Herren Marke Callaway Saddle Tan Collectors Series

I have the pleasure of seeing a lot of straps these days.  The styles and quality on offer from different vendors varies from precision made German Straps that exhibit technical excellence in materials, construction and execution on one end of the spectrum to simple handmade Italian straps that have an endearing warmth and softness on the other.  Fine watch straps have as many flavors as fine wines and craft beers.  In this land of tanned leathers and contrast stitching I try to sample from both the larger age old distributors as well as from the hand made one off craftsman, or the microbrewer if I may stretch that metaphor even farther.   Today’s strap review is the creation of one man, a Mr. Buford Crumley who owns and operates and creates Herren Marke fine leather watch straps.

While I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Crumley, I can tell you that his work speaks volumes about the man.  His straps come from leathers he personally chooses from local tanneries versus online leather distributors. Why is this special? Leather is the medium of the watch strap maker in the same way paint is the medium of the painter.  It is not often the artist gets to pick out his own custom paint by hand. Mr. Crumley goes through this process to ensure the end product starts from the very best material.  This attention to detail shows in his work and his products are not meant to be like anybody else.  His straps have a style I have not seen before and you can tell a bit of his personality is in each strap.  The very name of his business Herren Marke is German for gentlemens mark, and I think that comes out in his products.

The strap I purchased was the Herren Marke Callaway – Saddle Tan: Collectors series in 20mm. Before I get to my review, this is how Mr. Crumley describes this beautiful strap:

The Callaway strap is made of a Distressed Saddle Tan colored pull-up leather that promises to age over time along with your beautiful timepiece. This band is lined with a soft and supple cowhide that is treated with a water-repellent wax to retain its moisture and extend the life of the band. This band is sure to add style and class to that Vintage Rolex, Omega Speedmaster, Tudor Black Bay, as well as any other timepiece you own, exceptionally. You can choose to have the band taper or have it straight. Straps come with a stainless steel brushed buckle.

DIMENSIONS

I stated this is a 20mm version of this strap, but since this is totally handmade (dare I call it in house) strap, you can get it made to any width, length, and taper you wish.  So the dimensions are only limited by your imagination as Herren Marke will make the strap to suit your custom needs.  My strap did come in at 20.1mm at the lugs and tapered down to 18.2mm at the free and buckle ends of the strap.  The thickness was 2.8 to 2.9mm along its entire length.  My strap length that I selected was the for the 6.6”- 7” strap making the length of the free/buckle ends 115/80mm respectively. They were true to measure within about 1-2mm.   My strap came with 6 adjustment holes and on my 6.75” wrist I am on the second to last hole for a perfect comfortable but stable fit.

DESIGN

As mentioned on the manufacturer website, this strap is made from ‘pull-up’ leather. I had no idea what this meant, so I did some digging in order to educate myself, and thusly my readers.  In a nutshell pull up leather starts off life in a similar way as distressed leather.  However, a process change in how the waxes and oils are applied differentiates the two.  Pull up leather is dyed in a drum the same way distressed leather would be. This dying creates a deep penetrating color that permeates the hide.  After dying the leather is finished with a coat of waxes and oils applied thickly with a roller and vacuum dried. This gives it a nice soft feel and a beautiful sheen.  When the leather is stretched or pulled the color becomes lighter in the stretched areas.  As you can imagine that the more you work a piece of leather like this, the more it will gain a natural patina. Distressed leather the oils and waxes are applied in a drum roller and the finish is far more matte in nature.

With that bit of Leather 101 out of the way, I can attest to the color of this strap being incredibly deep with varying degrees of striations in the hide as it bends and conforms.  When taken between your fingers and rubbed a bit you can feel the waxy nature of the leather and smoothness it provides.  The strap has whip stitching located at the lugs with the main body of the upper leather and lower leather glued together. Unlike some other straps, the sides of the strap are raw exposed leather with a somewhat velvety feel to them.  I think this unfinished touch is a nod to the rugged and handmade roots of the strap and gives the strap a very down to earth casual aesthetic.  The stitching is very tight and precise and mine is finished with a waxed light beige tone that highlights the lighter grains in the leather very nicely.  When choosing your strap from the Herren Marke website, you have your choice of 22 thread colors from 3 different thread types to suit your particular watch.

The underside of the watch is a very smooth and satin finished cowhide that is both flexible and durable. It has been heavily waxed and treated to avoid damage due to sweat and moisture. The inside leather  appears to be free of any dyes or pigments which I think echos the scratch made nature of the strap even further and unifies its design theme.

KEEPER AND BUCKLE

The Herren Marke Callaway has a single keeper that is floating on the buckle side of the strap. It is finished in a similar way as the rest of the strap with the raw edges and beautiful coloring and is a nice width compared to most straps I see.  It is sized perfectly to both move easily for adjustment and hold the free end of the strap well.  The buckle on this strap is really something special. While it is not embossed or etched with a logo, the design is extremely pleasing.  It has a nice curvature on the visible flat of the buckle that the tang rests against, and it is curved to conform to the wrists natural curve.  It has a reassuring thickness in all dimensions without being bulky or oversized for the purpose. It is completely brushed with all edges smooth to the touch. It is one of the best buckles I have seen and is in that Goldilocks regime of strength, elegance, and finishing. To secure the buckle to the strap it uses a screw instead of a pin. That is a nod to the overall theme to how rugged and robust this strap is while still being a bit of a work of art.  Sure, I would have liked to see a Herren Marke logo on it, but I can overlook that as screams quality when you use it.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WEAR

This strap really come alive the first time you bend it around your wrist. The first time you stretch the leather the color graining begins and different levels of brown propagate everywhere. Visually it is a splendid thing to see.  However, it only gets better after that. After being stretched a tad by the action of conforming to your wrist the texture of the leather comes alive when you take it off and lay it down. The strap wrinkles a bit and takes on a fine textural patina that is wonderful to see and feel. As the leather is worked these wrinkles gain depth and the color change from the pull up leather goes even deeper. The strap is barely 2 weeks old and it looks and feels as soft and broken in as an old pair of boots.  The pull up on the strap through the buckle is tight but smooth.  On the strap I received the width of the strap was about 0.010” wider than the buckle internal width. I was worried that this may cause accelerated wear on the strap edges (leading to glue delamination), but it has not. In fact, it has only served to soften the leather further if I am honest. The past two weeks the strap as gained personality without any signs of stopping.

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

The Herren Marke Callaway is a luxury quality casual strap. I have been wearing it on my Oris Big Crown, which is a watch that has some vintage appeal, some dress appeal and a bit of aviation appeal as well. This strap exudes the feeling of a well-worn bomber jacket with deep color variations and nice texture.  I find its casual nature and raw unfinished edges really cast an adventurous drama to the strap as well.  I think aviation and field watches would are a natural fit.  I would also suggest that the ability to pick any taper you want would mean this could be perfect on some vintage pieces as well since the thickness is on the thinner side of 3mm which decreases the risk of overpowering the smaller case watches.

WHERE CAN I GET IT

The only place where you can get a Herren Marke watch strap is from the Mr Crumley himself at:

https://www.herrenmarkedesign.com/?page=1

Handmade things are imbued with a small piece of the craftsman or artisans life. The time devoted to taking something from raw materials, adding a caring hand and a watchful eye, and producing a one of kind piece is very special.  You have, in a sense, hours of that person’s life in your hand. In today’s mass produced world where machines are quickly churning out pieces with profit as the bottom line this bit of passion and soul can be missing.   No matter if we are talking about furniture, or a birthday cake, or a watch strap the beauty of an item made by human hands is priceless.  I admire what these one man and one woman shops create and I hope you give Herren Marke a chance to earn your business.

One final note: Herren Marke has no idea who I am nor did he give me this strap. I bought it as anybody else would buy it, and my experience would typify the buying and wearing experience which have been wonderful.