Leather watchstraps, made by hand since 2014.

AKC has manufactured leather watchstraps since 2014. We work with watch brands across Asia, Europe and North America.

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The AKC bench in Vietnam photographed from above: two craftspeople's hands at work among pricking irons, hammers, edge tools and trays of cut leather watch strap blanks
Our Atelier

Who we are

We manufacture OEM and private-label watchstraps to your agreed specification, from the first pattern and sample through production and delivery.

500,000+
Handmade straps made
Cumulative since 2014
2014
Established in Vietnam
OEM
And private-label manufacturing

What we do best

One strap, from hide to box. Every stage below is done by hand at the bench you have just looked at.

  1. An AKC craftsman drawing a swivel knife along a glass straightedge to cut an alligator watch strap on a glass cutting plate

    Cutting

    Every strap is cut by hand against a straight rule, so the pattern can be placed on the hide rather than nested by a machine that cannot see the grain.

  2. Two hands pulling a saddle stitch closed through an orange leather watch strap at the AKC bench

    Saddle stitching

    Two needles and one thread form each saddle stitch by hand. Stitch pitch and thread colour follow the agreed specification.

  3. Edge paint being laid onto the finished edge of a leather watch strap with an applicator at AKC

    Edge finishing

    Edges are creased, sanded, painted and burnished in successive passes until the grain is closed. It is the slowest stage, and the first thing a buyer looks at.

  4. A dial thickness gauge being used to measure a finished leather watch strap during quality control at AKC

    Measurement

    Thickness is checked with a dial gauge against the approved bulk sample. That sample and the final specification set the standard for the production run.

  5. An AKC inspector in white gloves examining a finished leather watch strap before packing

    Final inspection

    Every strap is handled once more, in gloves, before it is boxed — checked for stitch pitch, edge finish, hardware seat and colour against the run.

How we work

From your requirements to delivery, each stage follows the agreed specification and written approvals.

A heated edge-iron stand at the AKC bench, its wooden block holding a full rack of interchangeable creasing tips, with a craftsman's hands reaching in on either side
  1. 01

    Share your requirements

    Share your design, quantities and delivery needs. We confirm the materials and product specifications with you.

  2. 02

    Confirm the quotation

    Agree USD prices, sample fees, payment and delivery terms. MOQ: 50 complete straps per variation and lug width.

  3. 03

    Sampling and approval

    Approve the development sample. Confirm the order and deposit, then approve the bulk sample in writing before bulk production. Agree any revisions first.

  4. 04

    Production and QC

    Once release conditions are complete, we manufacture to the approved bulk sample and final specification, then inspect before shipment.

  5. 05

    Delivery and follow-up

    After QC and final payment, we arrange the agreed shipment. Documents show actual shipped quantities; contact AKC for delivery support.

Download AKC Procedure

Responsibility

Responsibly sourced leather

We buy from tanneries that document their supply chain, and we offer a vegan leather option for brands that require one.

Offcuts become fertiliser

Excess leather is hydrolysed into organic agricultural fertiliser rather than sent to landfill — the waste from making straps goes back into the ground.

Using resources carefully

Handcrafting and modern machinery support selected production stages. We work to use electricity, water and raw materials efficiently.

The AKC workshop space: a long empty cutting table under strip lights, hides and rolls racked floor to ceiling on both walls, a board of leather swatches hung between them
Workshop space