Your watch is not a proper wrist watch if it doesn’t come with a strap. We were awaken with this obvious but overlooked fact when the AP X Swatch collaboration gave birth to the pseudo-venerable Royal Pop. When it was first announced, everyone had the same question in mind.

How will I wear that on my wrist?

Watch straps are undeniably one of the most significant elements that make or break your watch-wearing experience. A new strap has the potential to turn a watch you hate, to something you absolutely love wearing.

Finding the best strap for your watch today is easier than ever. Well, just look at our collection, for one. Sitting comfortably on your wrist while looking the part, a good strap makes a world of a difference. That is only the first step, though. Taking good care of your watch straps over time, ensures that you get the best experience, in comfort and in longevity.

Leather, Rubber, Nylon, Fabric, Steel

Watch straps and bracelets are typically made from these materials. Now, caring for straps made of different materials might sound cumbersome, but that is what this article hopes to simplify for our ease and convenience.

Let's begin.

Leather's Biggest Enemy

Here is rule number one. Leather's biggest weakness, is water and moisture.

If there was ever a "Leather-type" Pokémon, one Hydro Pump would one-hit KO your Leather-type pocket monster.

Yes, leather straps are not water-resistant, let alone water-proof. While watch cases come with water resistance ratings, straps do not, and leather’s biggest enemy is water. To keep your leather strap looking beautiful, there needs to be some love and care in the air, and less of water and moisture.

Now that we have established leather’s biggest weakness, what can we do to keep it looking good and lasting long?

General Leather Care

Let’s go through some simple steps for leather care:

1. Avoid water contact, at all times, as much as humanly possible.

2. After wearing, wipe the strap with a dry or barely damp, lint-free, microfiber cloth to remove any surface dust and sweat.

3. Air dry your leather strap naturally in room temperature. Store your watch flat on its caseback, unbuckled, in a cool, dry, and ventilated space away from direct sunlight.

4. Do not wear your leather straps daily. Switch it up with some of your other straps so that your leather can get some rest from natural moisture. Allow 24 hours between wearing for best results.

5. If your leather strap gets wet, blot excess moisture with a soft microfiber towel and let it dry flat at room temperature. Always air dry naturally in room temperature. Never use a hairdryer, heater, or direct sunlight. Heat can ruin leather’s natural fibers.

6. Consider leather conditioning, especially when the fibers have seemingly dried out. But do not over-condition, as it compromises the leather structure. We offer complimentary leather care, exclusively at our showroom, for leather straps made by us. More details on long-term leather care coming right up.

7. And finally, again, avoid water contact. (But keep yourself hydrated in the process.)

The destructive impact of water on leather cannot be overstated. Pictured here, a Dan Henry 1962 Chronograph, on the MTO Pilot Buttero Leather Strap in Cognac.

While full-grain and top-grain leathers used in our watch straps are fairly durable and can withstand light splashes or the odd drizzle, we still need to be careful with water. Being an animal hide with microscopic pores, leather readily absorbs water, which messes up the natural oils and their delicate composition within the leather.

After heavy water contact, you can observe how the leather dries up and loses its supple feel and soft texture, all due to the drying up of natural oils that have been forced out by our biggest enemy, water. Prolonged exposure to water makes leather straps stiff and brittle, causing it to crack.

While some may consider using aftermarket water resistance sprays in an attempt to make their leather straps more durable, these are not viable long-term solutions for the overall ease of use of leather straps.

So, then, it goes without saying that we have to take utmost care in keeping our leather straps away from water contact as much as we possibly can. Day-to-day, we might be doing a little bit of cooking, doing the dishes, laundry, and some general cleaning. We wash our hands fairly frequently throughout our day (at least, I hope).

For best care of these leathers strapped on our wrists, avoid wearing them when you know water contact will be unavoidable. Slight water splashes might be fine when washing hands but, you do need to dry the straps immediately after to ensure best results. It’s a very good idea to remove your leather-strapped watches before using the restroom. You’ll thank me later.

Another word of warning, never use any alcohol-based liquids or similar harsh chemicals like sanitizers or detergents in an attempt to cleanse your watch strap. These solvents can completely destroy the strap material by stripping off natural oils and internal adhesives.

If you really need something to hold your watch on your wrist while needing to swim, or dive, or just do the dishes, FKM Rubber straps and stainless steel bracelets are the way to go. And yeah, “beater” watches, with non-leather straps, exist for this very reason.

That sums up general leather care. But now, let’s go into the specifics of caring for various leather types and other materials, such as fabric, nylon, rubber and stainless steel.

Zermatt Leather Lining

All of our leather watch straps in our current collection are lined with Zermatt on the underside. The exceptions are our Horween Chromexcel collection, and any custom watch strap that you have specified to use a different lining material such as Smooth FKM Rubber, or Swift Leather.

Zermatt is a calfskin that has gone through a specialized double-tanning process, resulting in a hypoallergenic and moisture-resistant finish. This helps prevent water from seeping through the leather readily, and prevents odours from lingering within the leather. Being in direct contact with your skin, from the underside of the watch strap, this is imperative.

While Zermatt works as a leather lining that is most resistant to water and moisture, prolonged and intense exposure to water will still cause irreparable damage to the material.

Zermatt, being already treated with a protective layer, does not require any conditioning with creams or oils. Just wipe it down with a dry or barely damp cloth to remove surface debris and you are good to go.

Exotic Animal Leather: Alligator, Crocodile, Ostrich, Lizard & Sea Snake

Wipe gently with a dry microfiber cloth, in the direction of the grain or the scales, from the top of the strap to the tail end. Never rub against scale edges or quill points, as it may damage the strap.

Once every 6 months, apply an exotic leather conditioner like the Saphir Médaille d'Or Reptile Conditioner. Apply sparingly and rub in the direction of the grains or the scales using a soft cloth. Conditioning creams can get trapped in between the grains and scales, causing damage. Therefore, it is important to apply the conditioner sparingly.

Shell Cordovan

Shell Cordovan is not a standard animal hide, but rather a dense membrane that does not absorb creams and oils well.

Wipe with a barely damp cloth after wear, and buff it just a little with a horsehair brush.

The Saphir Médaille d'Or Cordovan Crème Shoe Polish could be a good option once or twice a year, if you’re looking to subtly enhance the look and durability of your Shell Cordovan watch strap.

Suede & Nubuck

Brush gently with a soft suede brush to lift surface dust and restore a refined, velvety texture and look. Never use liquid creams or oils, as they will leave harsh stains on the soft nubuck and suede material.

You can explore silicon-free water protector sprays, for example, the Saphir Médaille d'Or Super Invulner Stain Protector Spray, to be applied on suede and nubuck once every 2-3 months to keep the material protected from accidental water contact and natural moisture.

Horween Chromexcel

Horween Chromexcel is hot-stuffed with oils and waxes during its tanning process. Rub the Horween leather firmly using your warm thumb to redistribute the waxes and the oils. Friction brings deep waxes back to the surface, offering a natural aged look that turns out beautiful after long-term use.

Once or twice a year, applying a minimal amount of Saphir Renovateur Cream and buffing it out thoroughly will do really well for all Horween leather straps. Be careful not to over-condition, as it clogs the natural oils within the Horween, causing the leather to darken.

The Slim Horween Chromexcel in Tan, aging gracefully and picking up its characteristic marks that give it that rugged leather look. Learn more about Horween Chromexcel here.

Buttero

Buttero is a smooth vegetable-tanned leather, and it stains easily upon water contact. It is especially important then, to keep Buttero leather away from water at all times.

Dry wiping daily helps protect the surface until natural skin oils form a layer of protective sheen on the Buttero.

After 3-4 months of wear, apply a minimal amount of Saphir Médaille d'Or Vegetable Tanned Leather Cream, or a similar, neutral, vegetable-tanned leather balm, helping to preserve its look and feel.

Swift

Wipe gently with a dry or damp microfiber cloth after wear. Swift is an exceptionally supple calfskin material, and it requires a delicate lotion to stay soft and protected.

The Saphir Medaille D'Or Nappa Leather Cream is perfect for the job, ideally once every 3 months.

Pueblo

Clear surface dust with a dry horsehair brush. Avoid wet wipes and liquid cleaners completely. Avoid all leather conditioning procedures for the first year.

This is because Pueblo features a unique, rustic finish and leather conditioners would clog its texture and ruin its rich patina potential.

Epsom

Wipe with a dry or damp microfiber cloth. Epsom leather is fairly protected due to its finishing, so a thin coat of lightweight, wax-free leather lotion like the Bickmore Bick 4 Leather Conditioner once or twice a year should do the job.

Ensure that the conditioner is applied evenly and thoroughly without getting stuck in the Epsom grains, and thereafter, wipe the strap clean immediately.

Togo

Wipe clean with a dry cloth. Use a horsehair brush to remove dust trapped between the pebbled-grain texture. Apply a delicate leather cream, for example, the Saphir Crème Universelle, once or twice a year. Apply evenly, and buff thoroughly. Heavy creams can get trapped within the Togo leather texture, and thus, thorough buffing is required to ensure no surface residue remains.

Waktu Horology's Kalbu: M.O.P. - Mawar, lusciously matched and pictured here on a Classic Togo Leather Strap in Burgundy. Togo leather looks undeniably luxurious on dress watches.

Saffiano

Wipe with a dry or damp cloth, and use a soft-bristled toothbrush to remove surface lint. As Saffiano is coated in hard wax, heavy creams aren’t effective here, leaving a sticky residue on the surface.

A neutral leather lotion like the Saphir Crème Universelle will be good once a year, and that’s about it. Like Togo, Saffiano requires minimal conditioning to keep looking good.

Babele

Gently brush the surface to remove any lint or dust trapped within the texture.

The linen-like rough surface of Babele needs to be preserved, and thus, all conditioning procedures should be avoided for at least the first 6 months of use. When the fibers feel considerably dry and lose their supple feel after long-term use, consider using a light leather balm, like one from Watch Gecko.

Croc-Embossed Calf Leather

Wipe it down gently with a dry microfiber cloth, following the grooves and lines of the embossed pattern. Every 3-4 months, apply a lightweight leather lotion evenly, working into the grooves and lines of the embossed pattern. The lotion assists in keeping the strap supple, preventing excessive creasing and cracking after long-term use.

The Saphir Médaille d'Or Leather Lotion is one example of a lightweight leather lotion.

Batik, Fabric & Canvas

To care for a fabric strap, gently wipe the surface after each wear with a dry microfiber cloth. Use a soft-bristled brush to brush off visible dirt, and spot-clean with a cotton swab lightly dampened with cold water and mild soap. Never submerge or soak the strap.

It is recommended to use dampened cotton swabs as dyed Batik cloth can bleed colours when soaked with water.

Let the fabric breathe. Air dry the strap flat in room temperature for a full day. Do not wear the same strap every single day. Rotate between two or three straps or watches so the fabric can dry out completely from any retained moisture.

Always air dry naturally in room temperature, never use a hairdryer, heater, or direct sunlight, as the heat can cause fabric threads to shrink or warp, compromising durability and looks.

Nylon

Keep the strap unbuckled when not wearing, to preserve the shape of the strap and to allow air drying after daily wear. Take note that the weaving of nylon makes it easy for dust to get trapped in between.

Every 1-2 months, remove the strap from your watch and use a soft-bristled brush to remove surface dust, if necessary. Hand-wash with warm water and mild soap to get rid of any odour or hidden debris. Air dry in room temperature till its dry, before installing it back on to your watch.

FKM Rubber

FKM Rubber is resistant to ultra-violet (UV) rays and chemicals, but skin oils can cause the surface to feel grimy and attract dust.

Once a month, rinse the strap thoroughly with warm water and mild soap, and wipe dry with a clean towel.

Stainless Steel Bracelets, Clasps & Buckles

If you’re wearing it daily, clean the stainless steel bracelet once a month. Scrub gently with lukewarm water and a drop of mild dish soap. Dip a soft-bristled brush in mild soap water and gently brush off between the steel links and on the underside of the clasp, to get rid of dust and grime.

Then, rinse the bracelet with clean water, pat it dry with a soft microfiber cloth, and use compressed air or a cool-setting hairdryer to dry off water droplets and moisture hidden within pin holes and gaps.

Air dry in room temperature for an hour before installing it back on to your watch.

RZE's Resolute 36 Halcyon, a versatile watch that looks exquisite on the TrimFIT Mosaic FKM Rubber in Baby Blue. Easy maintenance with FKM Rubber.

None of the leather conditioning product links featured in this article here are affiliate links. These are publicly available listings and links of recommended products that can be discovered by all. Feel free to do your own research and shopping, to find the best alternatives and deals for you.


And that is it, folks. A not-too-brief of a guide to keeping your watch straps looking and feeling good as new, for longer than you might expect.

Take care, and wear your watches in good health.