There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
That coat wallet is something else, wow! Great choice of material, color, and design.
One of my other favorite leatherworkers is Charlie Trevor, the man behind Equus Leather. He's most known for his belts, and his 'lined and raised' ones are his top of the line product. The amount of handwork that goes into them is totally bonkers. I highly recommend this video of the process - it's probably the most impressive thing you'll see today:
On the topic of Chester Mox I very much appreciate the work that goes into their products though I would like to see a bit more of a comparison about edge work regarding beeswax, painted/dyed, etc. and how each option holds up. About the only real criticism I have of them is that it would be nice to see more images of what their wallets look like with stuff in them.
I guess my last thought at the moment on saddle stitching is that with price vs. durability it's definitely made me reconsider what is and is not a good deal for leather goods. I recently encountered a company (who shall remain nameless) where when I saw what they where asking for machine stitched wallets I was all like "Nope".