Why is it important and how to take care of your watch strap?

Why take care of the Riskers watch strap?

When you buy your unique timepiece, you wish to keep its beauty as long as possible. Watch straps are the most vulnerable element and are often made of natural materials and with different qualities and finishings (for example calf or leather). All of them may need special care to be preserved and look like a new one.

Many people choose to have a leather watch strap to highlight the sophisticated and classical style of their watches. These straps are very beautiful with a wide range of colors that can fit different styles of clothes and watch types. It is often a differentiation element of your outfit that highlights your personality. However, leather watch straps need special care to be good-looking and last a long time. As we are wearing watches daily, they may receive some specks of dirt, sweat,  humidity, and sunlight.  Watch straps need to be changed and cleaned to preserve their quality over time.

Sometimes you ask us about how to keep your watch and the strap good-looking over time? How many months/years can it last before replacement?

For leather and calf straps, it varies, depending on the quality and thickness of the leather. It also depends on how often you wear a watch, and how much you sweat. All the conditions of your use and care will impact the lifetime of the strap.

How do you take care of the watch strap?

What do you need to do to take good care of your strap? Here are below some recommendations to keep a watch strap beautiful, soft, and clean over time.

First, you need not wear it daily, as it will be impacted by the humidity and sunlight each time you wear it. Riskers watch straps are interchangeable between all Riskers models. That allows you to choose several straps to change according to the look and style of your outfit.

Second, You should clean and nourish it.  And of course, treat it with respect and care, as the materials used are quite fragile.

Here are the key stages for your strap “treatment”.

1. Remove the watch strap from the watch

First, you should remove the watch strap from the watch case to protect it from the cleaning process. Then you should take a microfibre cloth to wipe off any dirt elements on both sides of the watch strap. This first cleaning process will ensure that some dirt fragments will not scratch the surface of your leather watch strap.

2. Clean and dry the watch strap

The second step is to take a soft and moistened tissue and clean your Riskers watch strap with a drop of gentle soap, as harsher soaps can remove the natural moisture in the leather.

Leather is not waterproof, therefore you will need to make sure that the microfibre cloth is wet and not soaked, and this will prevent water damage to the leather strap. 

Use light pressure while cleaning. Once this has been done using another clean, wet soft cloth to remove the remaining soap residue.

Before moving on to the next step, you must ensure that your Riskers watch strap is completely dry. Please do not rush the drying process by using a hairdryer or putting the strap in direct sunlight as this will damage your beautiful leather strap.

3. Use a leather conditioner or nourishing milk

The last step is to take another microfibre cloth and apply a few drops of nourishing milk for leather. Be gentle and use circular movements to diffuse the milk on the surface of the strap. These types of products will create a protective layer from sunlight, dirt, and water. You can also use a waterproofing spray for leather to protect it from bad weather conditions.