xlr8tn

That did it...thanks!

Try to push this:

I have a Tag SLR that one of the hands came off. I would like to put it back but do not know how to get the crown off so I can remove the movement.

Thanks,

Brent

Excellent feedback...thanks all. Is this something I can just buy and replace myself? The Zigmeister, do you sell the crowns without the spring mechanism?

Thanks,

-brent

Juggling watches can be a tricky task, especially those that require manual winding. For the automatics, you can simply place them in an automatic winder. If I forget to wind my DSN 172, then I need to set the time again and again. Now I am getting a funny winding noise when I rotate the stem to set the time. It appears that the round part at the end of the stem is tilted when pulled all the way out. If I manually make sure that this is perpendicular to the stem then the noise goes away. Is the crown supposed to move about the stem, or is it supposed to be in a fixed position? The movement is ETA. Is this why some upgrade the entire crown?

I ran across this hide and wanted too see what you all thought. It's a bit pricy and I could probably make about a thousand straps with it Would any of you be interested in a strap this color? I appears to be somewhat of a chestnut/rust color and has a waxy top coat. I am not sure if there is any top grain or not but it looks pretty smooth in the picture.

I've used this product before and while it may look somewhat like what you would see on the stock straps, it's not. Like you, I still haven't found the exact same thing, however, have experiemented with basic acrylic artist paint labeled as heavy body. The only problem now is getting it on the edge as smooth as the stock straps come out of the factory. I have found it somewhat difficult to paint on without having a bunch of raised edges in the acrylic. It appears to be the same consistency as that of the stock strap. I have a feeling that they are applying it with a specific machine. There is another product from fiebings called edge enamel and I'm wondering if this might be what we need. I haven't experiemented with that product yet.

-xlr8tn

I'm not even sure what I was searching for when I found this surfing today on the web. Anyway, I thought is was pretty cool all the steps involved in making a quality strap.

http://www.fhs.ch/en/news/news.php?id=520

Did you happen to try contacting Strap Culture and seeing if they could do anything for you? After all, you may have a guiness book record for the number of straps owned and they may just need to sponsor you or something. A similar thing happened to a newer version swatch. I made a mistake and was wearing it to the gym sweating on it. You are right...it is the worst smell. Even worse, mine was giving me a rash around my wrist that itched like crazy. I contacted Swatch USA and they sent out a replacement...no questions asked. That is standing up for a product. I will definitely purchase from them again.

-brent

I know...it's a quartz, but there wasn't anything like this forum to keep me informed on all the rep stuff. I'd have to say this one is probably from the mid 80's, if you can even consider that vintage What was your first rep?

oh and another question:

has anyone bought the IWC 3717 from Precious Time UK? I have read a lot of good things about his service on this forum. Any comments on the build quality etc of his version of IWC 3717 are much valued.

EDIT: just read through scoobs1971's review of IWC 3717 purchased from PT. nice one scoob, its helped me a lot.. excellent pics too.

I just picked up one from PT a few weeks ago. The watch is stunning and the AR isn't too bad. PT's service was excellent. I would opt for having him inspect and deliver registered mail unstead of having it drop shipped from who knows where. It takes a bit longer, but worth it. PT will do a QC before shipping out to you.

"Please, can I get another watch?"

"I hate when my parents make us kiss and make up!"

Lovely...just lovely. And is that your own made-strap, Xlr8tn?

P.S.: THE BEST WRISTCHECK THREAD EVER.

Yep. I just finished this buffalo pilot strap. A simplified version of the big pilot strap with the rivets. No way I could fit two side by side, so I went with just one.

My new 3717 from Precious Time.

Wow, cool, you posted!

Among other things, my new hobby besides strap making has been finishing my basement

Hello all,

I have been on this board since March 2006 and have learned a lot since then. I've been a "watch collector" since travelling as a kid in the 80's to places like Hong Kong and Thailand. Back then, it was mostly about asthetics and I really didn't know a whole bunch about the individual movements. I have to say that the watches available today do not even compare to the trinkets that I bought back then. This forum has taught me a lot and I try and keep up daily.

This year I purchased my first PAM from DSN and immediately got addicted to making straps. First, I needed to get all the right tools and supplies. Now that I have all that stuff, it's just fun to make a nice strap. I started just making a few for myself, then I made that light brown strap for Victoria. I used a few different techniques for the stitching: angled prong, and straight. I also have several colors of thread to choose from. Just PM me if you are interested.

Victoria - Thank you for your support. I am so pleased that you liked your strap. The hardest part of strapmaking is finding the perfect hide to work with. Unfortunately, I don't really have a local hide shop nearby and I'm not flying to Greece every month, so finding these have been fun.

Later,

Brent

I am interested in purchasing a Breitling Navitimer and have a few questions:

Are there any mods other than double AR upgrade and possibly a gen strap?

Can I purchase a date wheel with more accurate fonts? On the pic from puretime, it looks like the fonts are a bit fat and have too many serifs. Also, the hands are black instead of silver like I see on the gen.

Which model has the F/C temperature markings on the back?

It also seems like most of these come with Asian 7750 28.8K. Anyone know where I can get an ETA version?

Perhaps it's just the pics, but it looks like the rep has a small grey border around the sub dials. Is this supposed to be like that?

Is there a more accurate version rep out there?

Thanks,

Brent

Christmas Day, my one and only rep worth showing, PAM DSN 172. This time with my vintaged brown strap with rust stitching. My wife gave me a watch case that holds 20 watches I guess she ok'ing the purchase of 19 more in 2008

Merry Christmas All,

Brent

Brent, love the brown with cream stitching. Let me have first crack at it, should you make more, please.

Victoria, please clean your inbox so I can send you a PM.

-brent

I finished my 4th strap, and have to say this is just as addicting as rep collection. This time I purchased one of the angled punches, while more difficult to stitch and time consuming, the results are that much better. Next thing I am going to try is the edge beveler with some Gum Tragacanth instead of the Edge Kote.

24mm straps:

#1 Burgandyleather, cream stitching, 5mm thick

#2 Dark Brown leather, royal blue stitching, 4mm thick

#3 Black Bison leather, top grain leather, royal blue stitching, 3.5mm thick

Dark Brown Leather - Very Soft

Buffalo/Bison, 3.5mm

Full Shot, Light Brown Pull Up Leather, Raw Edges

Light Brown Leather, Cream Stitching

Let me know what you think. I just found another piece of leather and can't wait for it to arrive Meanwhile, I have plenty of leather left over in the above colors, if any of you are interested.

-Brent

Maybe one like this

Personally, I have a DSN 172 Luminor Tantalium. It was my first PAM and I can't seem to take it off my wrist. In fact, I've made 4 new straps for it myself and I'm totally hooked at this point. That is, until something else catches my eye.

-brent

My DSN 172 on my custom buffalo strap with blue stitching. When I say custom, I mean I just finished it this morning Looks like I need a new rep, so at least I can swap it up a bit, as this is the only one I have at the moment.

-brent

V,

You should make a burgandy strap with that royal blue thread. That would make any PAM with blue hands really POP.

-Brent

P.S. What are you waiting for on the tutorial? You could probably make more $$$ selling that than your straps

My Prototype is done! Thank you FxrAndy for all your help. Overall, I am happy with what I produced and the next one can only be an improvement. I first sought out a quality hide. It's tough to find just a small piece, so I ended up getting a side of Black Buffalo/Bison at a weight of about 6-7 ozs. I was after a total thickness of 5mm and this turned out to be spot on once doubled, glued, and pressed. I mostly used one of my stock straps to get baseline measurements.

I fabricated something like a stitching horse out of two pieces of oak about a foot in length (see pic). I sandwiched them together and drilled 5 holes, one at each corner, and one in the middle. Then I used bolts and wing nuts to secure. I used this to position the piece and do the actual stitching. I plan to use it in the future as my press instead of having to go out in the "cold" garage.

Things I learned from the process:

• Strap making takes time, patience, and dedication
  
• I really appreciate the craftsmanship of fellow strapmakers
  
• You need to have the correct tools to do a professional job (I plan to add a few additional tools for the next one)
  

The next strap, I would like to use something a little bit lighter in weight (~4.6 oz). I have enough Bison to make another 50 straps, so if anyone wants to do a leather exchange, let me know. I would like to try out a few different types of leather. Also, I will probably use a thicker thread next time but need to figure out the right ply.

Recap

Hide ... $87

Tools ... $50

Wearing a rep PAM with my own custom strap ... PRICELESS

On these factory straps that use a lining on the underside, do you know what this stuff is? It looks super thin. It sort of feels like suede.