Words: Charlie Thomas
The Swiss aren’t ones to skim over the finer details, which might explain why their relatively small country houses a large percentage of the world’s finest watch brands – an industry defined by its attention to detail. One such brand that calls Switzerland home is IWC, who have recently commissioned exquisite luxury leather company Santoni to produce unique watch straps for them. To highlight this the two brands will be showcasing their partnership at Harrods throughout August, at an event aptly called “Made With Love”.
Although IWC will be present at the “Made With Love” affair throughout the entire month of August, it might be worth heading down on Saturday 8th. On this particular day, a leather artisan direct from Santoni’s Italian workshop will be in town, demonstrating his skills in Harrods’ famed Fine Watch Room. Said craftsman will be hand-finishing leather watch straps with Santoni’s esteemed ‘anticatura’, a time-consuming painting technique developed for the brand’s iconic shoes and accessories.
It’s popular in the watch world currently to swap out watch bands on an almost daily basis, matching them to one’s respective outfit. You won’t want to swap out these, however. IWC has commissioned Santoni to produce these straps specifically for them, and they’ll be available on a range of pieces such as the new Portuguiser Perpetual Calendar as well as a number of Portofino timepieces.
Santoni itself was founded in 1975 in the rural Italian municipality of Corridonia. With four decades of experience now under their belts, the brand are known for their unabashed quality and immense attention to detail. Signatures of Santoni include hand-made stitching, ‘anticatura’ hand-dyeing of the leather and orange leather accents, which can be found on the soles of their shoes and lining of their belts.
The best thing for IWC customers though will be that these details feature on the watch straps, making them works of art in their own right and as much of an heirloom as the watches themselves.
IWC Brand Director Simon Chambers said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to offer customers such a rare insight into the artisanship and skill that goes into creating every one of IWC’s bespoke Santoni watch straps. Santoni has proven an ideal partner for the brand, sharing our high standards of excellence with meticulous attention to detail and a love of craftsmanship.”
Launching on August 1st and taking place throughout the entire month, Harrods’ Made With Love campaign gives customers the chance to experience and take part in a range of unique activities run by the world’s finest luxury brands.
For more information on IWC, click here.
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