TeeJay

Andy makes awesome straps

On order, I have...

A brushed 24mm PAM buckle

Two pairs of 24mm PAM springbars

And not watch related:

A custom set of dog tags (based upon the dog tags worn by the Colonial Marines in Aliens). Hopefully they'll arrive before too long

[Edit as the seller responded to the emails with an apology and CAD rendering of how the tags will be etched )

^^^^^

This guy has the stones to mess with polar bears

Thanks guys, the credit really must go to Andy on this, afterall, it's his craftmanship, all I did was snap some quick pics

What can I say, other than I am totally blown away by this strap. I love it. It's rugged and very masculine, so when combined with my One Eight Something, creates a combo which is Utter Masculinity

Service: Absolutely top notch. Swift responses, and quick shipping. During discussions, I'd told Andy I didn't have the spare cash till the friday, as I was waiting for cheques to clear. Before I could even transfer the money to him on the friday, the strap arrived I don't think I can express how touching and appreciated that kind of trust is, but, it was definitley emotional

Here's a few quick shots for folks:

The strap itself:

On the One Eight Something:

On the 104: (new favorite combo)

On the wrist:

I can't comment on depth diving, as that's not something I've done, or had my watches pressure tested for. However. Of my PAMs, only my first 104 fogged up in the shower (it's replacement was waterproof 'out of the box'), and my 127 had a slight misalignment issue with the crown and CG Lever which meant the watch would not be waterproof normally. But. When I held the crown fully closed by hand, it did not flood or fog up when immersed... All my other PAMs, even the one with chrono pushers, have withstood activity up to brisk swimming

For versatility, I'd go with Number One They're all nice, but I think Number One would go with more things

Frank Muller Conquistador an Crazy Hour was an option. But I'am affraid by the crazy hour because that watch is hard to use. Thanks all guys.

What else?

For what it's worth, both my wife and mother in law have said that the Crazy Hours is actually a very easy watch to use. It is simply a case of reading the hands, like one would read a digital watch: Hours, then minutes. Hour hand = Hour marker the hand is pointing at (not dial position) Minute hand = Traditional dial position. Neither of them are watch enthusiasts, but neither has had a problem using one

That watch falls squarely in the 'Team America' catagory, as the only appropriate response to it, is "Fuck yeah!!!"

Awesome watch, I'm sure it'll get plenty of wrist time

The fault lies with the licencing, vetting procedures and reviews. The problem is with the individuals themselves. Some people simply should never be allowed private ownership of firearms, and better vetting procedures (interviews under polygraph as to their firearms intentions, for example) would go a long way in solving the issue of people being killed or wounded by legally held weapons, held by people who are in anyway unsuitable to do so. However, we all know that prohibition does not work, as, those who seek to acquire a firearm for illicit purposes, are not going to apply for a gun licence, but use underworld contacts. Laws do nothing to stop those who ignore them. Equally, much more needs to be done to stop illegal gun-running to stem the flow of illegally held firearms. UK gun crime has only escalated since the ban on private ownership of handguns over .22 calibre was activated. That only proves the point that, for the most part, it is illegally held firearms causing the problem, or, when they are legally held, they are being held by people who the vetting procedures should have detected as unsuitable. Thomas Hamilton being a prime example of how such an 'unsuitable' person can 'slip through the cracks' of slack licencing practices.

Look at cars. People are not automatically given the right to drive cars when they hit a certain age, they have to prove that they are capable of doing so, and, it probably wouldn't hurt if an element of psychological profiling was used in driving exams either. It would certainly keep a few jackasses off our roads, making them safer places...

I'd suggest an Franck Muller Crazy Hours. I got one for my mother in law last christmas, and more recently bought another for my wife. Both get daily wear, and frequent admiring comments from acquaintances, more for the unorthodox dials than any brand recognition. It's an automatic, and, from what I've observed, a movement which keeps good time. When I ordered my wife's, the first which arrived had a slight flaw to the movement, where the hour hand did not jump fully to the correct hour marker, but would make the full jump to the preceding marker, and then 'creep' forwards to the correct marker within a few minutes. The replacement works flawlessly, so I think it's safe to say that it was simply a manufacturing flaw with that specific movement.

(Her wrist for the wrist shot, my hand for the closeup)

I would have to agree with the point, yes, the forum has changed, but, that's the way of such things. People come, people go, things change. What do you do when old friends move on? Make new ones

I'm not too sure what Asian movement is in my PAM029, but, it has the independantly settable GMT hand (anti-clockwise crown rotation) with clockwise crown rotation setting the date. It would be a lie to say that it has always ran flawlessly out of the box, as, every so often, it will freeze, and require a little nudge on the balance wheel to get it going again. (probably needs servicing) That said, it does not do that while being worn, and has always kept good time.

That's their natural expression. Not pissed off. Kind of like a cross between bare tolerance (oh go on then if you must pick me up and stroke me ) and bored resignation due to the knowledge they have better things to do.

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

That's very true that said, the only time my mother in law's cat looks like that, it's because she's [the cat] pissed off I have to admit, there's somethign a lot more rewarding about a relationship with a cat. Dogs are [normally] unconditionally loving, where as cats tend to make someone earn their affections

PS That cat looks pissed off It's thinking: "I had all my feet on the ground a minute ago, dammit..."

Caught me a whopper here eh Dani?

I won't quote your rant - but suffice to say I don't disagree, I'm not saying it's 'right' they are banned, but it is right to put them under the Act given the high-profile attacks. Of course it's knee-jerk but what do you expect when we're talking about small children being ripped to pieces? And yes it may be isolated incidents, but even one is enough to force the powers that be to act. If anything I see it as a way to weed out those types of owners who do the most harm, and then maybe lifting it at a later time.

Back OT, I saw our neighbour out walking his little pooch in the park today...well at least it was little last time I saw it maybe last year. It's now put on a few pounds, not quite ready to take a lion down (as its heritage dictates) but a big fucker nonetheless. If I had 'security' worries like Teejay has, then this is what I'd want. Rhodesian ridgeback. A dog and a half

Dude, I don't have security worries, it's a case of I don't want security worries For example, malls don't hire security guards because they have problems, but because they want to protect their assets With that philosophy in mind, I want the best of both worlds. Something which will be soft as butter with my family, but hard as nails should the need arise, because someone's trying to fuck with them. My wife's a bit nervous of big dogs, so I figure if we got a Rottie puppy, she'd get used to its size as it grows

Must say I'm surprised (or am I?) at all the typical examples given here. Rottweilers, Dobermanns, Pit-Bulls, Staffordshire Bulls. All governed under the Dangerous Dogs Act in the UK. And rightly so.

I know Dani can rant for Norway on the subject, but Alan touched on an important point. It's down to the owners how a dog behaves, there is a responsibility there, one that has been abused and ignored by a certain class of owners, hence the legal clampdown. I have no doubt that there are proper owners and breeders of these type of dogs out there, but you've had it ruined for you by those types who see these dogs as a 'weapon' something to carry around to threaten others and compensate for their lack of penis size. Media not helped but what do you expect? You never read "3-year old girl savaged to death by golden retriever" over your Sunday breakfast do you?

Talking of golden retirevers, where are the labradors, Scottish terriers, Westies, Afghan hounds and others. Why is RWG such a hotbed of Rottweilers and Pitbulls? Thank God for Alan and his poodles, that's all I'll say

I guess ultimately, I want a dog which, when it's older, will be able to serve as a guardian for my wife and (future) children. I want something which will rip an intruder/rapist/paedophile to pieces, but equally, be of calm enough temperement to leave with children without having to worry that it will rip them to pieces instead. To be honest, whenever I read about a dog mauling a child, I always wonder what the child did to the dog to provoke it, or, how it had been raised and treated thus far. I think such instances are simply examples of the owner failing to raise the dog properly.*Edit to add (or failing to teach the child to treat animals with respect) I cannot ever imagine a properly trained dog ever turning on it's 'pack' without provocation to make it do so. Watching programs like Animal Planet, even neglected dogs are friendly towards the rescuers, it is only the abused/poorly raised dogs which can be aggressive.

and why?

I could say because they're 'double-hard bastard' dogs, and make the person walking the dog look like a double-hard bastard

It's primarily because I know they make excellent guard dogs, and will pretty much rip and intruder's throat out, but, are excellent with children, and capable of being well trained. The coat is also nice, as I doubt they shed as much as a longer haired breed. Of course, UK law now bans docking the tails other than for genuine medical reasons (such as when the tail gets damaged) but, having been brought up seeing Rotties with docked tails, seeing them with the full tail looks really strange

To be honest, I like all animals (particularly guinea pigs) but if I could have any dog, it would be a Rottie (to make me look like a double-hard bastard )

I'd vote for Rotties as the best

TeeJay - why do you keep them?

Very easy answer to that question: Sentimental value.

The Sub was the first expensive watch I'd ever purchased.

The Omegas are part of my 'Bond Collection', and the 2531.80 was purchased with inheritance money from when my gran died (I also bought a custom tailored rep of the jacket Tom Cruise wore in Minority Report with the rest of the money)

The PVD 111g was a birthday present from my wife, and, even though I hardly ever wear it, it has a certain charm, and I'm sure will be right for some unforseen occasion

The 029a, I do occasionally wear. Mainly as a 'smart beater'. Something which will look nice, have reasonable quality lume, and reliability, but not be distraught if it took a beating. I wore it all week when I was on vacation in Glastonbury a while back, and it served me well for that time. It's not one I wear frequently, but I do enjoy wearing it when I do

Still Thursday night here

Someone's been reading On Her Majesty's Secret Service

With a new, custom-made strap from Andy, this won't be coming off for a while

Tasty

Will it fit most Radiomir cases? How much would they cost?

My 'hidden gems' are:

-My EuroFake Submariner which hasn't been on my wrist longer than 3 minutes in over a year

- My PVD 111g, which I haven't worn in nearly a year

- My 029a. Does get occasional wear, but not very often.

- My Omegas. Never see wrist time at all, now I've gone over to PAMs

I think it depends on the watch and the person's own level of 'tollerance'. Personally, I've very tollerant of flaws. As long as dial printing is evenly applied, with correct spellings, I'm not too concerned about anything else. My 104 has many flaws of replication, but, I feel is a nice watch in it's own right. The same with my 187-fantasy watch, the One Eight Something. So many flaws, and flaws which could never be modded to correct, that it can only be considered a fantasy watch. But, one which I still really enjoy wearing. My 029a is the only watch I've worn where a hot girl has grabbed my wrist to actually check it out closer. Equally, it has flaws, but, I can't complain about the result