Welcome to our virtual leathercraft workshop, where we’re thrilled to guide you through the creation of a stylish and personalized watch band made from rich, vegetable-tanned leather.
In this tutorial, we’ll explore the art of crafting a simple yet elegant watch band, perfect for adding a touch of sophistication to your timepiece.
What’s more, we’re excited to offer a free watch band pattern available in 9 different sizes, ensuring a perfect fit for various watch faces. Whether you’re a seasoned leatherworker or a beginner, join us on this creative journey to fashion a bespoke accessory that combines functionality with timeless style!
There are 3 versions each suited for a different lug width: 20, 18 and 13mm. Each version comes with 3 band sizes.
The stitching holes can accommodate two different styles: either stitched across the band or with two loops on the side. A chevron can also be added at the tip of the band.
Walk-through
Printing and cutting the pattern
Print it on US letter or A4 paper depending on the version you downloaded and cut-out the pieces of the watch band which dimensions fit those of your watch face.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Print on card-stock paper to make it easier to trace the shape on the leather.
Tracing the outline of the pattern onto the leather
Using an awl, trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the leather.
Don’t forget to mark the position of the holes that will be punched later on.
Cutting-out the pieces of the watch band
Using an X-Acto knife, cut-out the 3 or 4 pieces of the watch band.
Use your 1mm, 2.5mm round punches and 3mm oblong hole punch to perforate all the holes.
Bevel the edges of your leather piece with your edge beveler (size n*1 in my case).
Use ~200 grit sandpaper to smooth-out any irregularity, then use progressively finer grit to prepare the edges for burnishing. The finer the grit, the smoother the edges will be which will make the actual burnishing a lot easier and the result look a lot cleaner.
Dampen the edge you are working on with water before sanding. It will help you obtain a sleek result much faster than if you were working dry and it will minimize the amount of leather dust in the air
The 3 portions of the watch band that fold over have to be skived thinner to make for an elegant fold and to prevent them from protruding from the side of the watch band that will be in direct contact with the wrist.
Burnish the edges of the watch band as well as the loop using the method of your choice.
You can also seal the backside with tokonole to give it a better look and texture.
Stitch-up the loop(s) with a cross-stitch.
First pass the short piece of the watch band through the loop.
Apply some glue to the 3 extremities that have been skived earlier. Remember to leave a little gap in the middle of the fold for the spring bars.
Set-up your buckle (if as in that case it doesn’t come with a spring bar).
Folder over the three extremities and stitch them up.
Apply the conditioning product of your choice on the tray and rub vigorously with a cotton rag to polish it and give it a nice shine.
I use a leather balm that I make by gently melting together “au bain-marie” 1 part beeswax and 6 parts olive oil. It’s great for nourishing and waterproofing.
Remove the spring bars from both sides of the watch face.
Insert them through both extremities of the straps and secure again between their axis on the watch face.
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make them your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project:
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Tutorial
How to make a watch band
3 hours
Easy
Common for leathercraft
Welcome to our virtual leathercraft workshop, where we’re thrilled to guide you through the creation of a stylish and personalized watch band made from rich, vegetable-tanned leather.
In this tutorial, we’ll explore the art of crafting a simple yet elegant watch band, perfect for adding a touch of sophistication to your timepiece.
What’s more, we’re excited to offer a free watch band pattern available in 9 different sizes, ensuring a perfect fit for various watch faces. Whether you’re a seasoned leatherworker or a beginner, join us on this creative journey to fashion a bespoke accessory that combines functionality with timeless style!
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
Watch Bands Patterns
There are 3 versions each suited for a different lug width: 20, 18 and 13mm. Each version comes with 3 band sizes.
The stitching holes can accommodate two different styles: either stitched across the band or with two loops on the side. A chevron can also be added at the tip of the band.
Walk-through
Printing and cutting the pattern
Print it on US letter or A4 paper depending on the version you downloaded and cut-out the pieces of the watch band which dimensions fit those of your watch face.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Print on card-stock paper to make it easier to trace the shape on the leather.
Tracing the outline of the pattern onto the leather
Using an awl, trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the leather.
Don’t forget to mark the position of the holes that will be punched later on.
Cutting-out the pieces of the watch band
Using an X-Acto knife, cut-out the 3 or 4 pieces of the watch band.
Use your 1mm, 2.5mm round punches and 3mm oblong hole punch to perforate all the holes.
Bevel the edges of your leather piece with your edge beveler (size n*1 in my case).
Use ~200 grit sandpaper to smooth-out any irregularity, then use progressively finer grit to prepare the edges for burnishing. The finer the grit, the smoother the edges will be which will make the actual burnishing a lot easier and the result look a lot cleaner.
Dampen the edge you are working on with water before sanding. It will help you obtain a sleek result much faster than if you were working dry and it will minimize the amount of leather dust in the air
The 3 portions of the watch band that fold over have to be skived thinner to make for an elegant fold and to prevent them from protruding from the side of the watch band that will be in direct contact with the wrist.
Burnish the edges of the watch band as well as the loop using the method of your choice.
You can also seal the backside with tokonole to give it a better look and texture.
Stitch-up the loop(s) with a cross-stitch.
First pass the short piece of the watch band through the loop.
Apply some glue to the 3 extremities that have been skived earlier. Remember to leave a little gap in the middle of the fold for the spring bars.
Set-up your buckle (if as in that case it doesn’t come with a spring bar).
Folder over the three extremities and stitch them up.
Apply the conditioning product of your choice on the tray and rub vigorously with a cotton rag to polish it and give it a nice shine.
I use a leather balm that I make by gently melting together “au bain-marie” 1 part beeswax and 6 parts olive oil. It’s great for nourishing and waterproofing.
Remove the spring bars from both sides of the watch face.
Insert them through both extremities of the straps and secure again between their axis on the watch face.
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make them your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project: