In the second episode of “Meet The…”, Balazs chats with Alex Gravelle, the man behind Velle Alexander, a strap company from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Alex tells us why he chose this path, what watches he’s into, and which timepiece is on top of his wish list.

If you are a fan of the Fratello On Air podcast, first of all, thank you. Your support means a lot to us all, who sit down week after week to research, record, edit, and put out new episodes for your listening pleasure. I consume a lot of podcasts myself, so I know how it feels when my phone notifies me about a new episode from one of my favorite channels.

Velle Alexander

We featured Velle Alexander for the first time on Fratello in 2019. Then, last year, we revisited the brand, and I was happy to see how well the company had taken off since our initial article. Aside from the fantastic craftsmanship Alex imbues in his straps, he is also a great guy to talk to. His passion, attention to detail, and meticulous process never cease to amaze me. So, when the opportunity came to interview him for the next episode of “Meet The…” I did not hesitate one bit. The first part of our interview revolves around straps. We chatted about leathers, designs, special orders, and more. Later on, Alex and I moved on to other topics like watches, a bit about cars, and some more watches. 

We finished the talk with a fun round of This or That, but not before he gave us his SOTC (as we often used on watch forums back in the day, State Of The Collection). If you are looking for a strap, need inspiration for what to get, or want to spend some time on IG browsing through watch eye candy, I suggest you check out Velle Alexander’s Instagram page. I kept on scrolling up and down during our interview, sometimes for questions, other times just admiring the level of watch (strap) photography he posts there. 

The idea for our new “Meet The…” series is simple. We’ll feature another job or position in and around the watch industry or community in every episode. We’ll chat with watchmakers, owners of strap ateliers, CEOs, collectors, and researchers. It’s going to be fun and, hopefully, highly informative.

As always, thanks for tuning in to Fratello On Air! Feel free to let us know if there’s anything you’d like us to cover in future episodes.