when you are buying the watch, you have to think of how you are going to use the watch. A watch that you will only wear occasionally can be equipped with a leather strap. And a watch that you will wear every day to work, it has to be one with a rubber strap or a bracelet depending on your preference.
