When it comes to watch travel cases, we watch geek’s usually don’t think about them much, as we just slap one of the watches on the wrist and go to another country. But some guys, including me, just can’t go with only one watch and I need at least 3 with me, even if I’m going to any country for only a couple of days. I have been using my trusty Daines & Hathaway watch roll for three years and it has been with me to Italy, Germany and other countries. But it has one problem that if you put in three watches, there is nothing separating them from touching each other and I get small scratches as watches are rubbing so I only put two in there. And just when I was looking for something a company that I was considering buying from wrote to me and let me choose a 3 watch travel case from their whole range and I immediately jumped in for the opportunity!
The company is called Bosphorus! Basically, they make luxury leather accessories for watches (watch rolls, straps, cases, duffle bags and even wallets for money). Some of their products are pretty expensive as all of them are handcrafted, but I chose one of the cheapest options they have as my blog is mainly for affordable watches and accessories. The company itself is based in Turkey and the name “Bosphorus” is also the name of the strait that is also known as “The Strait of Istanbul”. It forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and divides Turkey by separating Anatolia from Thrace. The world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation, the Bosphorus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and, by extension via the Dardanelles, the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
The Galata travel case I chose is in this beautiful blue colour, but they also came in many different colours too. I wanted to go with brown, but then I saw the blue one and it is just perfect for summer! I also chose it as it has the dividers for each spot that is very important to travel with your watches safely without any scratches.
The Galata travel case came in a really nice large black cardboard box and inside the travel case was placed in a nice orange bag signed by Bosphorus leather logo. It is a really nice packaging for just a watch roll and I wasn’t expecting something like that. When I opened the bag I immediately noticed the nice leather smell. The first impressions were great, the quality, texture of the leather is really top notch. Everything is nicely stitched and finished. You really can see that the travel case is made by a true leather craftsman by hand and not by machine. I appreciate a handmade product more than a machine made product as they have souls, the people that are making these have touched it, check every detail if it’s right and they probably love what they do!
The exterior material is the best quality Vachetta leather which has this very nice texture and feels just like Hermes shoes or bags feel like. All the leathers are hand dyed with the classic craftsmanship techniques in Patina Arts which come from Bosphorus long history of shoemaking experience. Everything on the outside is stitched with contrasting white stitching that is done really nicely and you can’t even see any loose threads or where the end is hidden. Bosphorus also says that each of their products will develop and unique patina on the leather and I can’t wait for that as my other watch roll from a different brand already after 1,5 years has a very nice patina. The measurements are 22,5cm X 10cm X 7,5cm. It is pretty compact and won’t take much place in your luggage.
The travel case is kept close by two snap buttons which keep the case closed very safely and it is really easy to open with a little bit of force. The inside is lined with cow leather which is really soft. It is like suede, but 10 times softer! The lining is in brown colour. Now the coolest part about this whole case is that each cushion and the dividers are removable as they all are connected with snap buttons. This makes putting the watch on the cushion much easier and very easy to use. And I like that if you put in watches and even if the watch roll is opened and you shake the travel case, they won’t fall out. Of course, if you put in all your force, they would fall out, but for most situations, they will stay in and will be safe.
I have been using this travel case for a month. It has been to Belarus one time with me and I even got a compliment from customs officer on it. I also like that it doesn’t get dirty that easy and it still looks brand new even after using it a lot. I usually take it with me in a bag and I carry 2 extra watches each time I go out for work as you never know when you need a dress watch or chronograph as I tend to wear divers more recently.
The price of this travel case is only 199$ which for such high quality and hand-crafted leather product is very cheap! This is one of those products that will be with me for life. It is just like a good pair of shoes, if you take care of the leather, they will last a lifetime! I can recommend it without thinking! One of my friends saw this on my Instagram and immediately ordered one for himself. That just shows how good it is!
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