With our Leather Watch Band and Leather Apple Watch Band collections gaining popularity, more and more questions arise on how to maintain your leather band effectively to make it last longer.

To makes things easy, we’ve come up with 3 key things leather band buyers need to know when purchasing their new leather band!

1. Leather Band Break-In Period

One of the most common questions we receive is “why is the band so stiff!”. 

All leather bands will require a break-in period to allow the band to conform to your wrist. This process generally will take up to 2 weeks or longer depending on how often you wear the band.

There are ways that you can speed up this process however!  Take the leather band off, then start at the narrow end and gently roll it into a ball. This will speed up the process of making it conform to your wrist better.

2. Regular Cleaning Routine

To clean your leather watch band, avoid using a wet cloth or fully immersing the band in water. Simply, apply a very small amount of mild, moisturising hand soap on a cloth and scrub the watchband on both sides. Rinse and dampen the cloth with clean cold water and wipe the watchband clean. Dry the watchband thoroughly, and then allow the strap to air-dry before wearing the watch.

For heavy stains and dirt, you can use a simple homemade mixture of baking soda and water. Mix a tablespoon of baking soda into an equal amount of water to form a paste. Apply the paste on every part of the watch band, and leave it on for some time or for the night. Subsequently, wash the paste off, and leave it to dry completely before reattaching the watch to the watch band.

It is important to regularly clean your leather watch band on a routine basis to ensure that you remove dirt, perspiration, odours and stains that will contribute significantly to the bands wear and tear.

3. Leather Killer – Excessive Humidity

Simply put, moisture is the enemy of Leather. Even in small doses, a leather band can significantly change shape as well as colour the moment it comes in contact with water.

We suggest you take off the watch before getting into the shower or washing your hands. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!