How do you stand out in a crowded market when you’re a company making accessories such as Apple Watch bands? The answer is, you differentiate yourself from cheap Chinese lookalikes with a high quality product that features distinctive character. This is exactly what Nomad has done with their new Modern Build Leather Strap.
This review is based on a free sample Nomad sent me. This obviously didn’t influence my review or my decision to write about this product to begin with. As mentioned before, I only review products that I personally like, and I don’t waste my time with products I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending.
Made with great quality leather sourced from Horween, a 100+ year old tannery out of Illinois, the Modern Build Leather Strap just stands out as you open the box. The smell of that leather, the feel of it when you touch it or wrap it around your wrist, make it very obvious that instead of settling for some cheap faux leather, Nomad went the extra mile.
Because I already own several Nomad products made of the same Horween leather, I can vouch for its enduring quality. After several weeks of use and exposure to the elements, it develops a nice patina that can only be seen in high quality leather. This is that patina that will be partly responsible for giving this band its own unique character.
Besides leather, the other material you will find on the Modern Build Leather Strap is stainless steel. Each Strap is fitted with custom-designed buckle and lugs from 316 stainless steel.
In my opinion, the custom-designed lugs are really what set this band apart from anything else I’ve seen thus far. By going the custom route, Nomad was able to take liberties on the design of the lugs instead of settling down for off-the-shelves lugs that are similar to everything else on the market. The result is just outstanding.
Have a look at these lugs, and how they stick out of the slot, giving your Apple Watch so much more style and character.
I believe these lugs to be the absolute best feature of the Modern Build Leather Strap, and to be honest, I suspect many Apple Watch band makers will take note of this particular design in the near future.
This Strap has been on my wrist for well over a week now, and it has already started developing that patina I was mentioning earlier. Of course, because it is made of leather, it is not as forgiving of the elements as a rubber or nylon band (ie. no surfing or showering with it), but it is versatile enough that it will match your own style whether you dress more casually like I do, or more formally.
When the folks at Nomad first briefed me about this Strap, I expected a price tag over the hundred dollar mark, but surprisingly, it is selling for just about $59.95, available with silver or black hardware (only for the 42mm Apple Watch models).
I always try to balance out my reviews by highlighting the negatives of a product, but the Modern Build Leather Strap makes that impossible. The leather looks, smells, and feels great. And the lugs… The lugs, if you hadn’t figured it out by now, are what make this band full of character and personality.
If you’re interested in picking one up, you can get 15% off by using coupon code IDB15 at check out. Note that this coupon is active until Sunday for both the Modern Build Leather Strap and the Traditional Leather Strap.