Leather smells like... fish?

[withthesword]

Hi All,

just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this phenomena.

i have a custom leather strap made by a reputable watch strap maker, and i've been wearing it off and on for a couple months. i recently started wearing it more, and noticed that it's taken on a fishy smell. no amount of washing seems to be able to get rid of it.

anyone else had this happen? if so, what was your solution if there was one?

Best Regards,

Matte

[drockadam]

My first question. Are you a fish? Haha!

Hmm, that is weird. I guess leather straps get weird smells due to wear? I rarely wear watches, with a leather strap. Hopefully someone with a little more expertise will chime in.

[horseco]

The oil in the tanning process makes good leather smell fishy...

[FeelingTheBlues]

My first question. Are you a fish? Haha!

Now I'm curious, could you please answer that question? :rofl:

Anthony's answer sounds quite good but I must admit I've never experienced such a thing, perhaps this is due to the fact that I only have cheap leather bands...:chuckle::thumbsup:

[rr-nyc]

I have a gator strap that smells a little fishy but I have to put my nose right up to it in order to smell it.

[Feras]

I had this experience, especialy if the leather gets wet. But thank God it wasn't a watch band :chuckle:

[dpkong]

That's one reason why I could never imagine a leather band Daytona as a daily wearer especially in our tropical climate. Instead of bringing on the ladies, they'll be running as fast as they can. And the smell will stay on the wrist even after taking off the watch.

I guess it's just the inherent characteristics of a leather band.

[floater156]

That's one reason why I could never imagine a leather band Daytona as a daily wearer especially in our tropical climate. Instead of bringing on the ladies, they'll be running as fast as they can. And the smell will stay on the wrist even after taking off the watch.

I guess it's just the inherent characteristics of a leather band.

I agree, you need steel or rubber if you're going to sweat while wearing your watch.

[david_ord]

Here's a quote from an article on the topic:

"Leather and Shoe Research Association director Dr Warren Bryson said seawater was unlikely to be the culprit. Instead he blamed cheap fish oil, used to soften leather.

"Fish oils are commonly used throughout the industry," he said. "High-quality fish oils are fairly stable and don't deteriorate.

"But in cheaper oils, unsaturated bonds react with the air and you get a rancid, fishy smell. It's a chemical phenomenon."

Bryson said the oil was ingrained in the fibre of the fabric and there was little hope of being able to wash or air it out.

"Our noses can detect one bad odour compound in a million. The smell won't be great to start with and will get gradually worse, depending on heat, moisture and sun."

Leather King owner Trino Koers said many consumers had a misconception that $100-$200 would buy a high-quality leather handbag.

"The best fish oil, from orange roughy, is $1000 a litre. They are not going to be using that on a cheap bag that's made in China," he said."

Here's the article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10780268

[FWK]

Did only you wear it, or did you loan it to someone in your family?

[witch watch]

Could be the glue that has been used, perhaps Copydex as this has a well know fish smell to it.

[Alan G]

I too have had similar issues usually during hot weather this seams to be caused by sweat from the wrist absorbing into the leather and nothing seams to remove the odour, I looked for a long time to find a solution and couldnt believe how simple it is!

Solution:

Get either some Baking Soda or Bicarbonate of Soda make a paste with a little water use a tooth brush (not the wifes!) and scrub the paste into the inside and edge of the leather strap leave it over night to soak in and dry then buff off the residue, the smell will have gone!

Get a small amount of bees wax or clear shoe polish/wax and massage it into the inside and edge of the strap to prevent/reduce the ability of the leather to absorb future moisture and your done in the event it should reoccur you know what to do !

Try it it works
let me know

Alan

[Feras]

Here's a quote from an article on the topic:

"Leather and Shoe Research Association director Dr Warren Bryson said seawater was unlikely to be the culprit. Instead he blamed cheap fish oil, used to soften leather.

"Fish oils are commonly used throughout the industry," he said. "High-quality fish oils are fairly stable and don't deteriorate.

"But in cheaper oils, unsaturated bonds react with the air and you get a rancid, fishy smell. It's a chemical phenomenon."

Bryson said the oil was ingrained in the fibre of the fabric and there was little hope of being able to wash or air it out.

"Our noses can detect one bad odour compound in a million. The smell won't be great to start with and will get gradually worse, depending on heat, moisture and sun."

Leather King owner Trino Koers said many consumers had a misconception that $100-$200 would buy a high-quality leather handbag.

"The best fish oil, from orange roughy, is $1000 a litre. They are not going to be using that on a cheap bag that's made in China," he said."

Here's the article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10780268
Wow, great answer David :clap:

I too have had similar issues usually during hot weather this seams to be caused by sweat from the wrist absorbing into the leather and nothing seams to remove the odour, I looked for a long time to find a solution and couldnt believe how simple it is!

Solution:

Get either some Baking Soda or Bicarbonate of Soda make a paste with a little water use a tooth brush (not the wifes!) and scrub the paste into the inside and edge of the leather strap leave it over night to soak in and dry then buff off the residue, the smell will have gone!

Get a small amount of bees wax or clear shoe polish/wax and massage it into the inside and edge of the strap to prevent/reduce the ability of the leather to absorb future moisture and your done in the event it should reoccur you know what to do !

Try it it works
let me know

Alan
Great solution :clap:

[Alan G]

I also heard that just wrapping the watch in a page of Newspaper with baking soda overnight will absorb the smell if you dont want to wet the strap.

I whent for the most promising solution but could be worth a try

[AH0RSEY]

doesnt happen to be on a Sea-dweller does it ;o)

[petee1997]

Hi All,

just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this phenomena.

i have a custom leather strap made by a reputable watch strap maker, and i've been wearing it off and on for a couple months. i recently started wearing it more, and noticed that it's taken on a fishy smell. no amount of washing seems to be able to get rid of it.

anyone else had this happen? if so, what was your solution if there was one?

Best Regards,

Matte

And fish smells like........

[withthesword]

thanks for the responses guys

i think i'll try the baking soda thing. if it can get rid of the fish smell from my fridge, i'm sure it can at least help my strap.

for the time being, i've swapped back to the oyster bracelet.

i suppose i can't really fault the strap maker for this, since he has a supplier for leather and isn't treating the leather himself. at least i think so :o

i think i might contact them and see if there's anything that can be done.

Best Regards,

Matte

[drockadam]

thanks for the responses guys

i think i'll try the baking soda thing. if it can get rid of the fish smell from my fridge, i'm sure it can at least help my strap.

for the time being, i've swapped back to the oyster bracelet.

i suppose i can't really fault the strap maker for this, since he has a supplier for leather and isn't treating the leather himself. at least i think so :o

i think i might contact them and see if there's anything that can be done.

Best Regards,

Matte

Hope it works! Are you wearing the custom strap on your 16610? If so, that's a mighty gorgeous combo! Best regards from Kingston! :cheers:

[Onikage]

Ewww. What kind of fish?

[withthesword]

can't identify what kind of fish, but can assure you it's of the putrefying variety.

i e-mailed the strap maker to see if there are any solutions. once things are all sorted out, i'll post some pictures and the name of the maker.

once again, i don't blame the maker at all, but i'd certainly like to see what kind of response i'll garner for this predicament.

Best Regards,

Matte

[LightOnAHill]

just needs salt :thumbsup:

[ROGERWILCO357]

gold fish?

[LightOnAHill]

I agree, you need steel or rubber if you're going to sweat while wearing your watch.


or gold or platinum cause 'dey ain't corroding
:chuckle:

[withthesword]

http://bizzarrobazar.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/surstromming.jpeg

[witch watch]

http://bizzarrobazar.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/surstromming.jpeg

It's a brave man that opens that :wow:

[harry in montreal]

leather bands are gross. they smell like fudgey B.O. as they deteriorate from the salt in your sweat. sorry to sound liek a troll, but this is reality with a leather band!