Leather Watch Band Buying Guide: How To Make the Right Choice

For a long time, timepieces have been a luxury item. They exhibit elegance. Style. Class. And, ironically, timelessness. Investing in a well-made watch can be a lifetime purchase or even more than one lifetime if it's handed down as an heirloom.

One thinks of days past when pocket watches were the staples of a robust wardrobe. They can be wonderful gifts if bought for the right person and fantastic treats for oneself. At the same time, they are a mark of a refined style and a quality utility that can get you to the right place on time.

In a lot of ways, timepieces have remained the same. They still embody all of the above and more. But with the invention of smartwatches, watches are no longer simply a reminder of quality and beauty. They are now marks of an ever-inventing future, where a world like Men in Black genuinely exists. With an Apple watch, you can talk to your friends, send texts, track fitness progress, and look up anything you need to without even a brief movement to your pocket for a phone.

Of course, Apple watches aren’t built to be handed down for generations, but they are a step forward to an increasingly more connected and digital world. On our wrists now resides something that has been around for so long, and yet something that is so new.

For this reason, we want to make the perfect representation with a  nod to the past and a look into the future. Leather has been used since the Stone Age and has over and over proved its worth and quality as a perennial material. With leather watch bands, your Apple product is elevated to the elegance and luxury of other timepieces without sacrificing the incredible benefits of such a  technologically advanced watch.

So how do you go about picking a watch band? What goes into it? How do you measure it? Is the type of leather important? Let’s take a look at each of these questions, in turn, to ensure you make the right choice.

Full Grain Leather Watch Straps: The Premium Choice

Leather watch bands have the advantage of comfortability and aesthetics that metal bands don’t have. The question is: is leather durable enough to be worn every day? Of course, the answer is yes. The process of leather tanning has been worked through over the course of thousands of years to ensure its intense and rugged durability. But not every type of leather proves to be as durable as others.

You need a leather band that can handle everyday wear on your wrist, exposed to the elements, and stay in pristine condition throughout the events of the days and weeks and months. Of all types of leather, full grain leather is the highest quality leather there is. It is sourced from the topmost part of the hide and is, therefore, the best quality cut of the hide.

Likewise, unlike its “genuine” counterpart, full grain leather is also cut from the same piece of hide. On the other hand, Genuine leather is an amalgam of different pieces of leathers sewn or stitched together to form a concoction of disparate parts. It is then painted over or pigmented to give the look of uniformity when in fact, it’s just a hodgepodge of different leathers.

Additionally, full grain leather ages beautifully, giving a gorgeous patina. This patina is utterly unique to whoever wears the watch strap, meaning your watch strap is another ode to the importance of your individuality. Full grain provides incredible resilience because of its high-quality cut, along with an added depth because of the way the patina develops as the leather ages.  

So, when looking for a leather watch strap, stay away from genuine leather since it won’t stand up to the wear life on your wrist requires. To match the quality of an Apple watch, a full grain leather watch strap is the only choice.

Leather Watch Strap Sizing

The next step in making the right choice for your leather watch band is to understand the sizing differences. This decision is entirely preference-based, so whatever size you decide you want is the right size. We just want to make sure you have all the information going forward so you can make a decision that corresponds correctly to what you want.

At Andar, we provide two sizing options that cover different thicknesses of watch bands. The first is a 38/40mm thick watch band, which equates to about 1 ½ inches. Next, we have a slightly thicker option which is 42/44mm thick. That is equal to about 1 ¾ inches. Should you have a smaller wrist, the first option is probably your best bet unless you’re in the market for an oversized look that has recently become in vogue.

And, of course, if you have a thicker wrist, the latter option is yours for the taking. Every band fits most wrists from 160-210mm, which is around a 6-8inch wrist circumference. And every watch band is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and SE.

But watch band sizing isn’t the only thing that goes into making the choice for the right leather watch band. You also have options for the different choices of leather and the hardware that complements the different natural tones of the full grain leather band.

Making the Right Choice: Leather and Hardware

It’s not easy to choose which leather watch band is the perfect one for you since they all have their own characteristics and natural aesthetic. The first option is Sand. The Sand watch band is a light brown that pairs beautifully with either the silver, black, or gold hardware that offsets the rugged brown of the leather.

For the 38/40mm options, silver, black, and gold hardware options are all available, while for the 42/44mm options, we provide only silver or black. All our hardware is made from stainless steel. If you want a lighter brown that complements almost anything in your wardrobe and stands out even if you’re wearing all muted colors, then this is the one for you.

Next are our Dark Brown and Jet Black options which are only available in the 42/44mm size. Paired with black hardware, our Jet Black option offers an unparalleled sleekness with its sable assets. If your suits or outfits trend towards a dark palette, then this watch band is the perfect addition. And our Dark Brown option looks bold against the silver hardware, which offers a source of variety for whatever you wear and pairs great with a leather wallet of the same style.

Your Path

In the end, it’s all up to you. The rich patina of full grain leather – the highest quality leather on the market – already accentuates your individuality. This means that any choice you make will become yours in the end because the leather ages uniquely to you.

With that said, there are some general rules. Keep in mind the thickness of the band and what suits your desires best, whether that’s a thickness appropriate to your wrist or an oversized look to be a bit more striking. When looking at the different leather types and hardware types, each of these is up to you. Which is perfect, because that’s what we wanted.

Sources:

Leather Resource | History of Leather

What Size Watch Band Do I Need? | Watch Band Measuring Guide

Man's Guide To Dress and Casual Watches | Which Bands and Movements To Buy