8 Card Classic Bifold Wallet in Saddle Brown Full-Grain Montecristo Leather

Although we live in a highly digitized world, a wallet is still an essential everyday item and the easiest way to carry cash and cards. No wallet design is more classic or more versatile than a bifold wallet, which can be stowed as easily in your trouser pockets as in a jacket or coat. Crafted from leather of the highest quality and assembled by European artisans, this wallet is an exceptional accessory of heirloom quality that will offer years of service and only grow more beautiful with age and use.

This wallet adheres to the classic bifold style, incorporating a full-length central pocket that is divided into two compartments by an all-leather partition. Such division is practical for segregating different currencies while abroad, or for neatly arranging receipts, tickets, and miscellaneous items away from your bills. Embedded in each side of the wallet are panels with four slots for cards, providing a sum of eight cardholders for a secure and accessible organization of credit cards, IDs, and various other cards. Additionally, the compartments situated behind these card panels extend the wallet's storage capabilities.

Prefer the ultimate in slim design? Shop our Four Card Cardholders

In crafting this wallet, our goal was to marry the classic design of a bifold with unparalleled slimness and maximum capacity, utilizing only the finest full-grain leather to ensure longevity.

The construction process has been meticulously fine-tuned, including precision skiving of the leather where pieces join to minimize thickness, and a judicious choice of materials for both the shell and lining. We've reimagined the central compartment to be narrower, achieving a slimmer profile without sacrificing space.

Equipped with eight card slots and a bifurcated main pocket, this wallet comfortably fits your essentials while maintaining a sleek form. Unlike others who reduce cardholder dimensions or opt for artificial linings to slim down their wallets, our thoughtful design strategy allows us to deliver remarkable thinness without forgoing any functionality.

Please note that overstuffing card slots can stretch the leather, potentially loosening the fit for a single card in future. This can be managed by consistently storing two cards in slots that have adapted to a double stack

1. Quality Leather: This wallet is crafted from unadjusted full-grain leather sourced solely from English bulls.

What's the significance of this?

Leather from cows that have calved can stretch and warp, altering the look. In contrast, bull leather is free from these imperfections, maintaining the pristine, authentic quality of the material without reliance on synthetic alterations.

a. Artisanal Tannery: These skins underwent our tanning process at an Italian tannery steeped in heritage, boasting more than a hundred years of operation. This establishment is not only committed to crafting the highest quality open-pored leathers, following the esteemed Italian artisanal methods but also prioritizes sustainable sourcing, fair labor standards, and reducing its environmental footprint.

b. Supple and Firm Texture: Our Montecristo leather boasts a crafted finish that provides a solid yet pliant feel, paired with a discreetly pebbled texture. From afar, the open pores of the leather display a consistent pattern; however, upon closer inspection, they reveal an intricate design that captivates the eye. This leather is devoid of any topcoat, allowing for a pure and direct tactile experience with every contact.

c. Becomes More Beautiful with Age: The saddle brown leather for this wallet has been thinly waxed. As a result, scratches and knicks will appear prominently until they are lightly buffed out. Then, as the oils and waxes recollect, any minor damage will be subsumed into the base color, adding a unique tonal variation to the leather. As a result, with time and use, this wallet will become its own work of art, a unique accessory that fully tells your story.   

d. Rich Saddle Brown Dye: This wallet has been dyed a rich saddle brown. Thanks to our aniline-dyeing process, the dye has been fully absorbed into the leather in a procedure that can take over 12 hours, ensuring a long-lasting color that won’t fade and will bring out the patina of the leather as the carrier ages. This color is a versatile option that is ideal for either casual or formal occasion thanks to cognac-toned redness in the dye.

e. Incredible Color Depth: Thanks to our dyeing process and proprietary waxes and oils applied to the leather, this saddle brown offers an unparalleled depth and “pull up” effect: when the leather is gently stretched, you can see the full range of colors and textures present within the leather.

2. Ultra-slim Profile: Few things are uglier than the bulky square of an overly large wallet spoiling the lines and drape of your clothing. Every element of this wallet has been intentionally designed, executed, and tested to ensure a slim profile that won’t mar the beauty of your clothes. 

When fully loaded with one card in each slot, the thickness changes from just under 14 mm to 23 mm or from 0.55” to 0.90”

3. Proudly Made in Europe: Europe is renowned for its longstanding tradition of craftsmanship, coupled with strict adherence to quality, environmental, and fair labor regulations. This region also boasts a vast reservoir of skilled artisans. As a result, it stands as a premier source for top-notch menswear items. The bifold wallet presented here is a prime example of this esteemed manufacturing heritage. Fashioned from antique mahogany leather, this wallet is the handiwork of craftsmen who have dedicated many years to honing their craft to perfection.

4. 2.5x More Leather than Other Wallets. Crafted from a quintuple layering of premium leather, including the card slots, our wallet is a testament to quality over quantity. Unlike typical wallets which employ a single outer leather shell, ours integrates more material at higher costs—not due to extravagance—but driven by a commitment to excellence. This all-leather approach not only amplifies durability but also accentuates the wallet's aesthetic charm, presenting a luxurious luster that delights with each use.

Worried about heft?

Fear not. The leather is expertly thinned to shed any unnecessary bulk, ensuring sleekness in form as well as function.

5. Thinned Folded Edges:Ensuring the longevity of leather items hinges on the quality of edges, yet the majority of wallets on the market have edges that are simply sliced and then covered with paint or gloss. Such finishes inevitably wear away and split as time goes on. At Fort Belvedere, we adopt a more intricate process where wallet edges are carefully angled and tapered before being folded over and stitched. This technique not only yields edges with consistent thickness but also significantly diminishes edge wear. Consequently, the life span of our wallets with folded edges is generally double that of those with merely painted or polished edges. 

a. Folded External Edges. Both pieces of leather along the edges of the wallet have been carefully folded. Whereas our competitors may fold only one piece, if they fold their edges at all, we have folded both to ensure the neatess possible look and the most durable construction.

b. Smoothed Corner Radius: Overly pointed edges on wallets catch on your clothes and become crumpled with use and age. Each exterior edge of this wallet has been rounded, ensuring smooth access and a subtle, organic appearance. 

6. Elegant Contrast Stitching: Our cream thread provides a subtle pop of color against the saddle brown of this wallet. Not only does this create visual interest, it highlights the piece’s incredible workmanship: every neat and fine back-and-forth stitch is on full display. The workmanship is even more impressive when you realize that the artisans can only see one side as they are working, so it requires extra care and skill to sew these together. This contrast stitching is done near the end of the production cycle, and so the artisans work extremely carefully: if they make a mistake, the entire wallet has to be scrapped. 

7. Eight Card Slots hold up to Sixteen Cards: The dedicated slots of this wallet were designed to hold eight cards, but each slot can hold an additional card if desired. Be aware that the leather of that slot will conform to hold two cards and will become too loose to securely hold a single card if “double stacked” for a few days. That being said, we do not recommend double stacking, as it makes your wallet quite thick.

a. Folded Edges on Card Slots: Most wallets come with card slots that are rudimentary – they're just cut into the material, which often leads to fraying or snagging edges that might deteriorate over time. In contrast, our leather wallets boast meticulously folded card slots, ensuring durability and a sophisticated look. This craftsmanship is accentuated by an embossed horizontal line that subtly emphasizes the folded edge. The slots are reinforced with robust stitching, ensuring that your cards stay secured firmly, yet they can be removed with ease even after extended use. 

8. Divided Central Pocket. Running the length of the wallet, this central compartment is ideal for the storage of paper money, receipts, tickets, and other ephemera. It includes an all-leather divider that splits the compartment in two, allowing you to organize your money, such as between large or small bills or two types of currency. You could also use one section for storing bills and the other for storing everything else.

9. Quality Backing and Lining for Slimness and Ease of Use:

Crafting a wallet that embodies both beauty and durability, we envisioned an all-leather design that ultimately proved too cumbersome. To achieve the ideal balance of sleekness and practicality, we introduced a premium moire lining to the card holder panel’s back and within its slots. This choice preserves the wallet's toughness while significantly reducing its profile.

This wallet features a forest green moire-textured fabric made in Italy, offering an elegant contrast and additional functionality to the leather. Prior prototypes with full leather construction resulted in unnecessary bulk without enhancing sturdiness. In contrast, our selected viscose fabric maintains a slim form factor while still upholding the wallet's resilience.

Moreover, the fabric's design promotes ease in extracting cards due to its smooth texture and contributes to the wallet's longevity by maintaining its slim structure. The material has been chosen not only for its durability but also for its compatibility with leather, ensuring the creation of the most slender leather wallet possible.

Further attention to detail is evident in the treatment of the viscose fabric to prevent fraying during cutting, guaranteeing exceptional endurance and a refined appearance at the seams. The adhesives are meticulously chosen to bond securely with the leather, reinforcing the wallet’s long-lasting quality and seamless aesthetics.  

10. Tastefully Debossed: The name and crest of Fort Belvedere are debossed on the left inside panel of the wallet, discreetly identifying the maker of this fine product in a refined and unobtrusive way.

11. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Blocking: We have applied to this wallet’s exterior a special treatment to shield against RFID signals, which could potentially compromise your cards, leading to theft of funds or information. This protective measure is meticulously integrated between the leather and the outer moire layer, ensuring it doesn't detract from the wallet's aesthetic or tactile qualities.

12. Spared No Expense: With five layers of leather in its body, this wallet has about 2.5x times the leather of our competitors: we have utilized as much leather as possible without compromising overall slimness and functionality.  

The size was also carefully chosen to fit elegantly in your pocket with reduced bulk: while others select their product sizes based on dimensions to maximize the yield from standard hide sides, our dimensions are determined only by what works best for you.

With neatness and attention to detail evident at every step of production, this wallet is truly an example of artisanal craft.

13. Extensively Tested: We subjected this wallet to over a year of extensive field testing and accelerated stress testing: every issue and fault has been identified through hands-on experimentation by our team and fully resolved. Like every Fort Belvedere product, it exceeds our own high standards, and we cannot wait to hear about your experiences with this wallet.