Not Stationery: One Star Leather Goods Shell Cordovan Watch StrapReview
- Horween Natural Shell Cordovan
- Brown
- Polished buckle
- 20mm width
Along with a Hobonichi cover (review and giveaway coming really soon!), Keegan over at sent over one of his two piece watch straps in natural shell cordovan. Shell is considered to be one of the finest leathers in the world, and OSLG’s craftsmanship pairs perfectly the quality of the leather. I opted for a 20mm strap, which fits my Timex Waterbury and my new Omega Speedmaster. Not sure what strap size you need? Look up your watch model and see what it says for “lug width”. Lets take a closer look at this strap.
The strap is made from shell cordovan. Like I said earlier, it’s one of the nicest leathers available. It’s durable, and looks fantastic as it ages. The natural finish especially. It will darken up over time (mine already has) and get more comfortable as time goes on. The finishing on the strap is excellent. The edges are smooth and everything is perfectly straight. It’s cut to a precise 20mm, and I didn’t have to force it between the lugs at all when putting the strap on my watch. The watch strap is folded and stitched around where the spring bar goes. There’s two stitches per side, and they’re all nice and tight. The side with the buckle has two polished chrome rivets that hold a sliding retention loop in place. This metal loop holds the excess strap. The buckle is definitely of high quality, with a bright and shiny chrome finish.
Like most leather, the strap required a little breaking in. After only a few hours of wear, the strap has conformed nicely to my wrist. It’s beginning to darken up, I feel like every time I wear it, it looks better and better. The buckle is low profile and light weight. It’s a straightforward strap, but the attention to detail and quality of materials is what makes it shine.
The is one of the nicest I’ve tried. I’ve worn a Horween Chromexcel NATO strap from Crown & Buckle for a few years, and the leather quality of the shell is just on a completely different level. I think that the OSLG strap is priced appropriately at $75. It’s one of those things that you don’t completely realize how nice it is until it’s on your wrist. I’m strongly considering adding another one to my collection in burgundy.
Would you like to see more reviews of goods outside of stationery like this one? Let me know in the comments below!