Our Crafting Process

Learn about leathercrafting

Our Leather Straps

We believe that the remarkable feats of engineering that adorn your wrist deserve to be complemented with an equally remarkable counterpart - the strap.

Every Delugs leather strap is the culmination of thoughtful, painstaking steps in design and craftsmanship. The aim is enduring visual and physical quality for every strap that leaves our workshop.

We are proud to show you how each strap is transformed from its raw constituent materials to its final form.

Note: There is no "ideal" leather as it depends very much on the look and feel that you are going for in a leather product, and it is not always true that 5 is the most preferred across all characteristics. For example, some people might prefer a leather that is more flexible (5 on the Pliability scale), while others might like it to be stiff.

Materials

The materials that go into a strap's construction determine its longevity and beauty. In contrast, it would be a wasted effort to pass poor materials through a complicated process only to yield a dull, lifeless band which offers no peace of mind and joy to its user.

We source, select, and offer among the best materials available. From exotic reptilian skins to traditional cattle hides, from time-tested tanning and finishing techniques to modern hypoallergenic interiors, we spare no expense.

Preparation

Each layer of material is processed to ensure consistency. Only flawless, choice portions of skins are selected for use. To that end, we only purchase skins with a high yield — that is to say, the skins already come with little blemish and harm, a 'mark' of a farm that takes good care of its animals. In this way, we do our small part to encourage humane practices in the industry.

While cattle hides are typically more homogenous and even, exotic skins have more varied thicknesses and require more care. Armour-like alligator scales are thinned down ('split') to maximise pliability while retaining strength.

Preparation

Each strap consists of multiple layers, simply understood as the exterior, padding, and interior surfaces.

Unlike a cake, these layers are not just delicately stacked and held together with airy cream and good thoughts. To ensure they hold their place, each layer is prepared by thinning it at strategic points ('skiving') so that the strap thickness remains the same when folded over and sewn into place.

The layers are then glued together before cutting to size ('overcut').

Stitching

Having been invented in the time of Constantine the Great, i.e. 4th century A.D., there can be no argument when describing saddle stitching as a time-tested technique. Its early use was, as its namesake states, for the securing of horse-riding saddles. What better guarantee of security is there for your wristwatch, then the survival of even the rough and tumble of horse-riding?

This method of stitching requires the passing through of needles from one side to the other, alternating throughout the sewn material. This first requires the meticulous preparation of stitch holes by our skilled artisans. There can be no mistake - leather is a natural surface held together by fibers at the microscopic level, and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put a misapplied stitch hole back together again.

Then comes the actual stitchwork, a process of honed, consistent precision. The artisan passes through two needles in each successive stitch, taking care not to tangle or spear the trailing threads. With each stitch only millimeters apart, this segment of the process is one of the most time-consuming.

Smooth round the edges

An art in itself, sealing the edges of the sewn material is necessary to improve the strap's durability. Without the seal, the strap is prone to damage from its exposed edges, much like a house built with raw, untreated wood.

Our artisans repeat a process of painting, drying, and sanding layers of rubberised leather paint developed specially for flexibility and adhesion to leather. The end result is a weatherproof, smooth, and comfortable finish.

Simple as it sounds, extreme care is required to avoid disturbing the already-finished exterior and interior surfaces with excess paint and sanding.

Form and Function

It is perhaps poetic that in our quest for efficient efficacy in our timepieces, we have to remove material from our straps in order to make it work best.

At this juncture, our artisans use purpose-built tools to punch holes that enable buckles and pins to do their job of holding the watch to your wrist. Of note is the specialised notch on the back of each of our straps that fit quick-release lug pins. Two gentle pulls and you can swap your office-appropriate Epsom strap for a dressy Alligator and great night out.

From their hands to yours, we are nothing without the practiced eyes and skill of our expert artisans.