Yi Leather Green Distressed Watch Strap

Yi Leather Green Distressed Leather Strap

I deeply admire when somebody branches out and decides to make a career out of doing something he or she loves. The amount of courage it takes to put everything you have at risk to start a business cannot be over stated.  However, the reward is out of such businesses can come items infused with a singular passion that can immediately be felt the second you see and handle them.   I like the human side of products and places and knowing the story behind any given object only adds to the value.

I was informed about Yi Leather through a website with a picture of an aviation watch on a green strap.  I was immediately taken by the grain and texture of the strap and asked the owner who made it.  Well short story shorter, I placed my order that hour.  After a few conversations via email talking with the owner operator I was able to get the strap I wanted, in the size I wanted, with the stitching I wanted.  This level of customization is not commonplace in the strap community, and unheard of in the large vendors or distributors of watch straps.  Through these communications I was able to get a feel for the kind woman who would actually be making my strap and knew when I opened the envelope I was getting something special.

Below are a few words from Yi Leather website about her company:

YI Leather was founded in 2014 purely out of love with leather products that are handcrafted to suit YOU and each INDIVIDUAL. Sticking to the belief of doing what I love and as a career makes me a happy woman. I decided to take a leap of faith and jumped into an unknown field to begin my journey of leather crafting.    

With prior experiences in watchmaking and love for watches, I started out crafting watch straps and I am still in love with doing this. I was once asking by a friend which was my most impressive strap ever done. I thought about it for awhile and concluded that so long it is done with love, anything can be impressive especially if it bring smile to the wearer or user.

I craft mainly watch straps and occasionally receive some custom projects such as keyholders, notebook cover, watch rolls. check book cover and there will be more to come soon! 

And a few words specifically about the Green Distressed Leather Strap:

One of the latest distressed cowhide that we have. If you love the Incredible Hulk, you would love the green. Matches well with

bronze watches or any watches with green elements on it. 

Strap is done up in whipstitched style for the vintage look. 

DIMENSIONS

The strap I ordered from Yi Leather was the 20mm version, so all measurements listed are based on that model.  The strap starts off at 20.5mm as measured on my calipers.  I really prefer straps come in at a tad bit over as leather is a pliable material, and over time it will compress.  The extra bit of width keeps the leather pressed securely against the lugs for a very nice fit for a longer time.  The strap has a nice taper down to 18mm at the buckle and free end.  This is a good universal taper that walks the line between a sporty and elegant aesthetic. From lugs to tips, the strap is a uniform 3mm thick.

One of the benefits to ordering from an artisan like www.yileather.comis that you have the ability to vary the strap to your personal preference. You get to speak directly to the person who is making the strap. This is possible because she does not make the strap until you order it. It is this amazing ability to offer custom tapers, custom lengths, and custom thread colors, which make the strap a far more personal purchase.

DESIGN

Upon opening the envelope containing the Yi Leather Green Distressed Leather Strap, the first thing that hits you is the depth and permeations of the color.  The way the dye penetrates the grain yields an uncountable amount of variations of green which also changes as the strap is deflected and bent.  The strap appears to be a single layer construction secured together by an adhesive along it its entire length as well a dual whipstitch near the buckle and lugs. The precision of the stitching is impressive. The threading is tight and does not move on the strap while at the same time not distorting the leather and stretching out the threaded hole.  I really appreciate this as it gives the watch a touch of class and shows the artisan who made it respected the materials and cared about the final appearance. Unlike some other vintage leather styled straps there is no more stitching on the free end that goes into the keepers leaving a clean simple finish.  Omitting this feature is an interesting design choice I appreciate.

Fantastic coloring alone does not make a strap great.   Aside from the incredible color, the leather on this strap is quite good. I find quality leather has to perform a trick.  It must be supple enough to yield to the touch, while still having enough structural integrity to try to remain in the last shape it was bent.  I can report that the leather used by Yi Leather does this balancing act very well.  The finish on surface of the strap has a satin finish and while the grain is visually apparent, the surface is smooth to the touch.

On the underside of this strap is a beautiful linen-look embossed leather. Its color matches the sealing applied to the sides of the strap and is a very deep matte black.  This side sealing has a waxy feel to it and is heavily applied.   The edges of the strap are crisp and perfectly symmetrical with no waviness or distortion. The free end has 5 perfectly round holes stamped into leather for adjustment.

KEEPER AND BUCKLE

The keepers on the Yi Leather Green Distressed Leather strap are of the standard style.  One is fixed and one is floating. They have the same deep luxurious green dye as the rest of the strap with sealed sides for wear resistance and a uniform matching aesthetic as the straps.  They are sized perfectly to both hold the strap well while still being very easy to feed the free end of the strap through.  The buckle is polished steel and has a wire like construction. The sides are flat and slim transitioning to a nice variable thickness wire shape with chamfered edges.  I think it is one of the more elegant looking buckles I have seen.

HOW DOES IT WEAR

Since I was able to select my favorite taper, and length this strap fits me like a glove.  A 3mm thickness on some straps can create some stiffness and resistance to conforming to the wrist. I am happy to report that none of this happens on the Yi Leather Strap. It fell in place and wrapped around the wrist nicely on two different adjustment hole settings.  I found that I can wear this strap (on my 6.75” wrist) on the last and second to last adjustment hole with equal comfort depending on the time of day and how my wrist expanded and contracted. The strap maintains its wonderful depth of color on the wrist and is visually striking in the sunlight. The white stitching brings out any white detail on the watch dial and bezel, while the black sealed sides serve to give some visual contrast to the green and adds lots of interest.  I find myself staring at this watch strap many times an hour.  The green selected is rich in all its shades and wears like a luxury strap should.

After wearing it for a couple of days, I think this strap will age very well.  I think the green will pick up more varying degrees of depth and so far the strap has not frayed anywhere and remains smooth to the touch and is easy to buckle and pull tight.

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

With the depth of green on the strap and its black sealed edges, I think this strap is a shoe in for any black face watch.  It would also work equally well with white or even silver or gold dials. The ability to customize the thread stitching (options listed are white or pale yellow, but I get the impression Li Leather would be happy to work with you) gives you an ability to fine tune it to your time piece to a degree.  I feel any watch you put this strap on will be stylishly elevated in much the same way an old Jaguar E-type is elevated by a nice coat of British Racing Green.  There is something distinct about a deep rich green strap that I think Yi Leather has captured.  I would wear this on any racing style watch or aviation chronograph. About the only watch I would not put it on would be a watch with blue tones in it since I think it would clash a bit.

WHERE CAN I GET ONE

This is easy as the only place to get a Yi Leather strap is from Yi Leather.

https://www.yileather.com/products/copy-of-strap-black-tanned-distressed-22mm?variant=6896270901283

Keep in mind the strap you receive will probably not exactly match the one in the pictures, as they are constantly refining their production and processes.  But I think regardless of what you order you will get the same great communication and quality I have when I ordered this strap.  My recommendation is to email the owner and talk to her to make sure you both agree on what you are asking for. I found all my communications to be fast and friendly.