It has been a relatively slow year for the Apple Watch band community and market that we could only managed to have a few new good bands to review and recommend. Not only due to the fact that the Apple Watch design has not been changed so far over the few iterations causing less room for more innovative design on the watch bands can be achieved, but also there are major players that dusted indie or more local brands turning out to be buried gems.
FinWatchStraps is one of those that we have all missed. Based in Helsinki, Finland, and inspired by the beautiful Nordic nature and lakes, FinWatchStraps crafts products by orders individually, with high-quality ecological, durable materials and leather. Specializing in handmade, personalized customizable leather watch straps, they processes each unique orders with passion so that they match perfectly with the design of the watch of the client, and hand craft it to perfection.
Thanks to generous sponsor from FinWatchStraps, we are going to take a look at couple of their watch straps made of genuine Horween Leather from Chicago Tannery.
Specifications
- Thickness of the leather at 2.2 mm
- Durable waxed thread for stitching
- Band length: Small: 115mm/70mm; Medium: 125mm/75mm; Large: 135mm/80mm
- Adapter color: Silver or Black
- Buckle: Stainless steel polished (w/wo rounded corners), matte, or black polished
- Stitching color: Dark Brown, Grey, Orange, Black, Olive, Bright Red Dark Blue, Yellow, Beige
Horween Derby English Tan Leather Apple Watch band
- Buy now on eBay for $51 with free shipping
- Buy from FinWatchStraps eShop for US$39.57 (Shipping excluded)
Burgundy Horween Chromexcel Pull-up Leather Apple Watch band
- Buy now on eBay for $44 with free shipping
- Buy from FinWatchStraps eShop for US$39.57 (Shipping excluded)
Unboxing
The FinWatchStrap shipments arrived in envelopes and the bands are put into a color-matched gunny bags. There is also a simple thank you card with a 15% discount codeif you order again. Very simple packaging to get the job done yet offers a great storage option that can be easily put away without taking up much space.
Review and impressions
The Horween Derby English Tan Leather Strap comes with a relatively raw, rugged style. With minimal stitching work only near the polished steel buckle and adapters, as well as on the free loop, the tanned leather strap has a warm vintage style overall. The leather surface has refined finish whereas edges and the back side have a rough, rubbed finish which feels good on touching and wearing on wrist, however does less resistant to sweat and stain.
The strap leather is on the thin and soft side so it will not take time to get around the wrist perfectly, yet strong enough that I do not feel I will break it in any way. There are quite a number of adjustment holes on the band so it can basically fit a wide range of wrist size. Nonetheless, you can customize the length of the band at ordering as mentioned in the specification section.
The adapter quality is excellent. No friction at all when sliding into the slot on the Apple Watch, nor does it stick out any side. The buckle looks classic, well-polished and strong in nature.
Moving on to the Burgundy Horween Chromexcel Pull-up Leather Strap. It shares some similarity as the Horween Derby English Tan Leather Strap such as the stitching, and finishing on the edges and back side. However, it stands out with a more subtle feel with smaller buckle and an additional fixed steel loop near the buckle to not only help secure the longer strap better, but also add a bit more style when wearing it.
This Burgundy Horween Chromexcel Pull-up Leather Strap does look a bit more hipster-style aesthetically, especially with the darker color option considered here. It looks better on a Stainless Steel watch than a Space Gray or Black one as it shows more contrast in terms of color pairing. I do like this band more especially when I need to have formal outfit during most time throughout the week.
Conclusions
Followed by Da Luca and Black Forest Atelier, FinWatchStraps is a great option you can go for Horween leather Apple Watch bands without breaking the bank, especially when you are located in Europe region. Despite of criticism that it looks kinda old and used, a Horween leather strap is indeed a very nice companion with Stainless Steel Apple Watch and it does give a vintage feel and style that can easily fit in both business attire and smart casual outfit. Moreover, there are quite some styles to choose from and as well a number of options that you can customize your order from size to stitching. I definitely recommend you give a shot to FinWatchStraps if you like their style there.
What do you think about the Horween leather straps from FinWatchStraps? Let me know in the comments and be sure to check out more of their Apple Watch bands and other watch bands.
About Horween Leather
Horween and Chromexcel are the original pull-up leather produced using a bark retannage from a proprietary recipe, followed by genuine blend of natural oils and greases. The leather is characterized by a rich pull-up in full aniline, hand rubbed finishes. For more information, please visit www.horween.com.
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