for those that advise against putting the saddle in water....have you ever seen how they form the leather in the first place?

and view from 2m 53 sec

and are you speaking from experience in making saddles?
or working with leather?
I have done a few in the last 7 years starting with this

just wait for it to thoroughly dry before using it.

The reason I suggested letting it soak for longer was the amount of treatment sitting on the surface will probably slow the flow of water into the leather.