Bulang and Sons Peccary Brown Heritage Leather Watch Strap
February 7, 2020
In 1959 the fastest production car in the world was the Aston Martin DB4 GT. At a blistering 152 mph no other car sold to mere mortals with more money than sense could touch it. Aside from James Bond, few people were capable of approaching that kind of speed and live to tell the tale. But anything with the ‘-est’ suffix never remains on top for long. Fastest, strongest, longest, or just simply best act as a sirens song to every person with a dream and the ambition to chase it.
It would be just 4 years later the Iso Grifo GL 365 chased the horizon that much quicker to hit 163mph. A mark that would stand a mere two years until a chicken farmer from Texas and his AC Cobra pat the little Iso on the head and said thanks for playing as his sledgehammer of a beast eclipsed it by 2mph to reach 165mpg. The moral of the story is the wearer of the crown should never get too comfortable on the thrown as the goal posts are continually moving.
I have reviewed my fair share of watch straps. I have seen leathers that range from cardboard to the tactically sublime. Just when I think things have reached a point where it is impossible to improve upon, the proverbial goal posts move again. Bulang and Sons has made a huge effort lately to recreate watch straps from original vintage designs by working with renowned German Strap manufacturer Kaufmann. I went into more detail on this superhuman effort in my last review (https://strapsense.com/2020/01/17/bulang-and-sons-black-speedy-leather-watch-strap/) . Another beneficiary of this Lazarus treatment is the new Peccary Brown Heritage Leather strap. The very moment I touched this material I knew the leather working goal posts had been moved, and this time, by more than few inches.
Here are a few words from Bulang and Sons about this particular strap:
Soft, Softer the Softest
Inspired by the classic leather straps many vintage watches have
been sold with during the 50s-70s. We collaborated with Kaufmann, one of the original manufacturers of these exact leather straps,
combining the original tools and craftsmanship with our vibes. The
heat lines, elaborated round edges and the typical rounded tip at the longer
side were reincarnated in a new stylish way and executed in over 92 single
working steps. A commitment to its heritage!
And for this one we took it even a bit further:
Made of the finest and softest Peccary leather from South America, this
sensational feel will excite you. The leather that is usually used on the best
and softest driving gloves was just good enough for this exclusive
strap. Handcrafted in Germany.
Let me summarize this in one sentence. This is simply one of the finest feeling leather straps I have ever touched. On to the review.
DIMENSIONS
I ordered the 20mm strap from Bulang and Sons so all my measurements are based on that. It should be noted that 20mm is the only size this strap is available at the time of writing. At the lugs this strap came in at 19.7mm and tapered down to 17.0mm at the free end. The strap is has a unique shape to it, where it is thicker at the rounded edges than in the middle leading to a very interesting look. It is more of an inverse padding as the rounded edge outside of the stitching is covering a small cylindrical pad and the middle is left to the thickness of the leather alone. Therefore, the thickness measurements always record the outer bead not the middle of the strap. So at the lugs the thickness is 3mm, then immediately after thins to 2mm along the whole length. This amount of heft, or lack of it leads to a very wearable strap.
The strap measures 115mm/75mm at the free and buckle end respectively. On my 7” wrist that put me on the 5th of 7 adjustment holes on a 39mm watch with 49mm lug to lug length for that perfect not too lose, nor too tight feel.
DESIGN
This strap is a lovely combination of style, craftsmanship and material choice that perfectly meld with one another. It is very hard to choose where to start the review on design, as each pillar that hold up this strap are all noteworthy. I suppose the natural place to start would be found in the name. What is Peccary Leather?
Well as you may expect it comes from an animal called the Peccary. If you imagine something along the lines of a medium sized wild boar, then you are on the right track. They are found mostly in the South American region, but can be found in the southwestern United States and a few places in between. They are not raised and must be hunted for their pelt. Before you get up in arms about depleting the whole species, they are carefully harvested and strict limits are placed on how many can be taken over a certain length of time. This keeps the species safe and also increases rarity of this particular leather.
The Peccary is in the wild pig family and if you have ever hunted a wild pig, you know they are not to be trifled with. They are smart and most of all tough. Peccary leather benefits from the durability mother nature imbued this fine animal with. It is known for its durability, elasticity and suppleness. Properly cared for Peccary leather can easily last a lifetime or two.
Peccary leather is known for its visible grainy surface and can be recognized by its hair pores that occur groups of three. I thought these pores at first glance were machine made as they are so regular, but my research shows this is a naturally occurring phenomenon on the Peccary.
While I could weave a string of prose on how this strap feels to the touch so long it would challenge your ability to read it in one sit, I will just succinctly say it is the richest, tactility pleasing leather I have ever felt. While Shell Cordovan shines with luster and is smooth as silk to the skin, it is one dimensional compared to Peccary. This leather provides what I can only describe as a luxurious friction to the touch that will make you rub your fingers over it time and time again.
With this heavenly leather chosen by Bulang and Sons, the miracle workers at Kaufmann began the construction in a 92-step symphony of hand working that draws on the history of vintage watches and artisanship. The rounded edges present on this strap is a look I have not experienced in any modern watchstrap I have ever reviewed. They frame the strap and give it a very strong and finished appearance that will allow this strap to stand up to much thicker watches than a 2mm strap could normally handle.
The color of the Brown Heritage leather is very interesting. If it was granite you would say it had fantastic movement as the depth and tint of the brown undulates over the strap and moves with you. The open pores in the leather and surface do not have any pull up ( defined as: changes color when bent or twisted) I can detect, but over the weeks I have worn it has darkened with wear in terms of color saturation and depth all while maintaining its incredible feel.
Lastly, the stitching of the strap is done, again by hand. It is in a gold thread that is done with impeccable uniformity and work to bring out the lighter tones in the brown leather.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
This strap enjoys the same buckle as the last Vintage strap revival strap I reviewed. It is well made with sublime linear brushing and a handsome B&S logo. I really hope they keep this buckle on all of their product line. It has a presence and strength about it without being too bulky. Compared to cheaper stamped buckles this has a definite feeling of quality.
The Peccary strap has two keepers on the buckle end. These are made of the same leather and are sized with just enough room to let the strap feed through them. This keeps the keepers tidy adding little to no bulk on the under side of your wrist. However, since they are sized just large enough to let the strap pass through, that luxuriously tactile leather makes feeding a challenge at first. Expect it to require a bit more effort to feed at first but as the strap wears in, I assure you this will get better.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
After you are done enjoying the tactile feeling this strap gives you out of the box and you finally find a lucky time piece to attach it to you will discover it wears incredibly well. The thin construction allows effortless comfort as it conforms to your wrist. The first time you put this strap on it will feel like a watch strap you have owned for years. The quality of construction and design style act as a picturesque bookends to any watch. Neither over designed nor under styled, the strap never overpowers the watch, rather highlights and contrasts the metal of the case be that bronze or stainless or gold.
Quality leather should last a lifetime. No matter how sensationally exciting the leather is to the eyes and hands, if it falls apart in a week, then I could not recommend it. I have worn this watch for weeks. It has seen rain, wrestling with the kids, dog slobber (I have a new puppy), and normal daily chores like dishes and desk computer work. I have put the free end through my pull tests and even with the raised rounded edges, it has shown little to no wear. The leather is still smooth and undamaged. No wrinkling or tearing has occurred and the Peccary leather is just as nice now as it was when brand new.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
I have this on my IWC Spitfire currently and have really enjoyed it. However well it works on the IWC pictured, I think that the strap would look even better on a watch like an Omega Constellation or a Grand Seiko (Elegance Collection) or even a vintage Seamaster. I would love to see this on gold watch as I believe the depth of the brown would work well with the gold tones.
I mentioned how the straps raised rounded edges give the strap some perceived visual bulk to handle thicker watches, but I would still keep it on watches sub 13.5mm. Any thicker and you will see a disproportionate amount of case height between the lugs and the aesthetic will suffer.
Regardless of how durable Peccary leather appears to be, this is not a water proof straps, so divers need to look elsewhere for straps.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
The best place to buy a Bulang and Sons Strap is direct from B&S:
At the time of writing this strap listed for 123.97 Euro (excluding VAT)
SUMMARY
Reinventing the past is something that watch companies do on a daily basis. Look to the past for a product for tomorrow. Bulang and Sons has done this masterfully for these Vintage strap revivals. Of course doing this is fraught with pitfalls. The reinterpretation could fall on its face if it does not translate well to modern watches and current trends. Mr. Bulang working with Kaufmann Leather has managed to avoid any such mistakes by producing some of the finest watch straps I have ever reviewed. There are many soft leathers out there, and quite a few leatherworkers of great talent. I am not taking anything away from them. The magic in these particular straps is tied up in the fact that you are buying real authenticity. People often state nostalgically that, “you cannot go back again”. This is normally a true statement, except in this extremely rare case it is not. All the craftsmanship associated with how things use to be done can be yours again, and I can tell you without a doubt, it is worth it.