Why alligator leather strap so expensive

by admin

Mar 22, 2022

Blog, Watch band information

Why alligator watch strap so expensive?

After the watch has been worn for a while, watch enthusiasts will consider replacing the watch with new custom leather watch straps for their favorite watch, when they search online, you will feel dazzled and difficult to choose the alligator watch strap. Prices from tens $ to thousands $, the commodity page through the aesthetic processing, are looking very professional, it is also difficult to see what the difference. Why is the price difference so big, what is the fishy, allow me to expand on.

Good crocodile skin is very rare and expensive, of course, there is a reason for this. Crocodile breeding conditions are harsh, slow growth and very grumpy like to attack each other, if they scratch to the abdomen can only basically eat their meat. In addition to the rare skin embryo with few defects, the leather-making process is also very difficult. The tanning process of crocodile skin includes soaking and cleaning, chemical treatment, cleaning again, double bleaching, acid bath treatment, chrome tanning, cutting thickness, secondary tanning, drying, dyeing, etc. There are not many tanneries that can get the quality right, which requires very professional skills and accumulation.

Real alligator vs fake alligator difference

I have seen Amazon or other online stores sell leather watch bands for sub $20.00, do the $100+ leather straps really make that big of a difference?

Straps under $20 are usually made of lower quality, plain leather that may crack/peel after extended use. This also includes the lining leather.
Some higher-priced straps are hand-stitched and are often considered more durable with better edge finishes.
Most straps under $20 are mass-produced in some factory in China that makes them in bulk and then replaces the logo on the lining with a brand logo with a white label on the strap. There may not be any further thought process that goes into improving the overall look/feel/quality of the strap.
Of course, there will be exceptions to both approaches. There may be straps under $20 that will outweigh their weight, and there may be straps over $100 that feel like they belong in the trash.
As always, the value is determined by the end user. Whether you want five $20 straps or one $100 strap is up to you. To me, I’d feel weird putting a cheap strap on such an expensive watch.

Different Types of Alligators

Which leather watch band is better? soft or stiff?

So, the casual viewer asks himself what the difference is between a couch that costs $500 and another that costs $5,000. And the answer is the kind of material used. This applies to wristbands as well!

So, the first reason why modern wristbands are thick and stiff is that most of them come from low-quality leather – which is stiff by itself. People who are not into leatherworking often mistake “stiffness” for “durability” – so manufacturers often employ this trick to make the client believe that the wristband they will be buying will be durable – and it really won’t.

This kind of leather will tend to crackle open in time and reveal its core – which often is a backing made in some sort of man-made leather (that is, artificial), and the effect will be both ugly to the eye and unpleasant to the skin.

This means that your leather wristband will have to be changed in a couple years and thrown away. A good leather wristband is like a pair of man-made shoes: it is practically eternal, if well-treated and made with top-quality leather.

Color tanned American crocodile

There are many varieties of crocodiles, but there are usually three kinds used to make alligator watch bands:

one is the American crocodile also refers to the Mississippi crocodile (we use this one for all our alligator watch bands), characterized by the absence of air holes, bamboo pattern neat and beautiful, very suitable for making watch straps;
second is the Nile crocodile, generally used for making bags, but the abdominal pattern is also suitable for making alligator watch strap;
The third is the Siamese crocodile also called Thai crocodile, the price is relative to the American and Nile crocodile to the people, the abdominal bamboo pattern is also very beautiful, there are small air holes, price of Siamese crocodiles is more affordable than American and Nile crocodiles.

The distinction between species is mainly in the pattern and pores, but in fact it is more important to see where it comes from.

Square-scale American Alligator skin

Square-scale American Alligator skin

As for the purchase cost, the American crocodile price is much higher than the Nile and Siamese crocodiles, and it is divided into imported processes and domestic processes. The cost of imported American crocodile is about five times higher than that of domestic Siamese crocodile. In order to cover up flaws or pores, the domestic process will make the dye layer thicker and the leather surface will be more oily in response to market demand which will lose its delicate texture. Drwatchstrap only sell the high-end American alligator custom watchbands.

Read carefully when you purchase genuine American Alligator watchband

Understanding the above background, it is not difficult to guess why the bad businessman trick us . More common, the process of Nile crocodile and Siamese crocodile is masquerading as American crocodile, which most people can not see the difference, but the cost difference is very large, the business need to be honest and has a long-term business philosophy in choosing the material. The worse, they are masquerading the embossing cowhide that a lot of people would recognize as crocodile skin. Be sure to read the material: If it says alligator grain cowhide, or bamboo grain leather, or square-scale embossed, they are actually all calfskin. When you buy genuine alligator leather watchband online, read the material carefully, make sure it is genuine American Alligator with square scale (or belly-scale). Not embossed calfskin.

Some genuine alligator leather watch bands with 316L quick release spring bars, very easy to remove can also avoid scratching the case. Available in black, brown, blue, green, red and more.

Handmade OEM leather Alligator Round-scale leather Watch Strap (with quick release spring bars ) $129.95