The recent collaboration between Apple and Hermès has sparked a lot of interest. The Hermès Apple Watch bands are classy, classic, and beautiful, but only available in a few stores, and only with purchase of the special Hermès watch. Many people would like to buy one of the Hermès bands for the Apple Watch they already own, but Apple doesn’t offer that as a possibility. So, some third-party band makers have stepped up.

Lucrin makes high quality leather goods, including top-notch third-party bands for the Apple Watch. I love Lucrin’s version of the Classic Buckle band for Apple Watch, so I was interested to see what their Double Tour Band, modeled after the Hermès band of the same name, would be like.

The Facts:

Company: Lucrin

Product: Double Tour Band for Apple Watch

Price: $244.13 to $383.63

Compatibility: 38mm and 42mm; adapters and buckle are stainless steel

Colors: 29 different colors and four types of leather

Date: Oct. 9, 2015

Overview:

Lucrin sent me the Fuchsia band in goat leather and Light Taupe in smooth cowskin leather. The goat leather has more of a textured look and feel, while the smooth is, well, totally smooth. The Fuchsia one is a small, and the Light Taupe is medium, but they both fit me just fine. My wrist is 145 mm. I chose the matching dyed-to-match thread color, but you can choose unbleached white thread if you prefer.

I’ve never worn any kind of wrap bracelet or band, so it took a little bit of getting used to. But it is really nice. Lucrin’s leather is thick and the color extends all the way to the edges for a uniform look. Lucrin has the best adapters; they fit perfectly and lock into place securely.

The leather comes nearly to the watch face, so there is no unappealing gap between watch and band that some third-party bands have. I do notice an occasional “phantom notification,” as many people with leather loops have noted, from leather rubbing against leather. That said, this is a gorgeous, high quality watch band. It’s easy to wear and feels very high-fashion. I like that the band narrows considerably after the adapter so that it doesn’t have that wide, chunky leather look.

Bottom Line:

There are a number of Hermès Double Tour knockoffs out there at a variety of price points. This one is not cheap by any means, but it’s really nice quality. The double wrapped leather look stands out from the crowd and draws eyes to your Apple Watch.

Lucrin’s Double Tour Band for Apple Watch in smooth or granulated cowskin leather runs $244.13. The goat leather brings an upcharge of $38.75; for an extra $100.75 you can have real ostrich leather. With 29 colors to choose from, there is a shade to suit every taste.