Ashland Leather Watch Strap Discussions | Drop

Jun 9, 2017

Kevin13Hey Kevin. Sorry to bum you out. This round of straps has an added hole for smaller wrists

Jun 9, 2017

Kevin13

Jun 10, 2017

ashlandleatherIt's still an ill-fitting strap that I won't spend money on. 205mm is definitely too long for a 6.25"-6.5" wrist. There are so many requests for smaller sizes over past drops so I don't understand why you can't accommodate more sizes.

Jun 10, 2017

Jun 10, 2017

ashlandleather I'm with you Kevin. An extra hole is a very clumsy solution for smaller wrists. I am tired of waiting for the next drop and may have gotten so fed up with Ashland that I may quit buying other things from them. They have not had a belt in brown chromexcel in my size since their Christmas sale. I guess since they can sell out of their drops with their current offering that all of us with smaller, or even average , wrists will just have to suck it. Looks like a Horween shell cordovan strap from Nomos may be my only alternative. They cost more and I can only get black and brown, no color #8, but at least they have my size. Just an FYI for Ashland, 120mm x 80mm is considered a LONG strap by Hirsch while their Medium is 110mm x 70mm. The least you could have done was pick an average size instead of a long. Leather straps are not NATO straps where you can tuck the extra length underneath.

Jun 10, 2017

Kevin13

Jun 10, 2017

d246gtsYeah and it's especially frustrating given that Ashland had said they would offer more sizes in this drop.
The straps look really good, so it's a real shame.

Jun 10, 2017

Jun 10, 2017

Kevin13Hey @Kevin13 -- it is frustrating for me, too! It is a great challenge to stock 18, 20, 22mm in multiple colors of each and in multiple lengths. I am still planning to make extra short straps but each additional variable makes it difficult for a small guy like me. This is just me whining, of course. I'm sure you can get an amazing short strap from another great drop.

Jun 10, 2017

Jun 10, 2017

ashlandleatherCan you promise that there will be a shorter option with the next drop? If so, then I will once again hold off buying a strap(s). However, but each drop without a short choice increases my frustration exponentially. What would your shorter offering be? I personally could live with a 110mm/70mm strap (I have one) which might broaden the audience for you, but I also have short straps of 105 x 65 and 110 x 65, none in shell cordovan. Apologies for my previous rant, but I have desperately wanted cordovan watch straps with Ashland's quality and craftsmanship since I purchased my first Ashland cordovan Tony the Ant.

Jun 10, 2017

Kevin13

Jun 11, 2017

ashlandleatherFair enough. I wasn't aware that Ashland was a one-man operation (or a small operation like that). However it doesn't really help anyone when you say you'll try to provide shorter lengths in the next drop and yet they never appear. Do you think it's likely we'll see it in the next drop?
To be honest it's not that easy to come by a nice looking leather strap where I'm from. Most of the time they're either genuine leather or at a really high price point.
I don't see any leather watch straps on the Ashland website either...

Jun 11, 2017

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Jun 11, 2017

ashlandleatherYou'd think that, wouldn't you, but I've been completely unable to find anything of the same quality as yours in my size. In fact, I have to wear a NATO every day (which I totally don't mind, but....it's not leather). I totally understand that you can't start catering to massige amounts of variables and have unsold leather at the end if the day.
Anyway, I get it, and I'm willing to wait a few years if that's what it takes. Just know that, as you grow your business, you have a small set of small buyers who would love to wear your strap!

Jun 11, 2017

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twilding

Jun 11, 2017

SeelenAgree with everyone above. Hope that they can at least see their way to making an average (110x70) size strap in the near future..

Jun 11, 2017

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Jun 12, 2017

d246gtsI can't promise that it will be the next drop but I can promise that I will make shorter straps. When they do come it will be limited colors...probably 2: Natural CXL and color #8 shell.

Jun 12, 2017

Jun 12, 2017

ashlandleatherAwesome. Glad to hear it's something you're considering. If you do it one day, I'll buy in just to support further production and give you an idea of how many of us there actually are.
It does make me wonder how many are like me out there. Maybe I'll make a poll someday; there may be more than it seems. I know for a lot of things, I've just sort of accepted that they weren't made for me and have to settle for middle of the road (or worse) when it comes to watches, denim, suits, jackets, sometimes even shoes. With that happening so much, you learn not to bother looking at certain things because you know they won't fit, especially on the internet.
I think I can speak for most of us small people in saying that we understand completely, we're just tired of having to sit on the outside.
So many areas of fashion leave out the small guys and girls. I get it, you have to make things that match the mean and the mode, and to be blunt, when you *do* venture outside the standard sizes, you're probably going to find more buyers on the large end than the small, for various reasons. Even still, it's nice to remind designers and business owners that we do exist in some small number.
Thanks for keeping us in mind, I really appreciate it.

Jun 12, 2017

Jun 12, 2017

SeelenI am hearing you and others loud and clear that a shorter, high quality watch strap is needed in the world. I will be making these.
What is your ideal size? 110x70? 20mm?

Jun 12, 2017

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Jun 12, 2017

ashlandleatherHonestly, I don't even know my size; never bothered to learn since nothing has ever fit me before. All I know is I'm smaller than the smallest hole on every watch I've ever tried that wasn't made for the Japanese market. I don't even know what a legit leather strap feels like, I've been trapped into wearing NATOs for so long I don't remember anything else.
To give you an idea though, I wear a standard 11" NATO, and I wear it either on the 4th (tight) or 5th (looser, can slide two fingers in under my wrist but just barely) hole. I'm assuming for leather you want it to be just slightly looser, so I'd probably fall more under the 5th hole from the smallest. I'm actually wearing this exact strap right now, if it helps:
http://www.crownandbuckle.com/black-grey-premium-nato-22mm.html
As for sizing, my only watch right now is 22mm and will be for quite some time. I understand it's more common to see small sizes with smaller widths, but that's part of what makes it so hard to find! You can get women's and other straps sometimes for the real thin widths...it's the larger ones like 22mm that are damn near impossible! My boyfriend's wrist is even tinier than mine and he wears an 18mm. He's not as concerned with it as I am, but if you did make that size, I might pick him up one as well.
By the way, this conversation reminded me to check your site to see if you restocked the wallet I've been wanting and it was was, so I just bought it ^_^ Wallets are one of the few items I can put some money into without worrying about whether it will fit!

Jun 12, 2017

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Jun 13, 2017

ashlandleatherThanks. So I guess you are telling me I should go ahead and source a black shell from somewhere else and wait for a color #8 from you.

Jun 13, 2017

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Bram

Jun 13, 2017

ashlandleather110/70 would be ideal for me as well. I think it'd be a good compromise to offer.

Jun 13, 2017

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Jun 15, 2017

ashlandleather110x70 with 20mm width would work for me. It's a good compromise. I currently have a "short" brown 110/65, 20mm shell cordovan strap so it would only be slightly longer. I also have a "medium" 110x70, 20mm calfskin/Caoutchouc lined strap that fits OK. It's not the fit, per se, that is the problem. You can always use the last hole or add another one like Ashland has done with this drop. The problem is the extra length of leather "tail" that sticks out That's not a good look on an expensive adult watch.

Jun 15, 2017

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Jun 15, 2017

ashlandleatherI've been hearing some of you referring to 110x70 as "medium"...if that's the case, it's simply not going to fit me. I think my wrist is actually under 6".
To be honest, the kind of strap I'm asking for just doesn't sound economical here on Massdrop. The reality is, group buys are meant to cater to the largest audience possible (relative to the drop...10 buyers on a $2k drop is as much as 1,000 at $20). I don't think it's fair for us to start making uncommon or custom size requests in this format if we can't guarantee the same number of buyers as any regular watch strap, or at least CLOSE.
110x70 might get buyers, but if I truly do need something smaller, I don't want to burden Ashland by trying to turn it into a drop. I mean, it's nice to save a few bucks, but, like it it not, when you don't fall under a certain size range, you're essentially asking for a custom order, and that generally comes with a premium.
With that in mind, if there aren't enough buyers for a drop of straps short enough to accommodate my (probably 5.75"?) wrist, I completely understand... maybe we could discuss making such an order through your site instead? I want you to be able to keep your margins, and I know creating a new size might mean wasted leather or necessitate creating new stencils or however you do it. Speaking personally, it's not the money I actually care about, it's finding the strap in my (admittedly rare) size. If that means Massdrop isn't the place for that, that's okay with me.
PS I'll measure my wrist tonight with string or something. It won't be exact, but it will at least give you an idea of whether offering that size is even viable here.

Jun 15, 2017