Leather Strap from Velle Alexander - Highly Recommended
Just got a new strap from Velle Alexander and wanted to share my enthusiasm for this product and it's maker. I struggle to choose from the tons of options when buying straps, whether nylon natos or leather straps. I've spent countless hours reading reviews and posts across all the forums, so hopefully this might help one of you.
I was looking for a new leather strap in 22mm to go with a couple watches. I considered Bas and Lokes, SNPR, Craft & Lore, Two Stitch, Fin Watch Straps, The Strap Tailor, and many more -- all worthy options. Yeah, I was caught up in a spiral of indecision. I had looked at Velle Alexander straps a bit over the past few months, but then heard him on The HourTime Show podcast a few weeks back and decided to give him a try.
He has a ton of options, you make your selections, then he reached out via email to be sure everything was correct. He even guided me on colors to get exactly what I wanted, sending photos and being extremely patient. Yeah, they are a bit pricey (mine was $210 + $10 shipping), but totally worth it for a custom, high-end, high-quality strap. Leather is soft and supple, no imperfections, and the product is incredibly well made.
Compare that with Hodinkee, where I paid $155 + $8 shipping for a leather strap that arrived with nicks on the fold (they did offer to replace but I declined), and $170 + shipping for their Newman bund strap that's made with quite thin yet surprisingly stiff leather. (the wife got me a gift card so I had to use it.)
IMHO the prices at Velle Alexander are well worth it and the quality shines through. Plus, happy to support an independent craftsperson.
Just my two cents. 😀
Into Bremont, Tudor, Vertex, Christopher Ward, and most other watches, sadly. Have way too many divers.
Wow. That's a beautiful strap. I love it!
Great looking strap!
I’ve bought a few from Hodinkee, but am not super impressed.
Great looking strap!
I’ve bought a few from Hodinkee, but am not super impressed.
Same re: Hodinkee straps. In fact, I read an article on how to distress leather (just rub with rubbing alcohol and beat it up) and did it with the Hodinkee. It looked pretty cool after a couple alcohol sessions, but then my wife got involved and recommended trying OxyClean on it. Well, that took the look from "distressed" to "40-year-old saddle stored outdoors in the rain" - see here:
😂
Same re: Hodinkee straps. In fact, I read an article on how to distress leather (just rub with rubbing alcohol and beat it up) and did it with the Hodinkee. It looked pretty cool after a couple alcohol sessions, but then my wife got involved and recommended trying OxyClean on it. Well, that took the look from "distressed" to "40-year-old saddle stored outdoors in the rain" - see here:
😂
You’re description is hilarious 🤣. That strap looks rough. I’ve used olive oil to darken straps before… I’ll stay away from OxyClean in the future.