Who Cares What I Think: Valle Alexander Leather Strap Review
A strap made by hand, by someone with a face and name, is so much more appealing than one from an online luxury lifestyle brand
I’m pretty dumb when it comes to watch straps. I’ve ordered the wrong width, multiple times. I’ve mistakenly ordered burnt red when I really wanted pumpkin orange. I’ve consistently over-estimated my wrist girth and have been doomed with straps that are too long or too short. Now, I’ve spent a Seiko’s worth of coin on a handmade leather strap from Velle Alexander. Here’s what I think.
I acquired a used Tudor Black Bay GMT from one of the forums after 3 years of longing. It’s a great watch. I’ve even considered making it my only watch. Yeah, it’s that good. But, as you may have read, the bracelet is a tough fit. It’s always either a scoche too long or short and hits my wrist bone in slightly the most uncomfortable way. It’s great one moment and annoying the next. And I, for one, even like the faux rivets!
So, to dress it up a bit when it’s not on a nylon NATO or the absolutely fantastic Crafter Blue rubber, I went looking for leather.
The BB GMT has 22mm lugs, as do several other watches in my collection, so I wanted something that had some range. I’m quite on the casual side of the fence and was looking for leather that was a bit distressed and a darker shade of brown. I started the search across Bas and Lokes, SNPR, Craft & Lore, Two Stitch, Fin Watch Straps, The Strap Tailor, and many more—all worthy options. But I was caught up in a spiral of indecision. I had also looked at Velle Alexander straps over the past few months, but then heard Alexander Gravelle, the owner, on The HourTime Show podcast and decided to give him a try.
Now, it should be said that I struggle to choose from the way-too-many options when buying straps. I've spent countless hours reading reviews and posts across all the forums, but then when I get to stitching color, leather choices, padding or no, etc., I can’t make a decision to save my life. So I just went for it.
Velle Alexander has a ton of options, you make your selections, then he reached out via email to be sure everything is correct. He even guided me on colors to get exactly what I wanted, sent photos, and was extremely patient.
If you’re keeping score, I went with the Waxy Olmo leather, Zermatt Natural leather lining, Brown thread, Cognac edge paint, Straight design, and a Chamfer end cut, among other choices. Obvious, right?
Upon receipt, I was floored by the quality. It’s simply fantastic, especially compared with the junky and overpriced Hodinkee straps I’ve been suckered into. My only nit was on the look of the leather. As you can see in my pics above, it’s a pretty uniform brown. In the below sample image from Velle Alexander’s supplier, however, the leather has a much more varied look. A function of his selection from the piece of material, Alexander told me, but I’m hopeful the strap takes on its own varied patina through wear.
On the wrist, it’s ultra supple and comfortable. It looks nice yet casual, with a vibe that’s ready to be dressed up or down as the mood suits. I did, yet again, overestimate my wrist size and have recently shed a few lbs (yay, early morning runs!), but I still have one more oval before the strap gets to meet the dreaded screwdriver for a manual hole addition. Hopefully, it won’t stretch much.
Now to the money part: Velle Alexander straps are a bit pricey. But, after having some Cheapest Nato Straps delivered recently, you definitely get what you pay for—in both directions.
My Velle Alexander strap was $210 + $10 shipping, but totally worth it for a custom, high-end, high-quality strap. The leather is soft and supple, there are no imperfections, and the product is incredibly well made.
Compare that with my Hodinkee strap, where I paid $155 + $8 shipping for a leather strap that arrived with nicks on the fold (they did offer to replace but I declined), and $170 + shipping for their Newman bund that's made with quite thin yet surprisingly stiff leather. (The wife got me a gift card so I had to use it.)
Bottom line, the prices at Velle Alexander are well worth it and the quality shines through.
Just my two cents. 😀