Premium Handcrafted Leather Watch Straps

Designed and Made by Alex Gravelle

I’m Alex, founder and artisan behind Velle Alexander. Since 2019, I’ve been designing and handcrafting custom leather watch straps one at a time from my home studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

What began on the dining room table of my Minneapolis apartment has grown into a studio serving collectors and dealers in more than 27 countries. Every strap is cut, stitched, and finished by hand with an exacting focus on proportion, comfort, and longevity.

A Different Approach to Custom Watch Straps

Before I cut leather, I want to understand the watch, the wrist it’s going on, and what you’re hoping to achieve. If I think a particular design, leather, or proportion won’t serve the watch well, I’ll tell you. Many of my returning clients say that’s exactly why they came back.

Over the years, I’ve become known for taking on projects that other makers—or sometimes even the original manufacturer—won’t. Unusual lug widths and proportions. Heirloom pieces. Client-supplied leather from a jacket, briefcase, or other object with personal significance.

My goal isn’t simply to make a strap. It’s to create one that feels as though it always belonged on the watch.

Built for Exceptional Watches

Clients around the world have entrusted me with straps for watches from Rolex, IWC, Cartier, F.P. Journe, A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Omega, and countless others. I hold the FHH Watch Advisor certification, and that training influences how I approach every commission: the strap should complement the watch, never compete with it.

One Person. No Middlemen.

Velle Alexander is intentionally small. I run the business alongside a full-time career and accept a limited number of commissions each month so that every project receives the attention it deserves.

When you email Velle Alexander, you’re speaking directly with the person designing and building your strap. No account managers. No outsourcing. Just one craftsman, working carefully and deliberately.

I believe anything worth making is worth executing to the highest standard. That’s why I continue to do nearly everything by hand.

If you value craftsmanship, individuality, and a direct relationship with the person creating your strap, I’d be honored to build something uniquely yours.

Alex Gravelle
Founder & Artisan
Velle Alexander