92tru

hamiltons = great choice. The workmanship on this timepiece is unmatched. Screw-in crowns are smooth as silk, bezels are weighted and turn as if they are greased without hesitation or burring/catching or biting. the detail in the dial is excellent with all hands pointing exactly at their markers on the hour/min/second, the finish on the dial is perfect even under a loop, all numerals on the dial are straight, no fine hairs or anything caught in them, etc. and its powered by the val 7750 movement, running excellently, and after setting the watch down for 1 hr at night, I tried to measure how much it was losing or gaining against my computer's clock and it was only off 1 second over 3 days. is this a good way of measuring the movements variance? day/date + chrono is unbeatable value for the money.. and look at that stock strap, pure quality! regarding the smell, i forgot to list that it is only my strap finish that doesn't have any smells, other finishes could warrant other aromas.

thanks for the comments!! actually, i think i may have gotten used to the black strap and it goes quite well with a dark suit, formal etc... and looks far better than my beater pam222... the brown strap tho goes with anything else thats not dark.. its one thing that hamilton didn't release in their colour choices, was a White Dial + Machined bezel + brown strap.. so i figured i'll try it and see how it looks. good to know it gets the seal of approval!!!

Hi Old skool. Good stuff with that buckle! To be honest, it was your pics that came up in a google search that motivated me to get another strap. I know the black dial comes with a brown strap similar in colour to the one i picked up, but the grain is a bit diff, the colour as well...and it was a requirement that the watch I get have a light coloured face.. pref white dial. This is my first venture into aftermarket straps, so now I gotta learn about buckles. is yours the legend buckle? If I had known they could have been switched out, then i wouldn't mind picking one up.... heck maybe on my next order i'll get something different as the buckles aren't sewn in. Either way, your hammy looks great. and that strap gives it that vintage look If its one thing that was paid close attention to, these straps BARELY SMELL. no weird varnishes, no strong odours. Its only when you get your nose right on it, does it smell like shoes or baseball gloves. Have you ever picked up a real pair of quality leather shoes/bicycle saddle/belts/wallets etc, and they smelled unusual? same as the case with these strapculture materials - its the real thing. No chemicals need to be added to get the desired, color, texture, etc. The rep straps i have picked up just seem soooooooooooooooo SYNTHETIC in comparison. Some smell so bad/unusual/UNITENTIFIABLE i simply cannot wear them. as in, chemicals were made to produce them. Sure they look alright, but they don't feel like leather, and after daily use, they will wear quickly, break apart, or develop really unusual smells. STRAPCULTURE.com has really taken it to another level, and I hope that my post can motivate a few of those that were on the fence - this is nothing, NOTHING like a rep strap, but unfortunately, PICTURES CANNOT DO JUSTICE, as rep straps could look REALLY similar, in the pictures, on the shelf, etc... but they can never duplicate what real leather feels/smells like.

OK, so i guess I built up quite a bit of suspense with 70+ thread views. Well, here are the pics, prepare to modem melt!! Started innocently enough. Hamilton X-Wind, with the stock leather strap. For some weird reason, this white-face model is a rare item here. Rarer than the rose-gold limited edition, as the white is not readily stocked at the local Authorized Dealer. As you can see, the numerals are brushed steel, and change colour depending on how the light reflects off of them The RED accents in the face really set this off for me and contrast nicely with the white dial and black/grey numbers, and steel case. wristshots of the original. I figured, as its still new, let me see what StrapCulture.com is all about The packaging is an experience. Nothing short of a packaging sleeve, embossed with Strapculture.com, cello wrapper with more SC on it, and even a tag. What blew me away was a certificate of ownership, with the date of purchase, the model etc etc. Attention to detail to this standard is heads and shoulders above the average wrist watch accessory of any kind, in Asia and worldwide. Look at that grain. Embossing in the back of the strap under the backside. again, detail is supurb The stock X-Wind strap is a BEAST. Its slightly thicker than the Strapculture deal, and that was already approaching 4mm. The x-wind is also handmade and of a very fine quality leather and is soft, and durable. colour comparison The thing i really like about hamilton is that since they are a bit smaller watch company, and not quite as established as swatches parent brands, longines, tag, etc, they can get really creative with their casebacks. This is a fine example. The military model has an X thru the display back and the new x-copter has a tri/biohazard pattern with 3 separate windows. I find that other brands of more stature stick unnecessarily to their tried-true/brand-recognized designs, and this really makes some watches boring, but i guess thats what makes them timeless A look at the buckle of the strap, its huge. You can see the strapculture Certificate card beside it. A wristshot. dial is just so crisp wristshot backside, as u can see the buckle does all the talking and compliments nicely to the meaty leather. Fullshot, comparison against the original strap backshots a closeup of the buckle logo engraving Again, the colour and the brushed texture of the buckle, the dot there is a fingerprint. You can see the creativeness of the double-tang "H" in the original strap. Simply gorgeous, and a great shot to show the contrast in the two textures of the straps.

hey guys, my PAM 222 has been working alright for a bit and I have gotten into bicycles and wedding planning so I haven't been around as much as I had usually been. For a gift, my future father in-law told me to pick out a watch around $1800-$2000, but in taking a look, the only thing that turned my crank was the Hamilton X-Wind. Genuine Valjoux 7750 mov't, great leather strap options, looks generously meaty on the wrist without being too clunky or gawdy looking. Its the total package with day/date/chrono features and I scored it for a deal, So I decided I had a bit of coin left over for other wedding expenses and to try out a strap from strapculture.com I got the white-faced, black banded model, so I figured a decent brown leather strap up to the same quality will be required Pictures will be posted tonight, but if the flame is starting to dwindle on your favourite time piece, StrapCulture can certainly set you up with something that will get the fire burning again. I had put my order into Seth a little over a week ago and it arrived today, at work. Plain envelope but the inside packaging is completely branded, from the padded casing to the cello wrapper to the little tag on the end of the strap. It is of the finest quality, the leather is top notch and it is made completely with boasting brand recognition in mind. The buckle is massive, the SC logo is cleanly etched and the strap is marked on the inside, with the SC logo. NO WEIRD ODOURS. this just smells like a pair of gucci or prada shoes, or quality leather wallet. the finish on it is supurb without any distortion in the dye. I didn't even get the higher branded stuff, sort of middle to high of what Seth offers, but wow, I am sort of wishing I got one for my PAM 222, but instead I only thought my GEN Hamilton X-wind deserved the love that only strapculture could provide. awesome. again, pics will be up tonight, but if you haven't taken a look, www.strapculture.com

the brown textured strap on ur graham is stunning. how they chose to produce that with rubber is a huge mistake

yah shipping expensive items, being a jeweler selling expensive items and then word leaking out in the jeweler community that u getting mixed up in reps and servicing? that would sink a place pretty quick.. i mean, with those slow jewelers im sure they just spend all day riding the gossip train!

honestly, I have never been in a BUSY jeweler, watchsmith, etc, EVER. Its like the world stops once u open their doors and you have 3 people staring at each other or wiping glass counters..... or staring at glass counters! Shipping and recieving stuff can be messy tho and customs etc etc, I'm sure they know a lot more about the customs side of shipping expensive items then i'd ever want to know...

were your hands just not pointing at the numbers correctly? where abouts are you located? sometimes local watchsmiths that are rep-friendly can be valuable resources.

just wondering how anyone did over here. i refered a good handful of ya guys and hope u all had good experiences and he could offer help... lemme know what happened!

wow, looks nice, but i *THINK* its the first time i have seen a panerai dial with unilluminated 12,3,6,9 markers!

i agree with the bananna talk, above, but i think there is something intangible about these reps that simply 'add value'. i mean, its why u go after a rep in the first place - its a significant amount more affordable, than the gen. we simply want these nicer movements the same way we are in pursuit of the perfect lume, crown, crownguard, AR, or strap etc etc otherwise, we would all just proudly dawn quartz wristpieces. I see it as playing with a scale-model of something.. like of a car etc.. except this scale is 1:1, so its a model of the real deal, but if it had the real engine to power it, it makes it all that much more desirable - regardless of how accurate it tells time! I figure there is also some security in knowing it won't fall apart the next time you wear it, and that the parts are serviceable for some time to come.

same happened here... - even in small asain establishments!

oohh, servicing reps is illegal? i mean, even replica jewelery needs repair, right?

can any of the mods make a sticky for links to rep-friendly watchsmiths per local? I think many of the members would find that info pretty helpful!!

Hey everyone, Just want to let you guys know that I found a very knowledgable rep-friendly watchsmith in Toronto. Just 10-15mins North of toronto around the Steeles/Kennedy area. I was turned away by more "watchsmiths" than i expected before finding him! Not to take away from the great members/watchsmiths here on the forum, but I figure help like this can be really useful!! I won't put his info up directly, but I can give you an idea of the services he is offering: Full servicing/maintenance of Manual/Automatic movements, oiling, etc Hand replacement/Adjustment (if they read slightly off, not pointing directly at the numbers etc) Dial repair (if markers had fallen off) General RELUME (not sure about how intricate the detail is of how small indicators he can do, OR what brand formula he uses to relume, but he does this service and is quite familiar with the removal first, and reapplication) I just let him service a PANERAI rep that had the power-reserve needle a touch loose and it was interfering with the movement of the hour hand. It now works flawlessly. His prices are very reasonable for any of the repair work, not sure about the reluming! PM me for details!!

if anyone knows more, how about we mashup our own map?

any updates?

Hey Zig, that was perfect. When I read your first response above, I just couldn't figure out how friction would make time pass by FASTER? friction always slows things down, but when you reminded me about the balance-wheel and pendelum analogy, it all fit together! thanks again!

hey zig that last reply really cleared things up, UNTIL! i have a TY2530 pr pam222. Its time-keeping accuracy actually speeds up when i wear it on my wrist, esp when walking........ not that i swing my arms like a maniac or anything!! It only speeds up say 5-15 seconds, after a brisk 20 min walk or so.... i thought it should be slowing down? after sitting for 30 mins, the movement seems to regulate itself back.. but i haven't nailed down exactly how much it will retard if i leave it idle indefinitely - esp since you mentioned it should 'speed up' as it unwinds!? in this case, it seems i have to aim for -5 to -15 seconds/day in hopes that it stays somewhat accurate after wearing it on my wrist... clear as mud? uh help, yoda?

im looking for a vintage-ish brown leather strap for a rep pam and came across this site: http://www.torontomls.ca/category/watches-dealers/ pretty clook, they mapped some finer ones out!

wow, real community spirit! kudos and hope for some nice straps to come!

a punch of some sort, so you can make the holes. some wax will be useful too, as sliding the needle thru leather is really hard on the hands....

^^ that strap is pure gorgeous.

Hey zig, thanks for this tid-bit of info. something like this made all the difference in my quest to obsessively adjust my TY-2530 mov't in my PAM222. I figured it would always be fluctuating time and being a few seconds fast or slow, to the point where I just concluded it was something in the fact its a poor quality-control mov't - it is a REP after all!! Spent the whole weekend trying to calibrate with a quartz seiko and after getting pretty close to it being spot on with my iPhone, I can now rest-assured that these little variances in accuracy are just attributed to motion AND poor quality control........... one question tho, with the motion of the wrist throwing off the accuracy, does the mov't ever correct itself? or does it just continue steady beating, but now with just being off accuracy?