Read this entire document for getting to know how to maintain leather watch straps.

1. A Guide to Maintaining Leather Watch Straps
A leather watch strap if cared properly will last longer. Additionally, a
well-maintained strap will look new for many years to come and you won’t find
any excessive sign of wear soon. No matter if it is a rubber, metal, plastic or
leather watch strap, if you don’t look after it, it will start losing its shine, luster
and it may get worn out over time.
Considering the important tips shared in this post, you can enjoy the new look
and feel of your watch straps for many more years.
 Some people have a habit of wearing the watch 24/7. But make sure you
remove your watch from your wrist while going to bed. So the leather can
breathe.
 Take off your watch while taking a bath. Even if your strap is created using
water-resistant leather, if it is constantly getting in touch with water it will
weaken and succumb earlier.
 The next big thing for the perfect maintenance is the cleaning. Make sure you
clean your leather strap regularly to remove dust, dirt, perspiration and stains,
which may cause bad smells and even wear and tear in the strap over time.
 Don’t wash the strap directly using water. Instead, put a small dab of good
hand soap on the cloth and rub both sides of the leather watch strap, rinse the
cloth with clean water, and then wipe it over the strap to make it clean.
Air-dry the watch strap till it gets completely dry from inside.
 A more detail cleaning needs to be performed once in a month. And to do so,
you need to detach the strap from the watch. If you don’t know how to detach
the strap without causing any damage to it, you may take the help of a local
watch maker or strap manufacturer. Now rub the strap using saddle soap or
leather wax. It will restore the original shine and luster in the leather.
 In case, you are not able to find saddle soap, you may use olive oil. Apply few
drops of olive oil on all sides of the watch strap, rub it smoothly into the
leather, and then wipe it off with a clean dry cloth.

2.  Please note that there is a great variety of leather cleaning and maintaining
products available out there and the type of leather material used in your
watch strap manufacturing is the key to selecting the right product.
 If you find stubborn stains and dirt over your leather watch strap, a mixture
of baking soda and water is just what you need to remove it. Take a
tablespoon of baking soda and add equal amount of water to create a liquid
mixture. Apply the mixture on all parts of the strap thoroughly. Let it dry for
a few hours, wash it with waters, and let it dry completely before you reattach
it with the watch.
 Don’t keep your strap too tight. If you wear the strap tightly, every time you
move your wrist, it will stretch and stress the strap, causing wear and tear
before time. It’s also wise to keep the watch strap loose in order to ensure
proper blood circulation in your wrist.
 Never wrench the leather strap at a sharp angle; else it may wear down it. So
be extra careful while removing and reattaching the strap.
A leather strap watch(Lederarmband Uhr in German) can last even for a decade or
more, if maintained carefully. The better you care, the longer it will last.