Nautica Men's Leather Reversible Belt

I've had a similar looking belt that I bought in store over a year ago that was just starting to delaminate, and because I liked the belt so much and got such great use out of it, I figured I'd find it on Amazon and re-purchase it. However, this belt is much cheaper than the last one I had. It looks like a faux leather, whereas my previous one seemed to be genuine leather. The brown was a lighter and blander color, and the stitching was of lower quality. Worst of all, this belt is already delaminating on me with less than a month'S use out of it. Shame, I had hoped this belt would be more like my last one. Poor quality and sub-par materials ruined this one for me.

Looked OK when new, but kind of stiff. But after 2 years the buckle pulled off. This "Leather" reversible belt has some kind of synthetic core, with a vinyl covered fabric skin. This belt was replacing a real leather belt that had lasted more than 20 years. I cut off the damaged end, and put the buckle back on, and I will probably get another coulple years of use out of it. So, if you are OK with a vinyl covered polyester? belt, that's what this is. But it doesn't seem like a very good value to me. And the item description is just flat out wrong.

I admittedly easily go through belts as I wear them out. This belt I had some hopes in maintaining a long lifespan being from a great brand, made out of leather and based on the official website reviews.Within 3 months this belt began to break in half! As soon as I saw a separation to begin I knew this belt was not going to last long at all! The crews that held the belt to the buckle began to fall off, keep in mind I never attempted to remove the screws. I CANNOT recommend this belt at all!This belt missed the mark! Stay away!

I bought this belt to replace a Wal-Mart $12 belt that was coming apart. This belt is noticeably nicer quality and the buckle does not rattle as much as the other one, but still rattles some. I had a nice belt from Men's Warehouse that lasted me years, and I would say the quality of this belt is comparable to that one.The brown is a little lighter than I wanted, but still nice. I think it's lighter than the picture makes it look. Most reversible belts have the buckle screws and the imprinting on the brown side, but this one has it on the black side. But really it makes no difference since the belt covers it. The buckle finish looks very nice (my favorite part of the belt) and it doesn't look like it will peel or flake. The belt material itself is soft but firm. The picture looks like the brown side might be a course leather, but it's very smooth and the stitching is not very thick.I bought the 38" and the length of this belt is about the same as the 38" Wal-Mart belt, if you are looking for comparison. I am about a 34" waist and the 38" belt wraps maybe 20% around my waist past the buckle, which is perfect for me.Update March 7, 2011: I have been wearing this belt nearly every day for a year now, utilizing both sides. I think it still looks as good as the day it arrived. The leather looks perfect. The buckle finish is great. The mechanics are flawless. Seriously, I'm amazed at the durability of this belt. The buckle has not shown any signs of breakdown due to reversing it. I have had belts in the past where the buckle has come loose from the belt due to the pressure involved in reversing it, but this belt has no such issue. I would buy another one in a heartbeat, but it doesn't seem like it will ever wear out.Update March 14, 2012: It has now been two years of constant use for this belt, and it's still holding up rather well. Fortunately I haven't changed waist sizes in the last two years, but that means the belt has been using the same belt hole and bend points for two years. It is finally wearing out a bit at the seams at the bend point. The belt hole is slightly larger than the others now, but still looks to be in good condition. The buckle itself is still in very good condition. It's not quite as shiny as it once was, but it still looks quite nice. The mechanical function of the belt is still as solid as it was new. The connection from the buckle to the belt is very strong. It reverses smoothly and snaps back with a good force.I have not experienced the flaking or other issues that some have noted. I'm not sure if expectations were too high or there are just some bad batches, but I think the quality and finish of this belt is excellent given the price. I will agree that the belt is fairly rigid when new, but it has not caused me any problem. Also, if you are looking for a formal dress belt, do not buy this. I think it is nice looking and goes with anything from jean shorts and a t-shirt up to khakis and a button shirt, but it's not truly formal. I like the versatility in dress though.Update January 14, 2013: I wore this belt nearly daily for almost 3 years, but I have now replaced it. It still was functioning the same as it had been for months. Everything still works fine, but the belt had separated at the edge seam right around the bend point where it hits the buckle. I had noted in my previous update that it was wearing out at that point, and that wear turned into separation. The buckle still reverses flawlessly. The finish on the belt still looks about the same. I am impressed it made it this long, really. But I was tired of it looking a little ragged and coming apart, so I decided to go ahead and retire it.I had planned on just buying another, but I figured there's no reason to be married to a particular belt if there was a better option, so I went ahead and did my Amazon research like for any other purchase. I ended up buying the Levi's Reversible Belt. After reading the reviews and looking at the style, I thought I would give it a try for comparison. I like it very much, and I like its style a bit better than this belt, even. So if you're shopping around you might consider it as well, but don't let me keep you from buying this belt because it served me well for years.

Slight defacing marks on the brown side (see pic), and there were 2 extra holes in it compared with the original belt I bought a year ago--one was for a wider waist and the other for a narrower waist. Apart from that it works fine for me. Using the reversing color feature does not show wear on the belt surfaces.

I hadn't worn this reversible belt very often and as you can see, and as other reviewers pointed out, it will not last. This is pretty typical of reversible belts, so it's not exclusive to Nautica, but in general I strongly recommend a single piece, real leather belt that won't quickly resemble the mess you see in the photo of mine. I really should have known better before I spent any money on it, even if it wasn't much.

This belt ripped at the part where the screws go into the leather. Also, the metal bracket where the belt goes into is very hard/sharp and prone to hurting others. My kids and wife run into it when I give them a hug or when I pickup my kids. I don't recommend this belt.

Nice belt, but it started to come apart after two months and the "return window" was closed