Bark and Jack Scottish Sky Grey Leather Strap
November 19, 2019
I love surprises. Honestly, opening a package and being completely blown away with what I find is a rare occurrence. I am taking another delve into the ever crowded world of you tube personality online shops. I find this an interesting corner of the market as you really never know what to expect. Obviously the charming personality that you love to listen to and watch is not laboring over a dark work bench and hand dying leather and stitching them up by hand themselves. So does that mean we should not take a person who is a DaVinci with video editing seriously in the watch strap selling world? Far from it and I will tell you why.
In every circle of friends there is always that one guy or gal who is the “car” person. As a mechanical engineer this has always been a task I enthusiastically embrace if not hoard all to myself. I am obsessed with precision and quality in all complex mechanical things that I come into contact with. It is as much a character flaw as it is a blessing if I am honest. Whether that is the Space flight hardware I work with daily, or the two classic cars I am painstakingly restoring, or most recently the love of mechanical watches that sparks my imagination, the love of a crafted precision built mechanism is a real thing. This is no doubt inherited from my father who was an impeccable airplane mechanic and instructor and my greatest inspiration. When people ask me for my advice on anything automotive or mechanical, I take that inquiry with absolute seriousness as my name and to some degree reputation are forever attached to answer. This is the burden Bark and Jack must bear when he attaches his name to a watch strap (he literally attached his name to the bottom of the strap, you can see it). His welcoming and open style in his reviews earns him a natural approachable feeling that educates and informs in equal measure. When he decides to sell a strap, it carries with it his word that you are receiving a quality product created to such a high standard that he feels it represents himself. I am happy to say that he seems to have chosen wisely.
I ordered the Bark and Jack Scottish Sky Grey Leather watch strap after watching a great many of his reviews and found them very agreeable so I decided to peruse his online shop. Combined with the encouragement of a very good online friend (Katarina from www.tennandtwo.com) who has one and said I should review it, my decision was made so I placed my order.
Before I get to my thoughts on this strap, here is what Bark and Jack have to say about the Scottish Grey Leather Watch strap that bears his name:
Horse leather is known for being supple and durable. The leather we use has been tanned with the leaves and bark of Olive trees. This process gives the leather a natural look and soft feel.
DIMENSIONS
I ordered the 20mm version of this strap (also available in 18mm or 22mm) so all my measurements are based on that. My strap came in at 19.9mm at the lugs and 17.6mm at the free end for a nice mild taper that will fit a great deal of watches without seeming too slab sided and tooly nor overly thin and dressy. A great middle of the road taper. The strap was an even thickness of 2.8mm right at the lugs and then an even 2.0mm along the entirety of its length. Maybe because most of my watches have a tool or field aesthetic, or maybe I just like rough and distressed leather, I do not get many straps that have such a lithe construction. This is akin to shell cordovan thinness and that yields immediate benefits in comfort and flexibility.
The length of the strap is 115mm and 75mm at the free end and buckle end respectively. That means on my 7” wrist I am on the second to last or last adjustment hole. This is normally where I say those with 6.5” or smaller wrists will need look elsewhere. However, it must be noted that this review was on an IWC Spitfire, which while only 39mm in diameter, has a lug to lug of 49mm. Naturally the longer the lugs are apart the more your wrist appear smaller. Those with more slender wrists will require a watch with a short lug to lug distance unless you want to punch holes in that buttery soft equine leather (which would be like putting a Donald Duck sticker on a Caude Monet’s Water Lillies – nothing against Donald Duck mind you – Lots of love for the Navy and Poultry).
DESIGN
This watch strap has many outstanding features that captivate many of the senses. The feel is mesmerizing to the fingers. The look has depth and texture that belies its 2mm thickness. Even the smell has that old leather workbench aroma. I would not dare put rankings on these attributes in the design, but will try to emphasize them as best as I can while assuring you they work in perfect harmony to produce a stunning result.
The inner leather of the strap is easily recognizable as calf, which is a very smart choice for both comfort against the skin and durability against moisture and degradation. The outer layer of equine leather that is as sumptuous as I have ever felt is the star of the show. Equine comes from the latin word for horse which is Equus. Horse leather is typically smooth and with grains so small as to be virtually unnoticeable. What this means to the end user is glove soft leather that has a velvety smooth resistance when you rub your fingers on it. Though it is a mere 2mm thick, you sense the hide give a bit to the touch almost as if it is padded. A cleverer trick David Copperfield could not pull off. The color of the strap is deemed Scottish Grey but is accurately depicted in the BarkandJack website as amore taupe or khaki color but with definite grey undertones. The color has a three dimensional depth to it, with subtle darker and lighter tones that remind me of high quality Venetian Plaster. The wow factor is off the charts.
The construction of the strap upheld the stunning texture and color. The stitching was tight and even with its color matched to the rest of the strap. Starting and ending at the lugs, the stitching runs the whole depth through and secures the straps layers tightly together. Upon closer inspection, you will discover a slight roll mark that is on the outside of the stitching done very sharply and cleverly to add a bit of detail for those to discover while admiring the color (and you will admire the color). The sides of the strap come sealed properly with a very greyish brown color that completes this straps finished appearance and adds a wonderful grey tone to the package as a whole. If the dyes in the leather had any grey in them, the sealant acts to pull it out in a very clever way.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
The Scottish Grey Leather strap has the typical two keeper system with one being fixed and the other floating for extra strap managing duty. They have the same velvety smooth leather and the same light brown hue of strap. They are also a bit embellished with the same tiny roll mark as well. To my eyes, the keepers are properly sized and just large enough to do the job and not one millimeter larger. Neither bulky nor delicate they hold the free end well while still allowing easy slip through when fastening the watch to the wrist. You simply cannot ask more of the keepers than that.
The buckle is a linear brushed affair with square angles all around and very crisp but not sharp edges. The underside is a bit cutout to allow the buckle to sit more flush to the strap which is an often missed detail with other watch straps. This feature is not even fully needed with a 2mm thick strap, but its addition means the buckle practically disappears into the leather and never scratches on anything or anyone.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
If you have ever worn a truly magnificent pair of leather dress gloves you can get a feel for how luxurious this strap feels. I found myself just holding my wrist to have a few moments to feel the softness of the leather as if to question my initial thoughts “was it really that soft?” The answer was and is yes. Soft leather is definitely a treat, but if the strap is not constructed properly it will move about and age poorly. I have had this strap for over two weeks now and I have worn it almost continuously. It has only improved and though countless trips through the crisp metal buckle, no degradation or wear is noticeable that would detract from the inherent beauty designed into the strap.
Right out of the very impressive packaging this strap sets the stage and lets you know something special is about to be on your wrist. The feeling of quality is evident mere moments after it touches your skin. All day comfort is a non-issue with this strap. I would say you can wear it all day and it would be unnoticed, but that would be an injustice as you will want to notice it.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
This watch strap exudes a well dressed ruggedness about it. A very nice field watch or a casual watch of any kind would be amazing and a natural fit for this strap. I found a home for it on the IWC Spitfire and it may never leave. Naturally being made of leather, I would avoid water polo or navigating the Amazon River in search of Anaconda, but for most everything else, this strap will be most agreeable.
The only limitation I would attach a word of caution (besides the aforementioned Anaconda hunt) to is thinness of the construction. At 2mm this is not a strap that can easily support a thick watch. Watches over 13.5 or 14mm could overpower this strap. You may have to experiment to find out. I can say with some confidence that anything 12mm or under would be a match made in heaven. I tried this on my Hamilton Khaki and it looked amazing. I tried it on my Oris Divers 65 with the bronze edge bezel and it looked amazing. What I ended up with is the Spitfire seen in the review. If ever a watch strap belonged somewhere, this strap would positively be at home in the rich wood and leather soaked environment of post WWII pilots lounge. That could just be my synapses conjuring up too many old movies, but that is my story and I am sticking to it.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
The only place to buy this strap is the Bark and Jack Shop:
SUMMARY
It should be obvious at this point I was completely not prepared for how much I loved this watch strap. I review a bunch of straps. I buy the vast majority of my watch straps so I can be as unbiased as possible. I review a bunch of straps and after while only the very good and really bad start to stand out as memorable with the rest sublimating into a middle of the pack ether.
The Bark and Jack Scottish Sky Grey Leather strap fall squarely into the memorable category. It is exceptional in quality, feel, aesthetics and yes, even value. At 85 Pounds (about 110 US dollars) this is not a cheap strap compared to most, but what you get for this amount of money is incredibly difficult to match, much less beat.