Wearing a watch strap made from 230 year old leather is something of a talking point. In 1786 a ship, the Metta Catharina, sought shelter from a storm in Plymouth Sound but her anchor dragged and she was wrecked on the shore of Drake's Island.
Nearly 200 years later part of the ship's cargo of leather (thought to be reindeer hides from Russia) was recovered and restored. Tanned with willow bark and treated with birch bark oil, it was renowned for its water resistance and insect-proof qualities. Despite its long stay under water, the restored leather has been used to make everything from shoes to wallets and watch straps.
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| Equus Leather strap made from 1786 Metta Catharina restored Russian leather |
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| Leather from the 1786 wreck of the Metta Catharina |
I've talked before about Equus Leather who made me a watch strap from Cuir de Russie, a modern leather made using techniques similar to those used to make the leather recovered from the Metta Catharina. On this occasion they have made me another strap from the old leather and you can see it below on the Tudor Submariner and, below that, alongside the modern Cuir de Russie.
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| Equus 1786 leather strap to the left of the modern Cuir de Russie |
Both leathers smell gorgeously of birch oil, a leathery, slightly tarry scent. This fades with use of course. The older leather is slightly dryer and prone to very faint cracking if bent too sharply, but this is hardly surprising given that it spent nearly 200 years underwater, and it adds to the patina of the material. The rich brown, antique finish is perfect for almost any watch, but I think it complements an older watch with buttery luminous numerals to perfection - a treat for watch and owner. The leather was artificially grained when manufactured in the 1780s. This varies in appearance which adds to the character of this remarkable leather.
Equus owner, Charlie, started out as a saddler, having ridden event horses for a living. He worked in finance for a while before focusing on saddlery and leatherwork. He started Equus 13 years ago and is a fount of knowledge of leatherworking techniques. Needless to say, the strap is beautifully made and won't let you down. You won't find quality anything like this on a shop-bought leather watch strap.
Watch straps come in a wide variety of leathers, but one made from the extremely rare and limited leather from the Metta Catharina will cost you from £450. Charlie has only enough leather for a few more straps. Given that many brands of watch will charge at least that for a metal watch bracelet, I'd say that was well worth it for something so rare and with such a story attached to it.
See Equus Leather for more information.
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See also my earlier feature on Equus Leather.
Samples of the straps were provided for these features.