A few months ago, I was fortunate to run into Pierre-Louis Follet, the General Manager for Jean Rousseau U.S., the American arm of the French-based, 1954-founded leather strap manufacturer of the same name. We spoke a few minutes on the luxury brand and its happenings, and after a while he told me that Jean Rousseau is the only leather strap maker in Manhattan, and likely by the surprise he saw on my face at hearing this news, he soon after invited me to visit the company’s workshop and see first-hand its unique operation.

For those unfamiliar, Jean Rousseau is a watch-savant favorite, producing elegant alligator, lizard, and calfskin straps, among many other materials that are some of the most comfortable and durable on the market today. Jean Rousseau made big waves at last fall?s WatchTime New York event, where the brand treated attendees to special anniversary wristbands, and also a few of its artisans on-site to show guests some of the steps taken in producing a strap.
A few weeks after my conversation with Follet, I made my way to Jean Rousseau’s cozy Madison Avenue workshop. The team there, like the workshop and the boutique, is small but effective, with six craftspeople and 10 total employees. Throughout the space are various machines and tools, each with a well-worn quality showing an active workplace ? even during the time I visited, when most of the craftspeople had already gone home. Also on full display were countless slabs of leather, in more colo...