Make a Real Leather Watch Strap!

Watch bands have a tendency to break. Most people just throw their watches away once they have passed this point. But you're reading this Instructable, and that means (hopefully) you have decided to rescue your watch, and replace the band with a classy, real leather watch band. Have fun!

You will need:

- Ruler

- Sharp X-acto Blade

- A 26 cm strip of leather The width is 19mm - Sizes may vary slightly from person to person - The leather should be 1 - 3mm thick

- A 19 cm strip of leather The width is 19mm - Sizes may vary slightly from person to person - The leather should be 1 - 3mm thick

-45 x 10mm strip of leather

- Pushpin or Hole Punch.

- Needle and Thread

- A Buckle - You can get one here - I recommend the 20 mm buckle

- A Leather punch.

First, draw a line about 1/16" away from the edge of the leather, and mark a point on the line every 1/8". These points need to be punched out. You can either use the sewing punch or a push pin to make the holes.

Cut a leather piece that is 26 cm long. Then fold it in half, round the end, and sew. Start by sewing on one side of the strap and work you way to the other side. Once you reach the other side, retrace your steps back to the original starting point.

Use your leather punch to punch several small holes down the center of the strap. I suggest you put the holes about 3 cm away from the rounded end and evenly space them about 5 mm apart. You will want to make sure the holes are centered in the middle of the watch, otherwise they will not line up properly with the buckle.

In order to make this piece, you will need a piece of leather 45 mm long by 10 mm wide (again, these measurements will vary by preference and the size of the watch strap). Tightly sew it together, as shown. You may want to press it flat with a stack of books or something else heavy. You will need two off these, one will be fixed to the strap and the other will be movable so as to keep the long end of the strap from dangling.

First, fold your 19 cm piece of leather over. The fold should not be perfectly in half, but should leave a 2.5 cm end hanging off. Next, you will want to draw and cut a hole about 7 x 4 mm, as shown in the second picture (this measurement will vary with different buckles). This will create a hole for the buckle to fit in, as shown in the first picture. After putting the buckle in place, fold down the 2.5 cm piece over the buckle. The side with the piece folded down will be the side against the wrist. Complete this step by sewing both of the long sides of the strap (make sure you put the first strap retainer and buckle in properly, as shown in the third picture).

Insert the watch pins on your watch into the end of the leather(as shown in pictures). Next, use your x-acto blade to push the end of the pin in, and attach it to the watch.

Now go and show of your fancy new genuine leather watch strap to all your friends!

If you have any ideas for improvements, or if you see something you don't understand, share it with the Instructables community below.

Thank you for reading my tutorial, and I hope you like my idea! If you do, please consider voting for me in the Epilog VII Contest. If I won the laser cutter I would use it to build puzzle boxes like these. I would also be able to pursue wood projects that are too intricate for an unskilled scroll-saw user. I am also interested in building robots with custom covers, and in creating 3D layered art. Thanks!