Timesources ~ Montello use high-grade tanned leathers imported straight from tanneries certified by Leather Working Group (UK)
and Pelle al Vegetable in Italy (The Genuine Italian Vegetable Tanned Leather Consortium).
The origin of raw skin and hide is traceable and the leather manufacturing process including wet blue, tanning, crust is under regulated.
The leather is sustainably produced with a focus on minimizing environmental impact.
That is why we always source our leather from a trusted tannery guaranteed by the two groups to ensure the finest quality and full respect of man and the environment.
Leather Working Group (LWG)
The LWG is an environmental stewardship group made up of member brands, retailers, product and leather manufacturers, chemical and machinery suppliers, technical experts and other service providers in the leather industry. The LWG has included a section within the audit protocol to the slaughterhouse. It has also developed and maintained the audit protocol which allows tanneries to demonstrate their ability in energy consumption, water usage, air emissions, waste management and manufacturing processes etc. Based on the audit findings, the leather manufactures can achieve a rating – Gold, Sliver, Bronze or Audited.
The Genuine Italian Vegetable Tanned Leather Consortium
It brings together 20 member tanneries, all operating in Tuscany, central Italy and sharing the same standards to produce high quality vegetable-tanned leather according to ancient methods.
The Consortium guarantees the quality and origin of leathers produced by its member tanneries by creating the quality trademark “Pelle Conciata al Vegetable in Toscana” (Tuscan Vegetable Tanned Leather) and the quality label. The quality label serves as an elegantly scripted certificate of warranty and has a complex anti-counterfeiting system. It provides traceability of both the tannery supplying leather and the manufacturer of the finished product.
The raw hides used by the Consortium’s tanneries are by-products of food industry producing meat for human consumption. No animal is killed for its skin. Their leather does not contain toxic substances such as azo-dyes, nickel, PCP or chrome VI, and is safe for individuals with allergies to metal. Being tanned with natural tannins extracted from trees, a vegetable-tanned leather product can be discarded and naturally degraded thanks to its chemical-biological properties. Waste recycling and depuration systems invested in by the Consortium’s tanneries enable them to fully respect humans and the environment.
Genuine Horween Leather USA
If you want your timepiece designs with love and life, leather straps crafted with Horween leathers may be one of the best choices among so many different kinds of bovine leathers, it is not only because of the history of Horween Leather Co. in Chicago USA which can date back to 1905 but there is a lot of cultural heritage & manifestation of patina going into each watch strap.
Full grain leather is considered the most durable and robust form of leather as it is made from the top layer & strongest part of the animal skin. It can withstand everyday wear and tear, that is why when compared to other European tanneries, Horween Leather Co. only selects the best American natural full grain cowhide leather and without much top surface correction.
The marks on the hides are not imperfections – they are the result of the natural tanning process without intensive correction then it will give a very distinctive look and great patina over the time.
As it will eventually absorb the world’s elements over time, human movement, sunlight, heat, water or the natural oils that came from human body produces.
Thus there are no two naturally tanned straps that ever look alike !