688

Two years later...

Not gonna lie, at first I thought buying this jacket was a mistake. It was uncomfortable, heavy, and I knew it would take forever to break in. That was Jan 2024.

Now I'm writing this in March of 2026 and it's heavy, uncomfortable, and has been the best experience of wearing in a jacket I've had yet. The dark brown has patinaed to a nice lighter shade around the cuffs, waist, and neck - along with random spots here and there. Not to mention that it's become far more comfortable when zipped up than initially.

On the date of purchase, I was 6'1" and 220 lbs and had gotten the XL size. Now, I'm still 6'1" with a little more girth and it still wears nicely. There's even still some room for a hoodie underneath. My intentions when making my purchase was to get a jacket that would last. Well, it's gonna do just that and hopefully be passed down to my son after I kick it.

Enjoy!

it is a little tight in the shoulders (am in the gym regular) 5'10 230lbs. the leather is exceedingly stiff, maybe it is good (last long) but it is difficult to wear. Otherwise, the stitching and all other aspects are top notch. I will purchase another jacket from Schott this is my third. Keep up the great work.

I absolutely love this beautiful jacket. It is fitting like a second armoured skin. Everything I could ask for. It's a beautiful work of art. Thank you for your dedication to quality and outstanding customer service and the fastest shipping I have ever encountered. An American classic.

I ordered the 533 and the 688 at the same time because the reviews made them appeal to my style. I thought I would might am have a favorite and send one back.  I’m not a perfecto dude, but the 533 reviews made it seem so cool.  Great jacket and fit, and less flashy hardware and no belts or excessive flashy do dads which is a major plus.  Even so, after trying it on, not my vibe. Much softer and even vintage looking leather out of the box, and less weighty than 688 with no break in required if you dig that style.  More cat than dog and not me.
The 688 is a tank. Heavy, stiff, like armor out of the box.  Deep dark brown which reads as black in the sunshine.  Not just brass but antique brass hardware and definitely Teacore.  Light brown tan leather underneath, which will break through more quickly here with porous cowhide than horsehide.  I’m obsessed with finding THE ride or die leather jacket.  I’ve tried and owned all kinds from fashion like RRL to Schott to Aero to Japanese brands, looking for something to channel that perfect vintage look that tells stories of past adventures.  My wife teases me because I send back so many jackets in my quest for THE ONE with that vintage look, even stooping to pre-distressed fashion brands while waiting for Teacore to break through and speak to my past capers and tight scrapes.  
Problem: I don’t ride anything that doesn’t have four wheels, seatbelts and safety features.  And yet, I want to channel some chill badass tude with a hint of humor about my poser needs.
I have high hopes for this 688 and the patience it will take to achieve the look I want.  This is day one.  It’s a cool jacket already, but definitely a project.  Maybe I’m finally grown up enough to stick with leaving my own mark on a leather jacket, rather than bailing when I get the itch for some quick fix pre-distressed fashion option that pales in comparison to the rugged quality of the leather, the hardware and the style of this heritage jacket made in the USA.  I love Japan and the Japanese commitment to craft and Americana, but it’s nice to get a jacket of equal quality in a size that fits and allows for layering with an American man with a 46” chest.  Day 1 I’m out with my XL 688 over a thick zip hoodie and tee.  Not likely to happen even with the largest sizes in Japanese jackets, which are usually gone before regular people find them.  I definitely love the idea of owning something made here in a rare instance of an American company taking the kind of rare pride which is always so palpable in Japan with almost everything.  BTW, I’m not Japanese.
I commit to updating this review someday once I’ve broken this jacket in some.  I commit to holding onto this one and having those adventures rather than posing, even if I’m not driving anything on two wheels like the rest of you real badasses.

This is the second Schott Jacket I have purchased. The first was over 10 years ago. I also waited a bit to write this review. Upon first wearing this jacket the first few times I was very uncomfortable. It's so stiff that I wasn't able to move freely in it.

But after wearing it quite a bit and it finally having some give to it, I'm beginning to like it more and more. I wore it in light rain a few times and tried to get it to mold to me. I read that these heavy weight jackets are like raw denim where they shape to your body. The beginning is the worst party typically. Also wearing it unzipped does help a lot with initial mobility.

I love the dark brown color that shows in direct light. It can come across as black in dark lit areas. I'm excited to see how it patinas over the years. I highly recommend it to those that want to invest time in their leather outer wear.

This is my second Schott jacket and the fit of this jacket is perfect ! Slightly more room than my perfecto cafe racer . I’m 6 foot 210 and went with the xl . The color of this jacket is so much better than the photos. By far the best leather jacket I’ve ever worn !!!

I’ve been wanting a leather jacket with the wide spread collar, and one is it !!!

The leather is thick and heavy … It will take a while to break in, but that part of the beauty.

This jacket will be handed down for generations !

I absolutely love it !

The color of the leather is beautiful ,dark brown and black in darker lighting. Design of the jacket is very nice looking also However couple things I don’t like about the jacket is that it sits below the waist and the zipper is on the very bottom to the jacket so it makes sitting down in the jacket absurdly uncomfortable for a motorcycle jacket. This could be fixed by taking it to a leather worker but I was quoted $130 just to remove leather off the button and to readjust the zipper so it allows for the jacket not to ride up when in a seated position.

I was surprised at how high the quality was, just as I expected. Naturally, the leather itself is hard at first, so it takes some time to get used to it, but now I can enjoy changing it to suit my body shape and making it your own unique leather jacket. Next, I would like to purchase the doubles One Star.

great jacket if you like really heavy duty. take some time to brake it in but when that’s done it’s really super nice.

I bought a 688 in Nov21 and have worn it a lot over the past two years. I am 5'11, 215lbs, 46" chest and a XL fits me perfectly including sleeve length.
It is a gorgeous jacket that is a dark brown color that looks black in some lighting and brown in lighter settings. The brass hardware looks really good and matches with the color of the leather. As others have noted it is a heavy, stiff leather that takes some breaking in but once it is broken in it is so nice.
I have received several compliments and a couple of guys actually asked me where I got it. It's a great jacket and I am very pleased with it, well worth what I paid for it. Thanks Schott!

I am 6’ 3, 38 chest, 29 years young.. Finding high fashion that fits me has historically been a struggle.
I bought a medium and it is quite possibly the best fitting jacket I own; just long enough without being too baggy, perfect in chest and sleeves.
The “halfway between brown and black” to me is a gorgeous color, as I believe it will match with anything and everything.
My future children will fight over this jacket when I leave this existence.
Remember folks, you get what you pay for

Certainly you get a jacket with a good quality leather.
Our only comment will be that is really very hard and heavy jacket.
I hope with the time the leather will become softer and better adapting to the body

This is my third Schott leather motorcycle jacket and could be the best yet. The fit is perfect and style is unmatched. If you ride a motorcycle I highly recommend this jacket.

Im going to take some time to write a longer review as well because so little is in the site description. First off, I’m 6’1.5”, 165 lbs, slim and fit. I live in the Santa Cruz mountains in CA and ride my motorcycle 12 months, 300+ days per year. Sunshine or rain, hot or cold Im usually on my bike and yes, it gets cold for motorcycle riding here in the mountains, into the 30’s.

I love this jacket though it took me over a week once it arrived to decide if I was going to keep it or send it back and I’ll get into those 2 reasons first. 1, I love the dark brown color and really wish Schott made this in a cowhide/steerhide black. Second reason I almost decided not to keep it is the wrist sleeve zips. I also own the 641 HH in a size 42 and I prefer those wrist zips, full gusset style which is what I am use to and was expecting with this jacket. This jacket however does a different style of wrist zips, it has a flap of leather that is open on one end so not a full gusset. This may be nice come summer time to get a better breeze up my sleeves while riding however it’s now November so I’ll have to wait a while to find out the answer to that. The jacket isn’t exactly baggy or loose but it’s also not close or tight fitting, I like this because with my body frame and build I am able to fit a hoody or nice warm sweater as an under layer for those cold mornings and nights when it get into the 30’s and 40’s.

It is a shiny jacket but not super shiny like my 641HH was out of the box, it’s also a heavy hide so stiff and will take a little bit to break it in but nothing a nice ride in the rain won’t solve and just daily wear. I have a feeling it’s not going to take as much to break this jacket in as it took my 641HH to break in though. One thing I really appreciate about this jacket compared to my 641HH is that it isn’t squeaky out of the box, my 641 HH is over 4 years old and I wear it most every day and still squeaks terribly, it’s one of the reasons I started shopping for a new motorcycle jacket though I love my 641 HH and will continue to wear that too, I just wish the squeaking would go away.

For me I think this is going to be a great motorcycle jacket year round out here because the plaid lining looks nice but it’s not a thick or insulated lining so nice for the summer yet there is a good amount of room for me to layer underneath it in the colder times of the year out here.

The antique brass zips and side straps look great with dark brown. The inside map pocket is plenty deep for typical 9.5 inch business envelope which means your cell phone and other things will certainly fit comfortably in there. The side hand warmer pockets are nice and deep as well. Another feature I appreciate as a motorcycle rider is the collar snaps down so when I’m riding on the costal highway at high speeds and high winds the collar isn’t flapping around. It also has the leather flap on the inside front main zip on the right so that wind doesn’t get through which is nice and I couldn’t tell from the pics and description. It has the bi-swing back, waist strap for slimmer people like me, wrist zips, no armpit gussets, great jacket for the motorcycle.

This is also a really sharp looking jacket for a nice night out and it’s certainly not exclusively for motorcyclist’s All in all I think it’s a great jacket, I only wish Schott made it in black as well like they do with some other styles, hint hint :) I’ll write another review a few years from now to let you all know how/if it’s lived up to my hopes and expectations. I have a feeling it will.

Schott doesn't provide a lot of details about this cafe racer jacket in the description, or how it compares to other cafe racers, so here goes.

I have this jacket and am really pleased. It appears to be a similar version to the 141 or 641 jackets. Heavier cowhide than the 141. It has a more waxy or lacquered sheen than the 141, which is more matte finish. Possibly made of the same hide material as the 641?

The major difference is in the cut of the jacket. The 141 and 641 are more form fitting. The 688 has a looser fit. Not loose exactly, but it certainly has a freer movement and is easier to fit over a sweater than a 141 or 641. No removable faux fur or quilted lining, just a plaid cloth fabric interior.

Pluses: heavy cowhide, looser fit (that's a personal preference), attractive styling, typical Schott quality. A traditional leather jacket in cafe racer style.

Minuses: waxy finish (again, a personal preference), no individual sizing (S/M/L/XL only)

It will take a while to break in (my grandson will still be breaking in this jacket). But this could become a new personal favorite.

For the last several years, I have visited the Schott store in NYC over the Thanksgiving holiday. I am from the west coast and I use this opportunity annually to try on different jackets for size and style (Joe is a great representative in the NY store) in preparation for Christmas.. Most years, I try on the classic Perfectos and bomber style jackets, but the last two years the new styles have really caught my eye. The 688 is awesome; the color of the leather is dark, deep and rich and the design is simple with elegant nuances (buckles at the sides, zippers on the sleeves). At first, the leather seems almost too stiff, however after wearing for a while, it feels like I have owned it forever. This is my 5th Schott in 4 years....can't wait until next year!

It's a chrome tanned coffee brown cowhide.
It's a heavy & loose fit.
This is a good leather jacket that I will want to wear every day.