Questions for leather band experts

[themast]

I need to provide a bit of background before I ask the questions. Please bear with me, I will try to be concise.

A few months ago I got a vintage watch cleaned and serviced. I did not pay much for the work and I was also given a watch band for free. I therefore assumed the band was low quality. After I wore the watch no more than 5-6 times, the tip of the band started to peel off (see last photo).

So, I thought: "well, sure it is a cheap band, not surprising". Then I went on Amazon and I bought a new band for $89 thinking about treating myself to a decent quality band.

And now we get to the point: the leather on the new band seems exactly the same as the old band!!! In photos the new one seems better but in real life it is just a bit shinier. I can seee some differences in manufacturing but I am not sure they justify the price (see how the leather wraps around the spring bar area and how the two layers are bonded along the edges).

Questions are:
- did I spend $89 on a $10 band?
- does the new band have the same leather but better craftsmanship?
- does the new band have better leather and craftsmanship?

I am surprised I am asking these questions because I think I can usually recognize quality but here I am a bit confused. Perhaps wearing the band for a few days will answer my questions but by just looking at it I fear it will deteriorate as quickly as the old one.

Opinions?

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Ps: Moderator, I know this is not the appropriate section but I would appreciate if you could leave the thread here for a while so that I can reach a broader audience.