Problems with leather bands??

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damodude32
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Problems with leather bands??

Post by damodude32 »

Has any one had any problems with their leather bands on C60 GMT (mine is the black with orange stiching) i have had my watch since begining of Jan and wear it quite a lot (except at work) I am supper happy with the watch itself and the band but i came to clean the watch this evening and took it off whilst in front of the telly and this happened!! I have emailed Wera to see what they say. I think im going to swap it out for the steel bracelet?

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Loddonite
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by Loddonite »

I don't know much about the construction of the C60 bands but I certainly don't think that should happen in a couple of months.
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by Kip »

Interesting that this is the second reported issue with C60 straps in the past week. Perhaps it needs further investigation.

I have notified Wera of these incidents so she may look into it. :(
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damodude32
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by damodude32 »

Just shown the wifey the band and the first thing she said was "AND YOU PAID HOW MUCH FOR THAT" :/
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by Misterdigital »

I'm sure CW will sort you out. Their personal service is exemplary.
damodude32
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by damodude32 »

Sorted, a few e-mails and a new one is on its way, although i have been told that they only last between 9-12 months!!
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by jasonjuiceon »

damodude32 wrote:Sorted, a few e-mails and a new one is on its way, although i have been told that they only last between 9-12 months!!
Leather bands only last a year? Is that the norm?
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ianblyth
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by ianblyth »

It depends on how you use them. A former forumite had a medical condition which created a lot of sweat and he would get through leather straps in weeks. It was bracelets all the way for him.

Although I have a lot of leather straps due to rotation they don't always get much use plus I have watches with bracelets and NATOs so they get even less time. I have had no problems with any CWL leather strap. And even when I used to only have one watch on leather I am sure I got more than a year out it before changing. Or maybe it is because I am Scottish and I refused to change it before it almost fell off. :lol:
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by Kip »

The average life of a leather strap worn daily is about 1 year. This will vary (more or less) according to conditions subjected to and skin conditions.

Getting a leather strap wet or having oily skin or if the strap is subjected to body lotions etc will significantly shorten the life. if most people took a good look at the inside of their straps after 1 year of daily wear and saw the build up of body cheese in the cracks of the leather and realize how much bacteria is growing in there, they would all go back to pocket watches.

That being said, a bracelet needs to be cleaned more than once a year as well, as the build up of crap will prematurely wear on them as well.

As far as the 2 recent incidents of strap failure. I have been assured by Wera that these are in fact isolated and coincidental that they happened so close together. Although there are always the odd failures with any strap, there has been no uptick in the failure of CWL straps overall.

Also, in my experience, I have seen this type of failure in other brands as well.
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falcon
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by falcon »

Yeah, same here...mines doing the exact same thing. :?
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by damodude32 »

I have now got my new leather band and have also bought a black NATO strap which i am really pleased with at the moment, its waterproof and super comfortable all in black but with stainless buckles. ill post some pics soon. Very pleased with the service that CW has given re the defective leather band.
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Amor Vincit Omnia
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

I concur with Kip's point above. When the inside of a leather strap starts to look skanky it's time for a change. Strap-life, is certainly improved by not wearing them every day, extending the life from a few months to perhaps several years. When I go on holiday I'll just be taking the 2 divers on steel, having once ruined a leather strap in days with heat, humidity, lotions etc. The vintages will be getting a rest for a couple of weeks.
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damodude32
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by damodude32 »

All the advice seems to point to only wearing your leather straps for best then. The NATO is doing just fine at the moment and I might invest in the bracelet soon as well. Thanks for the interest everyone.
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

damodude32 wrote:All the advice seems to point to only wearing your leather straps for best then.
Not really. I keep most of my watches on leather, but because I don't use any particular watch as a beater, they don't get subjected to daily wear and tear quite as much.
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Re: Problems with leather bands??

Post by ianblyth »

I have the fitted leather for my Trident that I wear quite a lot but certainly not every day. From the photo it looks like the problem is with the curved fitting. I believe they put in something other than leather to get the curve and from the photo it looks like that bit has come away from the leather. A standard straight leather strap would not have that problem,
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