Noob Q re Leather Straps

[BXNupe]

Hello All,

I'm new to the dark side having recently purchased a PAM 88. I love the watch but b/c all my other watches have either ss or ss/yg bracelets, I don't pay much attention to them when on my wrist. Now that I have a PAM w/ a leather OEM strap, I feel like I have to take the watch off to wash my hands or keep my arm inside the car while driving in the rain or...well, I'm sure you get the picture. I don't have the mental bandwidth to think about this stuff, but I do b/c I want to take care of the watch. I mean God forbid if I get warm water and soap on my strap! I also sweat quite a bit and consciously decided not to wear the PAM to an outside event this past weekend when the temp was blazing hot. I was fearful that I would somehow cause the strap to loose its sheen, dry up, blah, blah, blah. I feel somewhat foolish asking these questions -- kinda like the new Submariner owner who is concerned about wearing his/her Sub while taking a shower -- but I am curious. Am I being overly concerned, perhaps even neurotic, or am I simply going to have to be more mindful of the conditions when I wear the PAM? Please note that I'm only questioning the impact on the strap, not the watch. Which leads me to my final question...do people generally treat $300 straps as disposable?

Thanks in advance. I'm now gonna put on my flame suit.