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Timothy Schroeder photo
Philippines, Manila
1 Level
743 Review
72 Karma

Review on 👑 Upgrade Your Style with Ritche Watch Bands' Leather Release by Timothy Schroeder

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Excellent quality, very good strap at a very reasonable price!

The first thing I noticed about this bracelet when I took it out of the box was the pleasant smell. Since it's so cheap, I expected it to be "leather". But it smells like a brand new leather jacket or leather seats in a new car, not the plastic and glue that many cheap straps have. I don't know much about leather grades or grain, but this strap is definitely genuine quality leather. And a week later, it still smells great! Nothing to say about fit or ease of installation; 20mm is 20mm and the quick release spring bars are precise and strong and compress and release very easily. The strap fits all my 20mm lugs very well and the length is just right for my modest 7.25" wrist. As is often the case, the strap was quite stiff upon unpacking. I usually find that the stiffness of the belt can be changed. with easy rolling and twisting by hand. It took me about half an hour of manual labor with the strap to soften it and once I wore it on my wrist it was surprisingly comfortable. And now after wearing it for a few days it just got better. My first complaint about comfort is the missed opportunity to reduce the width a bit. 20mm isn't that wide, but narrowing it down to 18mm at the buckle would make it even better. It's a small problem though; A narrowing would be nice, but I wouldn't say it's critical. My second issue with comfort is the design of the buckle itself. I would have preferred the corners to be a little more rounded rather than square. The finish is great, there are no rough edges or sharp points, it just seems like another possibility. My personal preference would be a sleek design with a rounded buckle. I've only had this strap for a week or two so it's hard to say how well it will hold up over time, but given the quality of the materials and the consistency of the stitching I think the durability will easily exceed expectations. The only quality control issue I've noticed is purely aesthetic, the physical construction of the strap seems fairly correct. The nylon insert on one half of the strap is not perfectly centered, so the material's waffle weave is slightly beveled from the parallel lines of the leather edges. However, to be fair, it's very subtle, and I only noticed it because I was specifically looking for it. Functionally, this does not affect the comfort or strength of the strap in any way, and 99% of people will not notice it at all. Why 4 stars and not 5? Well, 5 stars are reserved for products that really exceed expectations and leave me stumped when asked about any faults or issues. This strap is very good and has a lot of value, but it's not quite perfect. However, consider my overall rating to be A-, not A+. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one of these straps.

Pros
  • Easy to read control panel
Cons
  • Dim dial