Today we are taking a hands-on look at the Longvadon leather crocodile Apple Watch bands known as the Caiman series, just in time for the sitewide Halloween sale to go live. The brand, a new one to us around here, just recently updated its croc-style leather strap collection with the new Double Tour wrap around-style strap so we thought we would give them a hands-on look to see if they are nice in person as they are in pictures. Looking to add a serious touch of elegance to any Apple wearable, dive in below for our hands-on impressions of the Longvadon leather crocodile Apple Watch bands.
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Hands-on with the Longvadon Caiman Series leather crocodile Apple Watch bands
The Caiman Series Double Tour leather crocodile Apple Watch Strap comes in four colorways with your choice of silver or gold hardware for $109 shipped – although it is on sale for $87.20 as part of the brand’s current sitewide sale. You’ll also find the standard Caiman Series (without the double strap) in an array of colors and a sort of more high-end butterfly-like clasp in both shiny and matte leather treatments with a regular price of $89 shipped.
The Caiman Series Double Tour is our most luxurious and feminine Apple Watch Band to date. Made to wrap twice around the wrist for a graceful fit, the ultra-slim strap design is understated yet instantly recognizable. Treat yourself to a touch of decadence with the highest-quality, crocodile-embossed leather and the softest Nappa leather lining – because you deserve the best.
Take a closer look at the specs:
- High Quality Top Grain Bovine Leather
- Nappa leather lining
- Crocodile Embossed
- Ardillon Buckle
- Works with any Series 1-9 (including SE & Ultra 1-2)
- Midnight Black, Snow White, Navy Blue, & Mahogany
9to5Toys’ Take
Longvadon might not be a brand you have heard of before – it was certainly new to me – but it might be one that should be on your radar. It specializes in high-quality Apple Watch straps heavily inspired by iconic Omega Seamaster, Breitling Superocean, and Rolex Yacht-Master mechanical watches and the straps that adorn them. The brand is looking to deliver premium Apple wearable bands with a price far lower than anything you’ll find for watches like those from shipped with the aforementioned brands, across a series of styles and material choices.
Whether it be for you or special someone, I recently gave its new Double Tour Caiman line a run for its money and have thus far came away mostly impressed. It is certainly more than a step above your average budget-brand “leather” strap and adds that extra touch of detail you don’t often see in the $40 to $100 category.
The Caiman Series Double Tour Apple Watch band, as the name suggests, delivers that double wrap around look made famous in large part by far more expensive Hermes straps. The design is highlighted by a crocodile-embossed leather – not actual crocodile, but rather a “top grain bovine leather” made to look like croc. It is clearly quite a high-quality example of this with soft and supple Nappa leather lining pressed up against your wrist – it is almost a suede like feel.
While today we are looking specifically at the Caiman Series Double Tour model with a shiny finish, you’ll find this treatment on a range of different strap styles in both shiny and matte treatments from the brand.
The croc-style vibes here are a standout for me. This is a deep, definitive pattern while still maintaining a natural look to it – there are far too many crocodile leather patterns out there that are clearly just made to look like that without quite pulling it off, and, while this one isn’t entirely perfect, it is entirely convincing and natural-looking. It is also a treatment we don’t tend to see come across our desks here all that often from the more boutique leather brands we feature, offering up an arguably more elegant look for the office or a night out.
While you’ll find a few different buckle styles available on the Caiman series from Longvadon, the classic Ardillon (tang) buckle is in place on the Double Tour. It too presents an elegant clasping system that fits nicely with the double wrap around-style – the 14mm buckle is secure, attractive and comes in both silver and gold treatments with stainless steel adapters to affix it to your Apple Watch.
The Caiman Series crocodile-style leather double wrap-around strap isn’t ideal for the gym or overly physical activities where you need to ensure the bottom-mounted sensors on Apple Watch are making solid contact with your wrist – the extra wrap around can sometimes get in the way of that. However, and this is true of all the Caiman Series leather bands, when it comes to date night, weddings, and more casual social gatherings, it can be a wonderful way of elevating your smart Apple wearable to a different tier wrist piece altogether.
Buy the Longvadon Caiman Series Leather Apple Watch Bands
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