Watch Strap Heaven Brown Shell Cordovan Vintage Watch Strap
April 13, 2020
When choosing a watch strap it is so important to pick the role you want the strap to play. It can be a lot like choosing a supporting actor in a player a movie. The watch itself is always the main character, but the strap is the story. At times you want a strap like Val Kilmer in Tombstone whose portrayal of Doc Holliday will probably never be eclipsed. So strong was the performance that at times the other characters on the screen simply vanished. A watch strap can work in the same way. It can be so profound and dynamic in its construction that it becomes equal to the watch it is attached. In very rare cases it can surpass it.
Likewise, the strap can be very subtle in its desire for your attention, and without stealing the show elevate the whole production. The strap I am wearing this week is that kind of strap. In its subtly and carefully chosen design it makes the watch it is attached to more of what is already is. This Shell Cordovan Strap from Watch Strap Heaven is like the soundtrack to a blockbuster movie that permanently cements a scene into your mind. When you see Lord Vader for the first time come off the shuttle and the Imperial March is playing history was forever burned into your every synapse. Take the music out of the scene and you have a tall guy in a questionable black suit taking a very long uneventful walk. The Shell Cordovan Brown Watch strap I have worn for the past 2 weeks is the unforgettable soundtrack to the movie that sits on your wrist.
This is what Watch Strap Heaven has to say about this watch strap:
There are many reasons why I chose Horween Shell Cordovan for my straps. This leather is unique in appearance and its great durability. It is buttersoft so it will perfectly copy your wrist and provide the best comfort available. This is achieved by a lengthy and complicated tanning process which involves a great deal of actual “hand made” work!
All straps I am offering are 100% hand made by me. They are made with care using traditional methods. Each strap is therefore unique and special 🙂
DIMENSIONS
The strap Watch Strap Heaven sent me for a review was a 19mm strap. All dimensions are based on that, but I am very happy to tell you that Watch Strap Heaven will customize the strap to your specific needs. They offer custom tapers and thread color choices. I am always happy to see vendors who are willing to go that extra mile to meet a customer’s specific needs. I tip my hat to them.
My strap came in at 18.8mm at the lugs and 15.4mm at the free end. Those dimensions play true to this straps vintage style as that taper would be wonderful on older watches or those that are just vintage inspired. My strap from tip to tip is a uniform 1.4mm thick. This is well outside what we normally see for a sport strap and squarely within the realm of a dress watch or a vintage watch strap thickness. Shell Cordovan however is incredibly robust, and it tends to be able blur boundaries a tad of what kind of watch it can handle. My strap was 120mm/80mm on the free end and buckle end respectively which means on my 7” wrist I am on the 2nd or 3rd to last adjustment hole when attached to my First Omega In Space which has a lug to lug length of 47mm.
DESIGN
Any time you have a strap made of Shell Cordovan, that has to the star of the show. This particular strap does a very good job of removing any distractions from the experience of wearing such a sought after cut of equine leather. Only a simple whip stitch ever so briefly completes for your attention. Whenever you order a Shell strap, you should expect the most sensual softness uninterrupted by blemishes or heavy grains. The strap from Watch Strap Heaven delivers on this front beautifully. The strap is a pleasure to hold in your hands. Over time the oils from your skin will darken the strap just a bit here or there as the strap ages with you. Shell has a wonderful almost grainless texture that is usually in the satin to glossy realm. This strap comes in on the satin side rather than turning the shine up to 11. It adds to its ability to be a daily wearer and feels like it has already lived a few lifetimes.
The sides of the strap appear to be burnished and sealed with a grey edge treatment that will keep the strap from wearing unevenly. I generally prefer sealed and neat sides of straps over raw unkept edges except for few strap/watch combos where that just seems justifiably appropriate. The inside of the strap, or the animal side if you will is a nice light brown. Mine had the Horween stamp on it to let you know that this strap began life in one of the best places possible. This underside is very smooth and more textured than the outside of the leather. I never felt any discomfort or irritation from this, as combined with the very thin (and smart) dimensions and the cloth like flexibility, the strap vanished moments after fastening the buckle.
The color of the outside of the strap is a nice medium brown. You could call it tobacco or sienna or any variant thereof, but it looks organic and natural in tone. Neither too dark to be called saturated or too light to be labeled unfinished, this brown will suit the vast majority of timepieces in the world.
KEEPER AND BUCKLE
The buckle on this strap is simple but not unpleasant. It is polished, but not blindingly so. The construction is lithe and airy and is only as thick as it needs to be to be durable. I find this detail very clever. This 1.5mm thick leather could have been overpowered and off balance with a huge heavy buckle. I did like the curved flat landing for the pin to rest against rather than a straight boring clasp. This feels handmade and very apropos to the vintage aesthetic this strap captures in spades.
The keepers are cut and sewn in the one fixed and one floating formation that so many straps use. They are sized splendidly, and with that I mean they are absolute not 1mm bigger than they need to be to allow the extra strap to effortlessly glide into position. Many straps get this wrong, and improperly sized keepers can be an annoyance on two fronts. They make feeding the extra strap in very difficult, or they are so loose as to move around and be useless. The Shell strap from Watch Strap Heaven avoids all those common pitfalls and functions flawlessly.
HOW DOES IT WEAR
The quality of Shell Cordovan is no joke. I have sung its praises time and time again. It has a willingness to succumb to the touch like few other leathers on the market. Whether it is the thinness of this particular strap or the 80+ steps Horween commits to when it produces this leather, the end result is nearly peerless in comfort. The strap conforms to every millimeter of your wrist. From the moment you touch this strap it will yield almost intuitively to your touch.
The 1.5mm thickness and vintage non laminated style is normally something I would warn people about to avoid overly thick watches. Overly thick for this strap would mean 15+mm is probably getting to chunky. My First Omega in Space is 14mm and the strap performed beautifully. It held its position on my wrist admirably for a material so thin.
Quick Tip: For especially thin straps to hold heavy watches In place I find it can help to wear them a tad bit snug at first. A high quality strap that is thin will give a bit and relax to the perfect fit after a while.
Shell is also renowned for its durability. Often used in pieces destined to be heirlooms as it can last generations with the correct care. This watch strap saw the usual Strapsense abuse. While I did not work construction with it, I did carry out daily work in the home office, played with my kids outside where the humidity was brutal. It was bitten by my new puppy and it has held up famously. Most blemishes just buff out with some rubbing and nothing more than the oil from your skin. It is not a strap I would wash the car with, but daily wear and a bit of rain, I would not be afraid to enjoy every day.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
Naturally we are not talking about a watch strap for your working dive watches. This is a strap that excels at quietly elevating the watch it is fastened to. The material and style and the quality of the construction say volumes without stealing the show. Much like a well fitted suit. I usually see my Omega in the pictures as a more sporty watch that can be used for almost anything. I tend to like sportier more robust straps on it to capture that tough sporty nature. However, this strap took my speedy into a world of class and poise.
The First Omega in Space is a vintage inspired piece both in size and style. This strap is an easy accomplice to pair it to. I could see this strap on almost any color watch, and almost any style. It would look amazing on a Longines Record, or a Stowa Partitio. I could also see this on most of the Hamilton Jazzmaster range. Any watch that has a vintage aura about it, I think this strap quietly shines.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
Only place one can buy a strap from Watch Strap Heaven is direct! They carry quite a bit of inventory ready to sell, but most straps are made to order. Take some time and see if they can make something for you.
https://www.watchstrapheaven.com/shop/21547950/custom-made-straps?page=1
SUMMARY
The next time you think back to a memorable moment in a movie, give the soundtrack a thought. Would Braveheart have made such an impression without the soundtrack. Would Jurassic Park have made as much an impact without the perfect accompaniment from John Williams. Vintage style straps can be bought anywhere. Knowing where to buy the good ones is quite a different story. Watch Strap Heaven has products on the market that start with some of the finest leather you can buy. I have been impressed with construction and quiet consideration put into this strap that allows the material to shine while still excelling as a package. If you have a favorite vintage inspired piece that you want to elevate, a Shell Cordovan strap from Watch Strap Heaven will no doubt bring a smile to your face.