Hector Saxe, Victor – leather velvet travel backgammon set

Last updated on October 30, 2022

At our regular Deluxe Backgammon sessions, we tend to use full-sized boards, but recently one of our regulars received a stylish Hector Saxe travel backgammon set. We couldn’t resist trying out this striking set with a couple of borrowed dice cups. Hector Saxe has been producing stylish games in their Paris workshops since 1978. They specialise in producing luxury backgammon sets. The materials used include Italian calf leather, hides, precious wood and Alcantara. This is the Hector Saxe, Victor travel backgammon set in vivid orange.

Construction

This travel backgammon set is handmade in France from a bright orange leather. The playing field is ‘velvet leather’, we can’t find any official description of this type of leather, but from the feel, we assume that it is similar to suede leather. The points are white and grey against the orange background of the playing field. You can tell it is hand-made due to the very slight inconsistencies in the stitching and the orientation of the points. It is clearly of quality craftsmanship.

There is a nice sized bar down the centre of the board. Quite often on travel backgammon sets, the bar can be too narrow or non-existent, which makes keeping track of hit checkers a little difficult. The leather has a nice feel to it, which enhances the tactile qualities of the board. The set rolls up neatly and is secured by a central leather strap with a small buckle. There is a pouch at the end of the roll to hold the accessories when travelling. The top of the pouch when the board is unrolled has a subtle Hector Saxe brand. The board lays neatly flat when rolled out.

Accessories

The set includes 30 acrylic checkers each with a mother of pearl effect. The checkers are white and orange in colour and nicely sized for the points. The checkers are loud, but then so is the rest of the board, so they don’t look out of place. The dice are also acrylic, coloured grey and orange. The doubling cube is embossed on one side with the Hector Saxe logo. Finally, as this is a travel backgammon set, there are no dice cups.

Dimensions

This a compact travel-sized backgammon set. When closed it is 8cm x 28cm. When unrolled it is 51cm x 28cm. There is no weight listed on the website, but when held we estimate that it weighs about half a kilogram. It is portable and would easily slip into an overnight bag or hand luggage.

Conclusion

This luxury travel backgammon set is eye-catching, but it also has been manufactured to a high standard. The velvet leather is of the finest quality and the stitching is second to none. You can tell the set has been handmade by the slight variations in the placing of the points, we think this adds to the appeal of the piece. This is a stunning travel backgammon set and the perfect addition to any Deluxe Backgammon set collection. RRP £330 at the time of writing.

Manufacturer’s reference:            BV08