Well I know I have....
I had always assumed it was to do with the leather and its treatment.... I had thought given its look and feel that it was a form of nubuck...
So the term Gummy always seemed strange to me given that Gummy is a form of rubber...
I had tried to find out on the internet but without finding anything in detail..
However... I recently picked up some cheap Gen Gummy Straps... the reason they were cheap was that they were awful colours.... my plan was to dye them..
And because of that process I now have a better understanding as to why I think they are called Gummy...
The straps were yellowy and green in their original form....
Having assumed they were a nubuck and having discussed it with a few strap makers who agreed I started with a Nubuck/suede dye...
I prepared as directed for Nubuck but the dye would not take... so I then decided to use a deglazer as you would on a normal leather strap... along with the leather dye..
I was worried the deglazer would damge the 'nubuck'/finish.... but to my surprise it removed the colours and Gummy surface completely and revealed the original leather underneath.... the traces left on the rubber before final clean confirmed to me what the Gummy referred to...
The natural alligator leather is applied (covered/painted/sprayed??) with a rubberised finish... this is the Gummy.... This Gummy coating is coloured with whichever colour is required... beit black, brown, green etc etc...
So the Gummy strap seems to be so named because a Gummy (Rubberised) coating is applied to the natural alligator leather to give the effect/colour required... especially that Matte look...
So if you see a cheap gen Gummy strap in a terrible colour just remember its easy to re dye it once you deglaze the leather... however it will no longer be a Gummy but rather the same as the OEM Hublot alligator straps.. which you can finish in a matte/Satin or High gloss depending on preference...
I had always assumed it was to do with the leather and its treatment.... I had thought given its look and feel that it was a form of nubuck...
So the term Gummy always seemed strange to me given that Gummy is a form of rubber...
I had tried to find out on the internet but without finding anything in detail..
However... I recently picked up some cheap Gen Gummy Straps... the reason they were cheap was that they were awful colours.... my plan was to dye them..
And because of that process I now have a better understanding as to why I think they are called Gummy...
The straps were yellowy and green in their original form....
Having assumed they were a nubuck and having discussed it with a few strap makers who agreed I started with a Nubuck/suede dye...
I prepared as directed for Nubuck but the dye would not take... so I then decided to use a deglazer as you would on a normal leather strap... along with the leather dye..
I was worried the deglazer would damge the 'nubuck'/finish.... but to my surprise it removed the colours and Gummy surface completely and revealed the original leather underneath.... the traces left on the rubber before final clean confirmed to me what the Gummy referred to...
The natural alligator leather is applied (covered/painted/sprayed??) with a rubberised finish... this is the Gummy.... This Gummy coating is coloured with whichever colour is required... beit black, brown, green etc etc...
So the Gummy strap seems to be so named because a Gummy (Rubberised) coating is applied to the natural alligator leather to give the effect/colour required... especially that Matte look...
So if you see a cheap gen Gummy strap in a terrible colour just remember its easy to re dye it once you deglaze the leather... however it will no longer be a Gummy but rather the same as the OEM Hublot alligator straps.. which you can finish in a matte/Satin or High gloss depending on preference...
