Apple is not the only company out there making high quality, beautiful watch bands. I’m always looking for alternatives to give my Apple Watch a more custom look, and I’m not interested in cheap-looking knock-offs. Lucrin makes high-end, opulent leather goods. Are their Apple Watch bands worthy of Apple’s elegant timepiece? Let’s take a look.

The Facts:

Company: Lucrin

Product: Watch Straps for Apple Watch

Price: $166.63-$255.75

Compatibility: all models of Apple Watch; adapters in silver or space black

Colors: offered in 24 different colors and four different leathers

Available: Lucrin.com

Date: July 10, 2015

Overview:

Lucrin sent me two watch bands to review, one in each of their styles: Classic, which has a rounded square end, and Elegance, which has a tapered/pointed end. Both styles are offered in 24 different colors ranging from neutral to bright. The straps come in four different types of leather, but not every color is offered in every type. The base price leather is calfskin, and you can choose from smooth or granulated. For an additional $27.13, you can have the higher end goat leather. For an upcharge of $89.13, you can get distinctive ostrich leather. Bands are offered for both watch sizes (38mm and 42mm) and three different lengths to cover most wrist circumferences. Choose color matched thread or contrasting unbleached white. Adapters come in silver or space black. Custom engraving is available. There are three band sizes; wrist sizes from 135mm to 195mm are covered. The buckle is a standard watch strap buckle, nothing too unusual there.

What sets this band apart is the thick, sturdy, high quality leather, the impeccable craftsmanship, and the fantastic choice of colors and textures. The two goat skin leather colors I have are Purple, which is a deep grape purple, and Sky Blue, which is a Tiffany Blue-type aqua shade.

Lucrin’s raw materials come from Europe, and the tough, flexible goat leather is from a company in France that specializes in this kind of leather. The leather finish on this band is flawless; even the edges are as smoothly dyed as the rest of the band. The underside, however, is designed to be hypoallergenic, and so it is not dyed.

Adapters are securely sewn into place rather than glued so as not to risk breakage and loss of the watch. They fit and match the watch perfectly. Lucrin also offers other leather goods, including cases for iPhone, iPad, and MacBook, so you could potentially match your accessories to your watch band.

Lucrin has a vertical business model, meaning they oversee all aspects of the process to maintain quality control. They buy the raw materials, design the products, craft the leather, manage the website, and serve their customers. While their headquarters are in Geneva, they have branches in France, USA, Australia, Spain, Hong Kong, and India to minimize shipping rates and times around the world.

The bands are plenty comfortable, though I do find the leather to be a little bit stiff. Leather gets more pliable over time, so the stiffness doesn’t bother me. These watch bands are so beautiful, I find myself picking my clothes each day to match one of these bands rather than the other way around. I feel like I’m wearing a fine watch, not just a gadget. With so many colors to choose from, it would be hard to imagine anyone not finding one they’d like.

Bottom Line:

If you haven’t gotten compliments on your Apple Watch while wearing the functional but not terribly exciting Apple Sport Band, you will when you wear one of the gorgeous bands from Lucrin. For a price comparable to Apple’s own leather bands, you can have something far more individual. Choose from 24 different colors, two different styles, and four different leathers. Calf leather bands, either Smooth or Granulated, are $166.63. Goat leather bands are $193.75. Ostrich leather bands run $255.75. All are available on Lucrin.com.