Text by Zhou Zhitao Photos by Xiao Hao

Nobody can tie up time,of this strap tailor Zhu Kai is very aware.But his craft is bound to be bound up with time.

As time ticks away on the watch dial,it also pulses its way through the strap.The meticulous,elegant,and singular craftsmanship made the time tether tied to the wearer’s wrist.The long hours of grueling labor and polish to make just one are apparent at a glance.

In a quiet workshop in Xudong Tea Market in Wuhan,Zhu Kai,a forty-something strapsmith,toils over each and every watch straps with the same passion an artist puts into a would-be masterpiece.Every strip exudes different emotions that enrapture every one of Zhu’s clients.

A few years ago,Zhu and his wife were shopping and found they couldn’t drag themselves away from a custom leather shop.To please his wife,Zhu managed to learn a few tricks from the shop owner.Soon enough,he was obsessed with the craft,even going as far as handing in his resignation to concentrate full-time on making custom leather goods.

谁也不能拴住时间，这一点朱凯心知肚明，但他的手艺注定和时间密切相连。

当时间一分一秒在手腕的表盘上流逝，它也通过表带相连，与脉搏共振。而细致、优雅、个性的工艺，足以让一根表带拴住时间打磨的那份质感。

在中国武汉市徐东茶市一处静谧的工作间里，70后皮匠朱凯，用心制作的表带，总能带给客户不一样的感触。

几年前，朱凯和妻子逛街时，两人在一家定制皮具店流连忘返。为了讨妻子欢心，朱凯即兴跟着师傅学了几招，从此一发不可收拾。从企业离职后，他开始专心捣鼓手工定制皮具。

四处求教，网购外文书籍，观看工艺视频，自学各种皮具制作工艺，主攻皮质表带，朱凯内心有一份倔强。

朱凯从小痴迷玩拼装模型，把上千个零部件拼凑成型，乐在其中。接触皮具定制后，朱凯自学了一段时间，便信心满满，但一次给岳父修缮表带，却难倒了他。

制作一根小小的表带，每个金属零件需要逐层安装，而一个成型的表带需要缝制3 到7 层皮料。第一次做皮质表带，前后返工20 多次，让朱凯明白了市面上鲜有人做表带的原因，也因小皮具最考验功夫，激发了朱凯的兴趣。

表带虽小，却需要完成设计、削皮、定型、上色等一套流程，每件作品离不开朱凯的细致。

朱凯是学计算机的，理工男，专业成就了他严谨的性格，他对表带的每一个细节都严格要求。工作台上，朱凯摊开一款皮料，厚度0.7 毫米，从边缘削去一刀，剩下0.66 毫米，再削一刀，剩下0.58 毫米。手工削皮，要使误差控制在1 毫米以内，操作难度可想而知，稍不留神就会废掉一块料子，而这只是基本功之一。……