An alligator strap is a watch strap made from alligator leather, often from the American alligator, also called the Mississippi alligator. It is seen as a premium choice and often appears on vintage dress watches. Its surface usually looks more even than crocodile leather, which is rougher.
How do you tell alligator from crocodile?
Alligators and crocodiles belong to separate families, so the two leathers come from different animals. The usual test is to check the hide for small pores, or perforations. Crocodile hides usually show between one and four of these pores. Alligator hides lack them, and that is the main way to tell the two apart. The look of the surface helps too. Alligator leather usually appears more even, while crocodile leather has a rougher surface.
Which part of the hide is used?
Where the leather is cut from the hide changes how a strap looks. One strap maker cuts its alligator straps from the centre of the hide. Its cheaper ‘croco’ straps come from the sides instead. There the scales are smaller, rounder and less even. The centre cut therefore gives the more regular pattern. Two straps from the same maker can look quite different, depending on which part of the hide they came from.
What is a Hirsch alligator strap like?
Hirsch, a German strap maker, makes an alligator strap from selected Louisiana alligator skins. The strap has a brushed finish. The hide is cut crosswise, so both rectangular and oval scales show on the finished strap. The pattern therefore mixes two scale shapes along its length. The Mississippi alligator, a common source of strap leather, is the same animal as the American alligator.
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