I'm Alex. I make leather watch straps — one at a time, by hand, in Minneapolis.

How I work. Every commission begins with a conversation. Sometimes over email, sometimes a phone call. Before I cut anything, I want to understand the watch, the wrist it's going on, and what you're trying to achieve. If I think a choice won't serve the watch, I'll tell you — and most of my returning clients say that's why they came back.

What I'm known for. Three things, if I had to pick.

• First, the straps that other makers or the watch's own manufacturer won't take on — unusual lug widths, vintage proportions, inherited pieces with sentimental weight, client-supplied leather from an heirloom jacket or a piece of luggage.

• Second, work that outperforms the OEM — clients have told me my straps beat the factory pieces on their A. Lange & Söhne, IWC, Cartier, and Glashütte Original.

• Third, showing up: 24-hour email turnaround, honest timelines, no account managers between us.

On credentials. I'm an FHH-certified Watch Advisor, which is a formal horological training program. I mention it because it shapes how I approach every commission — the strap has to serve the watch, not fight it. Most of this work is intuition, but intuition trained on enough watches to be useful.

The honest operational truth. This is a one-person studio, run alongside a full-time day job. I take a limited number of commissions each month so every one gets the attention it needs. Email reaches me directly. There is no one else.

How it started. I built the first Velle Alexander straps in 2019, on my dining table. For a while it was a hobby with a business name. Seven years later it's still me at the bench, but the commissions now come from 27 different countries — from local enthusiasts with their first serious watch, to some of the most prolific collectors and dealers in the world.

If you'd like to work together. Start with the commission form, or just email me directly. If your watch has a unique situation — odd lugs, an uncommon proportion, a story — I'd rather hear about it in a paragraph than try to extract it from a form.