Cost being the single biggest, secondly the wildlife preservation issue if that factors for you ( not me !!)

I have not seen very many cow leather in croco / gator grain that would fool a true WIS, the general public...yes.

 

I have not seen very many cow leather in croco / gator grain that would fool a true WIS, the general public...yes.

can you guess which one is which?

i posted this photo in another thread and the responses were not quite correct, so i would not assume that no WIS can be fooled by embossed croc strap. and the best way to say which one is which is to actually see on the reverse of the strap where it usually says if it is genuine croc / alligator

 

wildlife preservation issue

Don't see why it would be an issue with any one who would find a cow leather strap acceptable. The gators that got turned into straps were farmed as much as a cow.

I think the gator/croc skin is more water/sweat resistant as well, it feels totally different as well
.

 

From a strap makers point of view, Croc / Gator Grain Embossed straps offers the customer the look of genuine hide but at a fraction of the cost.

People's impressions of crocs / gators are these great big 15ft plus animals we see Steve Irwine tackling but reality is farmed animals upto 2-3ft, from each you get enough hide for 6 straps and maybe a few more using the flanc. Hide is very expensive and that cost once spread across 6 straps gives some indication of the high cost involved per strap.

The raw material for embossed straps is calf leather, almost a bi product and the cost is alot cheaper, with embossed templates there is very little wastage as the pattern is repeated to maximise the number of straps.

There is very little to choose from between embossed and calf leather, it is a preference to finish and style, but a different case for embossed against genuine hide, a £30 embossed strap will not have the same qualities on close examination as a £100+ genuine hide strap.

I seriously believe there is room in the strap market for all types and due to modern technologies the opportunities are endless, take a look at the variation Hirsch offers for what some simply think "it is just a strap!"

The right strap on the right watch can make a world of difference.

 

I guess I'm speaking from a functional point of view. Is there a functional quality difference between a Camille Fournet $50 alligator style strap than a $250 genuine alligator strap?

I imagine in terms of longevity, it would depend more on the curing process than the actual material it was made with?

For example, an iPhone case from vajacases.com is far nicer than say a normal Belkin iPhone case in both fit, longevity, and beauty.

 

If by functional quality difference you mean resistance to wear, the two leathers should wear the same if they were tanned the same. Inexpensive straps tend to show edge separation, stitching deterioration and cracking while a well made calf, ostrich or croc strap will hold up for longer. Longevity is determined mostly by good leather preparation, assembly and finishing techniques.

 

I think alot depends on the manufacturer and the processes involved, some Far Eastern straps have been known to be padded using scrunched up newspaper, shape and form does not last long.

 

I have a real croc strap that came with one of my watches and the biggest difference I can tell between that and calf leather is that it's somehow softer at the same thickness. I find leather can be pretty hard to "soften up" whereas croc is surprisingly soft from the beginning. I also find I sweat less under the croc strap than my leather straps.

Perhaps these things are subjective, but even if not, I'm not sure the price difference justifies getting croc over leather...

 

If you care about sustainability, the negative environmental impacts of farming crocodiles are generally very high. Crocodiles (even small ones) eat a lot of meat, and the animals they are fed (cows, sheep, whatever), consume a lot of feed and water. So each strap is actually very water and resource intensive. Hence the high $$$ cost.

 

If you care about sustainability, the negative environmental impacts of farming crocodiles are generally very high

While they may be resource-intensive to produce, hasn't the farming of crocs and gators led to a decrease in poaching and a rebound in wild population? I'm not sure about Australia, but in Louisiana, the wild alligator population has become better off than it was before farming was introduced. (Also, farmed Louisiana alligators, which I'd imagine are the kind most likely to wind up as straps, are often fed nutria- an invasive and overpopulated rodent.)

 

I think they are fed carcasses of farmed Nutria (wonderful soft fur) and chicken that cannot go into the human foodchain.

Alligator is very tasty.....

Going back to straps, I am yet to see an embossed calf that has, even remotely, the same feel and look as the real deal.

 

I agree, the feel of calf embossed vs. real croc are different. Look-wise, it can certainly fool the public but overall, the real ones just feels better. I guess it makes me feel good too knowing I have the real thing.

There are certainly a market for both though, with calf embossed being a good and cheaper alternative.

 

Why are so many going on about the environment and cheaper cost?? The OP was asking about functional advantages of real croc vs embossed calf. While it is good to be concerned about the environment and the cost, those factors are besides the point.

Personlly I have never owned a genuine croc strap and would be interested if there are any tangible, functional advantages to it as well.

 

The real croc straps last longer and tend to be made to a very high standard judging from the ones I've owned. This might just be because of the price difference. I also agree, one tends to sweat less with a real croc band.

 

What types of embossment are there anyway? Ive seen shark/croc embossed straps, are there any others?

 

Zombie resurrection, but this thread needs more feedback. I'm genuinely interested to know. I just got a Hirsch Duke, and it looks pretty good to me. But don't have a croc to compare. Anyone who has both calf & croc to post some pictures from?

 

If its pictures you want, checkout this site, which I believed to be the Rolce Royce brand of strap makers:
Attila Aszodi Custom Designs

 

I have had numerous croc and watch straps, and also belts.

Croc and gator are fabulous hides. The texture and shape of the scales, with harder scale material and softer material between the scales, is a very rich, intricate and high end hide. If you appreciate fine things, croc and gator bands are wonderful. I find no difference in the breathability of the hide. However, as with many fine things, I find them to be less durable. The different textures of the hide, of the scale and in between the scales, make for a natural crease/fold/crack or tear line, and depending on exactly where the buckle and tang holes lie on the specific piece of leather, you can get cracks or fragmentation over time that you would not see on cow hide. But the leather is so beautiful and naturally intricate, and nothing else comes to close to "dress" as does croc or even gator. Fake gator or croc looks fake.

Hornback gator

Here is a WUSer's thread on gator straps: https://www.watchuseek.com/f20/top-ten-alligator-straps-ive-owned-719451.html

 

I have had numerous croc and watch straps, and and also belts.[/URL]

Yes the cracks you mentioned on real croc and also the fact that they tend to be very stiff brand new. I always try to buy real crocs sometimes even for cheaper than the strap watches. However I personally prefer shell cordovan which is horse hide for its flexibility and lack of crease/wrinkle. They are much more expensive than calf but so much better than any leather. The Horween no 8 color is also legendary. One problem is if it gets wet the watermarks are very visible prompting you to oil it often.

 

There is also a very similar thread in the strap section. First, stamped or pressed leather will never duplicate the look of a beautiful real croc. Beyond that dyed and pressed leather will tend to lose its finish and expose the untanned leather underneath. I have never owned a "high end stamped faux croc" because to me, it's an oxymoron.

 

I like my $80 real alligator band. I believe all reptile bands have calf leather liners, so hard to determine why the reptile bands would be more durable, unless their tendency to split on the edges is different for some reason? But as mentioned, I think that is just a quality issue. A cow leather strap at the same price as a reptile strap should perform as good if not better over time.

This low cost band is due to the fine grain vs. wide alligator grain, which is much more expensive. For me it was a no brainer because I like the fine grain better.



BTW, below is the faux alligator strap that comes with the watch:

 

Only the right orange one is real. It's very difficult to tell a brand new embossed calf strap from real croc. Once wrinkled...

 

I believe your mistaken.

 

Makes me need an aligator strap now...

 

With the wide flat scales you posted it can sometimes be hard to tell (but you usually can based on the detail between the scales and even can on yours if you look closely). I doubt if you threw in a couple of stamped croc straps in between the ones I posted, that results would be the same. You can also tell by feel, which is impossible to gage based on pics. Real croc will feel smooth and waxy while stamped leather will feel porous.

 

i must admit that i am not a fan of such an alligator strap, you have posted, to me they are a bit excessive and how to say it more politely a bit "vulgar"
It might feel different from calf skin but i bet if I close my eyes i would never tell which one is which.
yes, on a closer inspection you can tell the difference but i blame this on the fact that one is made by no name chineese strap maker - the others are by JLC / Omega..

and as of now i much prefer a plain, no grain leather, the ones i own are just a matter of coincidence as I do not pay money for a dead reptile anymore

 

Lol ... I must have lots of "vulgar" straps then. IMHO they are better value than something that can be easily duplicated with inexpensive stamped leather but YMMV.

 

After reading every thread about this subject I could find, and having purchased a couple watches with embossed straps, and one on my own, I finally justified the purchase and bought a genuine hide alligator strap for my watch. All I can say is that I agree with the posts above which state that in the hand it is obvious. In photos I could not tell, but when I can inspect that strap in person it is a significant difference, right now to the way the alligator wears nicely at the buckle. I am a convert.

 

I think it's worth adding for posterity that there is a huge spectrum of price and quality within embossed calf and genuine croc/alligator and lots of overlap. I'm sure many of us have seen $10 alligator straps on Amazon/AliX and $80 Hirsch Grand Duke embossed calf.

Dollar for dollar, alligator/croc is always more expensive for the same quality for the reasons listed above. Further, cheap alligator will almost never be as good as decent calf- it will not be as comfortable, it will wear out faster, and it will look worse sooner. Conversely, a high quality (and therefore expensive) alligator will outlast a cheap leather strap.

Therefore, if you only have $X and you're looking for the most durable, highest quality option, embossed calf will be the better option most of the time. As a lover of crocodile, I will be the first to admit that my $50 genuine croc bands absolutely will not outlast my $30 calf straps. It might outlast my $15 embossed strap, but that strap isn't good quality anyway, embossed or not.

 

I've maybe got half a dozen real alligator straps but I take them off, and don't use them. I tend to put Cordovan straps on instead. I prefer the smooth finish.