Cruelty-free alternatives to leather
I'm not judging. Just a short post with 6 recommendations.
(The issue is that much of the leather industry is mislabeled cat/dog skin from China and it's an awful industry. Other animals (calves etc.) also suffer a lot, regardless of the country of origin. Dominion is good documentary on YouTube if you're interested.)
Suggested options:
1. FKM rubber (blue one in photo above) is the most comfy option that is also durable. It's very soft but it's not gross and sticky like silicone. And it doesn't get damaged by water like leather. Price from around $7.
2. There's alternatives that look exactly like leather that are made from mushrooms, leaves, cork, etc. (Google vegan/plant leather.) I had a leaf leather wallet but I've not tried any straps yet. Price from $15 or so.
3. Fabric is comfy if you choose a nice soft one. Soaks up water so I prefer it in the winter when I'm not sweating all day. I find these are best with lightweight watches. Heavy watches can wobble more on fabric. (See photo below.) Price from $5.
4. Some G Shocks have soft-ish straps (like the green GBD-200 in the photo above) and others have a harder strap like the popular "Casi-Oak" models. I prefer the softer ones for sure. Durable but only fit G Shocks. Price is $50 to $150 for most common models, including the watch.
5. Metal expanding (no clasp at bottom). They feel like there's rubber bands inside but it's actually just many small metal springs. Very comfy and waterproof but can pull hair and they must be resized perfectly otherwise they squeeze too tight in my experience. I'm still a big fan though. Also super fast to pull on/off which is really convenient. Price starts at $7 or so.
6. Last one I've not tried personally is steel/titanium bracelets with fancy expending clasps (because the wrists change size slightly during the day). Can be very pricy and most are only available with a watch purchase so I don't own any yet. A cheap alternative is an expanding diving clasp but they are insanely huge so I wouldn't enjoy them personally.
Thanks for reading, I hope this was useful.
--------
I tried to upload this photo in the middle but it went to the bottom:
Expansion bands rule! Fabric can be elastic too.
I'm guessing the OP does not allow vintage NOS bands where the animal died before your birth.
Expansion bands rule! Fabric can be elastic too.
I'm guessing the OP does not allow vintage NOS bands where the animal died before your birth.
No that's fine. If it's just some old thing then you're most likely not paying for more production of that thing. Perfectly valid option.
But with stuff that's replaced by new stock then that sends money to the manufacturers to make more.
I'm a pretty big fan of Zuludiver's lunar straps, they're pretty comfortable and come in very nice colors