savage_here

Hey guys. So, a while back I purchased that Rolex-dialed, Radiomir case vintage watch from one of our dealers here. It's a 47mm and probably a bit big for me to pull off, but I decided to give it a shot. Well, when I got it, I hated it. It looked like crap on me, I hated the way that the lugs stuck straight out from the case and I hated the huge crown. I thought I'd probably just sell it and be done with it. Well, it just sat here and collected dust and I never got around to selling it. So, the other day I just decided to jump in and start messing with it. First thing I did was bend down the lugs. I was afraid I

I don't think there are any 000's with sandwich dials. savage

For future reference, here's one thing I would suggest. Have the seller take a picture (straight on if possible) with a post-it note or something with your name and the date written on it. That will prove that he has the watch pictured in his possession at that time. That still does not guarantee that you will receive the watch that he photographed, but it's a start. References would be the next order of business. That said, with regard to that particular watch and the particular pictures shown, I think it's gen. Hope you find what you're looking for. Best regards, Savage

If her stitchwork is sub-par, stitch holes are crooked, etc. it's because of a jerky sewing machine operator. Her straps are not made by her and are machine stitched. She does have some nice leathers though. Savage

I've never seen either strap in the flesh. But, one thing I would recommend is that, unless you have a specific need for the strap to be waterproof, I'd stay away from "waterproof" leather. I find it plastic feeling and not nearly as nice as non-waterproof. Other than that, both seem to be your run-of-the-mill machine made straps. Savage

Yes, actually. I have at least two new hides coming in. One should be here within a week or so and the other probably 2-3 weeks. I'll post something when I can get some pics. I have samples, but you never know exactly about dye lots etc. So, I don't want to post and then have the actual hide be slightly different. Savage

Victoria- It's a different hide than yours. A little less orange hence the change in name from British Tan to Saddle Tan. I've not been able to get any more of the other and you did, in fact, get the last one. All the best! Savage

Sure, I've got some. I'm sorry I don't get to post much here...busy, busy. Since I don't have a dealer section I'm a little unsure of the etiquette for posting my straps. I don't want to break the rules. Feel free to pm me and I can email you pics. In the interim I'll try to figure out the best way to post them. Can somebody tell me if it's ok to just post in the general Panerai section? Thanks. Savage

Here's three that I just made that I think would look particularly good on that case. The one on the right with the thinner tan stitch would look the best of the three in my opinion. Of course, I'm a little biased, so you guys can be the judge. Savage

Is this the same one that was posted on paneristi? That post was removed b/c they thought he was shilling, but I think this is the same watch. FWIW, it looks gen to me. Maybe some of the vintage gurus can chime in. Enzo??? Scot

The case material says steel, but I could have sworn these were aluminum.

V- You really need a gen GPF Mod Dep in there to round things out! Scot

I sent V a detailed pm about the burnishing method, but I forgot to save a copy to my sent box. V, would you just post my reply to you? If he doesn't get it posted in the next couple of days, I'll recreate the reply. Thanks so much for the compliments. Scot

Both straps are sold, sorry. I am finishing a stitchless version of the first strap, I only have the keeper left to do. Thanks for looking. Scot

Well guys, I finally got enough spare time to make a couple of new straps. The first one I think is best suited for PVD Pams. It's a very soft leather and it's a yellow/gold color. I stitched it with black thread and did the sides in a black dye and then hand burnished. Because of the softness of the leather, the edges are not beveled. Here are the specs: 24/24 123/77 4.5mm thick Not punched yet The second strap is one I initially made for myself for my 217. It's out of the same hide as the fully-stitched strap that I posted a while back. Because of my scrawny wrist, the buckle end ended up being just a few mm's too long for me and the buckle hit me in a funny place. So, I never punched it. This has beveled edges and is hand burnished. Here are the specs: 26/26 138/78 4-4.5mm thick Not punched yet As always, my straps are 100% double-needle hand-stitched. Lastly, I have selected three new leathers for my next three straps. Let me know what you think... Thanks for looking. Scot

Really cool. I like it. Savage

If you are interested in a custom strap similar to the one posted, please pm me. Best regards, Scot

Yeah according to Enzo, the original case size is 52-53mm without CG and around 60mm with the CG. But, it's aluminum, so it would wear lighter than that. Could do it Flavor Flav style though!

That's the burnishing. The way I did it (and there are numerous methods) was to swab a bit of Gum Tragacanth onto the edges after beveling. Then I took a piece of heavy canvas on which I had rubbed a bunch of beeswax (just natural, not colored) and then worked into the canvas. You just start rubbing pretty vigorously on the edges. When it heats up a bit, the edge color starts to change a little and the loose leather fibers start to lay down. The edges starts to take on sort of a slick appearance and you're done. It's really time-consuming and fairly difficult to do, but the results are stunning. Much better than just slapping some Edge Kote on there and calling it a day. That pic that you referenced actually is a little darker than it really turned out. The ones on the watch show the true edge color a bit better. Cool process though! Best regards.

Thanks for all the positive comments. The hide was sourced locally here in Houston and the strap probably took about 3 hours total to make. It's a bit hard to add up since there's quite a few steps involved and it was done over a couple of days. Believe me, unless you start machine stitching and have a lot of automated processes, one wouldn't be making much of an hourly rate if these were put up for sale (when tools and materials are factored in)!

OK, so I was inspired by the people that have started making their own straps. So, I went out and bought some tools to try my luck. I started with some scrap leather that I picked up and learned how to stitch and some of the finer points of cutting, finishing, etc. Once I had made three attempts (that actually all turned out fairly decently), I decided to buy some good leather and give it a "real" go. I was able to find some fantastic leather and the following is what I made. Here's the breakdown: Hand-selected hide and hand cut Skivved Joint on the short side Skivved where tubes and buckle go The long side is one piece, so no joint Hand-grooved for stitching Hand-waxed thread Double-needle hand-stitched (true hand stitching) Hand-beveled edges Hand-burnished edges and holes I have tried my hand at making buckles as well, but I did not put a sewn-in buckle on this strap. I really wish I would have though! It's on my wrist right now and the only thing that would have made it better is a hand-made buckle. You'll notice a bit of a color difference in the pics on the watch and those off because of a change in lighting. These are quick-n-dirty pics since I didn't have a lightbox set up, so bear with me. The actual color I would say is somewhere in between. It's sort of a PAV or lighter ammo strap color with beige stitch. Anyway, any comments would be appreciated.

You'll think it's too small very soon and just HAVE to get a 44mm...then it's 47mm (ok, maybe not for a 6" wrist)... Welcome to the insanity. Savage

I'd like to apologize in public for popping off. Sorry. Here's what I sent privately and the OP thought should be posted here: If you're really interested in great shoes, visit www.styleforum.net and go to the Men's Clothing section. There are tons of threads in there. Note, however, that they are usually talking about shoes that start at about $200 and go up quickly from there to around $6-700. I am trying to put together a shoe wardrobe slowly but surely! I try to buy classic styles in classic colors from good manufacturers. My requirements are that they are well-constructed, but have nice styling and lines. A couple of manufacturers that they are not particularly fond of on styleforum, but I happen to like and are at great price points, are Magnanni (Made in Spain) and Antonio Maurizi (Italy). The most recommended on there are Lobb (of course), C&J hand grade, Edward Green, etc. Unless on super sale, really out of my price range for the time being. Didn't mean to thread crap. Hope this helps. If you'd like me to post it publicly, let me know. Best regards, Savage

Ahh, that explains it. Since they're geniune Kenneth Cole, you should get at least two wearings out of them before they fall apart. But since you have two pair, you can rotate them and get a bit more wear. Sorry, don't mean to rag on ya. I've just seen too many people that think KC's are good shoes and then later learn the truth. I'll get off my soapbox now. Back to regular scheduled programming.

Nice watch. No offense, but those are some fugly shoes.