In our impression, most high-end watches use leather straps, such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Lan Zhi and other top watches, and metal strap styles are extremely rare. And pay attention to durable low-end watches, mostly using metal straps, such as Casio, Seiko, Citizen and so on. Is the metal strap not as high-end as the leather strap?

If it is a good crocodile belt, the answer is yes.

The price of a first-class crocodile leather strap can be as high as several thousand yuan. It is unbearable for ordinary people to know that the average life of a strap is only three years, and it is necessary to change the strap every few years. And steel belts are forever.

Type: Crocodile skins that can be used as watchbands are: American crocodile skin (short jaw), Nile crocodile skin, Thai crocodile skin, Cayman crocodile skin, and the most expensive one is American crocodile skin watchband. It is expensive because the output is relatively scarce and the material price is naturally higher. The watchband made of American crocodile skin has good gloss and softness. The more it is used, the better the gloss effect.

Grade: crocodile skin material is graded, mainly from the degree of disability. There is almost no damage to the first-class material, the luster and dyeing effect of the surface are also in place, and the hand feel and elasticity are also good; The second-grade material is a bit residual, but the main parts are still good, and the gloss is not bad, but the utilization rate is not as high as that of the first-grade material; There are many damaged parts in the third-grade leather, but the luster and toughness are not enough. Based on a crocodile skin of 28 cm, the price difference between Grade I and Grade II is about 1, 000 yuan to 1, 200 yuan.

The distinction between true and false: the natural texture of real crocodile skin is irreplaceable by any other leather material, and there is a natural meat texture between the lines. Crocodile leather pressed by cowhide can't achieve this effect, with stiff and unnatural texture and dull leather.

Maintenance method: A good American alligator watch has a service life of two or three years under normal use, but the alligator strap is not waterproof. Never soak the whole strap in water. Usually it doesn't need special maintenance, and the more you wear it, the more shiny it is, and the more it fits your wrist. If you accidentally spill water, wipe it off with cotton cloth and dry it naturally without any other treatment.

Leather straps can be roughly divided into three types according to the manufacturing process: trimming straps, all-inclusive straps and semi-inclusive straps.

There are five kinds of shape differences: round arch back effect belt, square arch back effect belt, square arch back effect belt, headband and flat body effect belt.

At present, there are crocodile leather straps, lizard leather straps, ostrich leather straps, shark leather straps and cowhide straps on the market. Generally, high-end watches are equipped with crocodile leather straps, because crocodile leather itself has luxury properties, and cowhide is the most popular. The market share of lizard skin, ostrich skin and shark skin strap is relatively small, and the selection rate of these three skins as leather goods will be higher.