Why Horween Dublin Cognac leather is so great for watch bands making?
Horween’s Dublin Cognac Leather used in production of FinWatchStraps
Working with premium quality leather is always a challenge. You need to be skillful enough to produce a high-end product with great characteristics for your watches. Our team at FinWatchStraps knows the secret. We constantly improve our procedure and that is the key to success. Endless learning and implementation of the knowledge put us at the place we all want to achieve. Our company is the leader and we want to stay on that position.
How we make it
What is so special about our products? One of the secrets is the premium quality leather used in FinwatchStraps watchbands making. Why Horween’s Dublin such a desired choice for a leather crafter like me who makes watch straps every day for a living? To understand you have to first learn a little bit about how this special leather is made. Dublin is a full grain, aniline dyed cowhide that is primarily vegetable tanned and then infused with a special recipe of oils and emollients that is the very same as has been used in Horween's premium Shell Cordovan for more than 100 years. Horween Dublin leather contains a hard wax which gives the hide a slightly firmer temper and a crackle effect that is quite lovely if you like that kind of thing- and I most certainly do. Because it's a veg tan you might expect it to be stiff as a board and generic looking the way that most others tend to be, but it's quite the opposite. This is a leather that is aesthetically complex with a multitude of color variations due to the oil-pull-up effect, something Horween is famous for. Pull-up occurs when oils are moved within the skin which happens wherever the hide is bent, stretched or pulled. Dublin also strikes the perfect balance between firm and soft and has less propensity to stretch while retaining just the right amount of “give” and malleability. But perhaps the most surprising thing about Dublin is that it combines high tensile strength with lighter weight than most other leathers.
This material requires a lot of attention and persistence. Each detail plays an important role. The preferred style and design, buckle and stitch combinations can tremendously change the end result of the watchband. Most details are the matter of the specific preferences and tastes, your timepiece character and look. If you change one element, all other characteristics change as well. It all depends on your wishes and your own priorities. We have customers who want their watch straps in classical or modern ways, in pastel or bright colors stitched, tapered or with other unique features to underline their premium level timepiece uniqueness and style. Whatever customization you like, we are happy to make it. That is the challenge we like.
We understand the material
Our experience made us believe that the leather is an outstanding material. We know the way it breaths and the way it reacts with different elements. It is a matter of long years of experimenting with this material. After some time, certain things have become obvious to us. Applying some real skills and putting a lot of effort in making of each product will give you the best result. It is the case with all our products. We are especially proud of our high-end watch straps for premium watches. Each leather strap is completely unique and it is crafted with a lot of attention.
About FinWatchStraps
When something is hand-made, you know it is different. Too many mechanic procedures simply damage the leather and you are not able to breathe in the unique characteristics inside the product. That is why we exclusively use hand-made techniques that are over 100 years old. Our ancestors knew the special approach to leather that gives the best outcome. We continue to improve the technique. As a result, we have FinWatchStraps. Each unique hand-made watch strap represents the methods we use every day. Cutting, selecting, polishing, tanning and many other techniques are part of our work. We give our best to design the most unique watch straps for our customers. At the same time, we use the quality leather that comes from Austria. This kind of leather has all characteristics for producing of quality straps. It is strong enough to last for a long time and it is soft enough to make you feel comfortable. You get the best balance of quality and durability. At the same time, you get the product that completes your collection in the best way. With these leather straps, your experience elevates to the next level. We know how to give you something to be proud of. It is our mission and our primary intention.