We`ll talking about the quality leather watch straps in this article.
As we always find products on the Internet (Alibaba, Amazon, eBay)with the same picture, but the prices are much different.
Why is this happening? Is it the same as a product, but some people must make high profits? And some people are willing to lose money?
The truth is not like this.
In fact, the same product pictures we see are not the same. Because they have the same appearance, but completely different raw materials.
For example, the leather watchbands seem to be exact designs they are different materials as genuine leather and artificial leather.
We generally think that genuine leather is the quality leather.
In this article, we will introduce the difference between quality leather and artificial leather.
Quality Leather
All kinds of animal skins, including aquatic animal skins, are naturally bleached and dyed, and the surface is uneven, with small fiber bundles and natural pores.
The dermis can be divided into the first layer skin and the second layer skin according to the number of peeling layers.
The first layer of skin is directly processed from various animal raw skins, or the thicker skin of the animal skin is detailed and then cut into two layers. The upper part with tight fibrous tissue is processed into various first layer leather; the second layer leather is the lower part of the looser fibrous tissue.
Normally, the first layer of leather is a high price, and the price of the second layer of leather material is low.
Tanning Methods
The original skin needs to be processed before it can be used as a raw material for leather products. The process from skin to leather is called tanning.
There are two common tanning methods: chrome tanning and vegetable tanning.
Chrome tanning:
Trivalent chrome tanning, the product of modern chemical development, can be completed by soaking the leather embryo in the well-colored trivalent chromium for 3-7 days.
It has the advantages of bright colors, fast production, and low cost. That`s why it is the most popular on the market. Some bags use chrome tanned leather, which is in line with most users’ understanding of leather.
After chrome tanning, the fiber layer is damaged by chemical substances and becomes a flocculent structure, so it is relatively soft and cannot be polished for edge banding.
Vegetable tanning:
This is a traditional leather tanning method. It uses different vegetable tannins and animal leather to react tanning.
Because of the process is complicated and the efficiency is low. Tanning of a piece of leather takes 1-2 months as fast as 3-6 months.
Vegetable-tanned leather retains the fiber structure very well, so it is relatively stiff and has the characteristics of being shapeable and edge-sealing. Vegetable-tanned leather has poor ductility and elasticity, but its texture is very strong (hence poor ductility), and it has very strong water absorption.
Genuine Leather/Quality leather is characterized by softness and elasticity, which can withstand greater strength and impact. It is easy to be damp, becomes soft when exposed to water, becomes particularly hard after drying, and is easy to rot.
Artificial leather
Artificial leather is a kind of material imitating animal leather, imitating the structure and appearance of natural leather and artificially made plastic products.
This kind of plastic product is usually made by knitting fabric as a base fabric, and then coating the surface with synthetic resin and some plastic additives. Both the feel and appearance are very similar to the real leather.
Artificial leather (Faux leather) mainly includes PVC artificial leather, PU artificial leather, and synthetic leather. The main component of PVC is polyvinyl chloride, and the main component of PU leather is polyurethane.
Due to the chemical coating, various colors and patterns can be attached to the surface, and artificial leather is currently widely used.
Its advantages are acid resistance, alkali resistance, oil resistance, folding resistance, imperviousness, bright color, many patterns, no moisture absorption, but no air permeability.
Summary
After learning, We know that the price of the quality leather products will be high, it is suitable for high-end and luxury goods; the artificial leather price is cheap, and it is mostly used for products of ordinary quality.
So if you see the different quotations of our leather watch straps with the similar photos, you should know that`s because of the materials. Some items are quality leather watch straps and some others are made from artificial leathers.
Contact us to get the latest quotation if you are in the watch strap business.
