Victoria

MAGNIFICENT! And that's the first Europelli strap I've looked at and said, must have. Excellent combo, congrats! Wear it in good health.

Yes, possibly, George. OTOH, I am impatient. The eBayer sent it Priority and I had it in my hands in one day. Last time though, as you say.

The one I am getting from TWP is slightly angled to the right. I had asked him for the correct logo, unlike the one I posted from Trevor Watches (which was all wrong not only in angle, but in shape! Thanks for the answers I received!). TANGENTIAL QUESTION Since I'm in the general Panerai area, may I threadjack this to find out where I can get springbars for PAM watches whose threads are worn through? In essence, they are not screw-in, but adapted to fit these kinds of Panerai lugs. I heard a collector sold it, but the search came up with nothing. And yes, it's the latest woe to add to problems of the "brand new" Paul PAM 199 I received. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't sell that watch for even a 1/3 of its cost...

Speaking as someone who just paid USD5 for a 2006 Panerai catalogue on *bay, all I can say is... Great luck though!

LOL! P.S.: I hate the late 60s. Thank God my parents didn't hook up until the sixties were a distant memory, and disco was upon the world. Go BeeGees! (Edit update: If you don't see in the next couple of days, it's because things are hectic chez moi. Me be back soon)

There are many people, even here, who buy from iOffer or CQout, etc. They have no problems, and sometimes get some sweet deals. But if I could give ONE fellow newbie PAM starter a piece of advice is, PLEASE consider buying a fully-modded version, even if you have to save for a bit. Try Davidsen or The Watch Prince (TWP), who has beautiful mods by Vacuum. Davidsen has an extremely good reputation, since he builds his PAMs from scratch. They are not cheap, 250-390 USD shipped from HK, no PayPal. But from what I have seen (my uFiddy is on the way), they are all well worth it. If you really really don't want to go the expensive route (and I wish I had sometimes, less watches, but more quality), try Andrew or Joshua. Their emails and addresses are shown on the board when you get a VIP upgrade. You can also hit search. Please note that whilst Andrew and Josh's PAMs are often fantastic, they are not in any way modded so in that sense, they won't be "accurate". Having been a Breitling guy will certainly mean you are not a newbie newbie, but also, you need guidance on the mods. There are two very recent threads on giving advice to newbies about these, so please go to the Panerai area. You'll see the thread immediately. The general consensus seems to be that the 112h or 111h are the way to go for newbies. I have two 111hs, and am considering the base 112h from Davidsen when I save up. PVDs are fun, but I often think you don't get the full Panerai effect when you buy one the first time. Good luck!

@Pix: Thank you! Not quite a French manicure, because the nails on my right hand are too small (guess why? Changing straps, and caring for my new watches!). @Stephane: At least you quit by 50%. You'll do it in your own time. @Everyone: Have you noticed how almost everyone today is wearing a little-used watch? Very nice guys!

My thoughts exactly. Living in SoFla, you pick up a lot about people from all over. One thing I learnt is that "8" is considered unlucky by Cubans. I forget who wore number "88" on that MLB exhibition tour in Havana some years ago, but I recall when a player wearing 88 had his turn at bat, you could hear the audience gasp in unison.

WOW, Stephane, what a first pic! To paraphrase Groucho Marx, if you got any closer, you'd be in back of it. WEDNESDAY The old lady over here will be sporting her new PAM 076 "Black Seal" with PAV 99 strap (<--correction!). Got it in the member trade area from VDBroucke, and I love it. Check out that maiale detail! THURSDAY Since I'm getting the Davidsen Fiddy, I might as well get as much use out of TWP's lovely 217H as I can. Here it is chillaxin'. My third favourite strap after V's Greek hide, and the PAV 91. Mario Paci's Special Edition cognac, byooteeful...

Quite right. I will note that in my future posts. And there is no such thing as being too pedantic! Well, not for someone half-German...

DAVID JUST THIS MOMENT GAVE ME THE TRACKING NUMBER! I am soooo happy! What an amazing professional he is. Exactly one day from paying for the watch, and with all my specs done (brown/tan straps with logo buckles, check for the correct caseback, etc.). You guys can now join in the anticipation, as we see how long it takes from HK to my neck of the eastern seaboard woods.

Having a PAM 005 being modded as we speak. Quite reputable, if it's TWP and Vacuum, since they're both here or on RWI, all the time.

Thanks Cornerstone, TMG, and Maikel! Did you place Florida in your search query, TMG? And also, the DSN Fiddy is U$390. Sometimes it makes a diff. Because I tried and tried, and it said $42 for me (online, mind you). And Maikel, yes I did. A Risti chap very kindly emailed me privately and explained a little. This was of ENORMOUS help to me, if I sell straps there. I had no idea I was about to shoot myself in the foot... (I still don't know exactly what happened, and frankly, since I deal with him every day, I don't want to. He's always been nice to me...)

Well the rep watch jokes have been done, so I'll just go with: Cool, but a little on the paranoid side for me. There are some kinds of people in this world that take a morbid pleasure in always pointing out the worst stats in the world. Climatology, divorce, infant mortality, traffic accidents, which wife took a meat cleaver to her husband, et cetera. There is never a "happy news" world clock, like out of the top of my head, the amount of college graduates around the world, how many species were saved from extinction in one year, the amount of books bought, or 50th wedding anniversaries celebrated. Oh, no. It's always Doomsday for certain folk. If it bleeds, it leads. Blech. Don't trip on my soapbox on your way out.

I agree with you below, but not this bit. One of my pet peeves is when younger people think older people are "confused". That's just condenscending. (Don't worry, Corgi, you're a really nice guy, I'm not saying anything about you specifically. It's something almost everyone thinks. Like Tom, I have a soft spot, A BIG soft spot, for the elderly) Well, like some are! I couldn't count myself here. Mind you, I too carry my Bergeon tools now wherever I go! Again, this is an assumption too far with this person. Perhaps he genuinely thought it was gold. As kind as the impulse was, I too would've declined having it sized by a co-worker, because I genuinely would think a professional would take greater care and responsibility, if anything went wrong. Having said that, it seems this older gentleman could've handled things more elegantly. Jfreeman's impulses were only to help, after all.

There's NOTHING humble about that. The 005 is perhaps the most versatile PAM, next to the 111. Gorgeous watch, Viper! Another favourite in this thread, Subzero1's 243 (?) on perhaps OF Paci cognac?

I'll take it! LOL, thanks Rima! And Euno!

Wow, Gran, welcome back. I haven't seen you around these here parts for a while (although I know that Scandinavians are rarely indoors during the summer, so it makes sense). I'm Victoria the latest loud-mouth of the group, if you recall.

A friend of mine gave me a tip to go to a "Check Cashing" place, instead of buying it online, which quoted me U$42 to send the 390USD to DSN. So I only paid $30 for the fee! And LANIKAI THANK YOU for you know what! Glad you had a great time, and looked smart to boot. I shall answer presently, after b-day dinner.

Hey, Rima! I forget exactly, but I do recall a Cartier Tankissime (YG, large), two Gucci Twirls in YG and SS (we have the SS and SS Diamonds, gen), an LV, three Vaches, one Patek, etc. She (and indeed, I) both hate the J12, which is the default most covetted watch for women at the moment. She just bought me a Technomarine (gen) today for my birthday...don't let on, but I prefer my PAMs. I'm such an ungrateful child...

Whew, for a minute I thought he said he was going to watch Gigli...

:beta: P.S.:

Happy Birthday, fellow Leo!! FAMOUS EVENTS WHICH OCCURED ON 7 AUGUST: August 7, 1994 1st telephone link between Israel and Jordan August 7, 1992 Cleveland Indians turn a triple play (whoa) August 7, 1970 1st computer chess tournament August 7, 1963 Jacqueline Kennedy becomes 1st, 1st lady to give birth since Mrs. Cleveland August 7, 1961 Soviet premier Khrushchev predicts U.S.S.R. economy will surpass U.S. (LOL) August 7, 1956 Boston Red Sox fine Ted Williams $5,000 for spitting at Boston fans (sue me, I still love him) August 7, 1954 Charles Mahoney becomes 1st U.S. black to serve as a full United Nations delegate (not Ralph Bunche?) August 7, 1948 1st Dutch government of Beel resigns (I remember it as if it were yesterday! We ate Edam for lunch) August 7, 1942 1st American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands August 7, 1940 Churchill recognizes De Gaulle government in exile (heh) August 7, 1940 Largest amount paid for a stamp ($45,000 for 1 cent 1856 British Guiana) (Pretty sure that was King Carol II of Romania, by the way) August 7, 1914 Lord Kitchner says "Your country needs you," poster spreads over UK August 7, 1820 1st potatoes planted in Hawaii (a russett-letter day) August 7, 1802 Napoleon orders re-instatement of slavery on St. Domingue (Haiti) (Nice, Bonnie...) August 7, 1782 George Washington creates Order of Purple Heart August 7, 1620 Battle at Ponts-the-Ce, Poitou: French king Louis XIII beats his mother Marie de Medici (LOL!) August 7, 1588 English assault on Spanish Armada (WOO!) August 7, 936 Otto I the Great becomes King of Germany ...slow day.

Hey! No girls had posted until now, that I saw. No pr0n, coke bricks, or Lugers in my highly unprofessional, impromptu shot. But at least it's not a fantasy shot either! 007, indeed. Anyway, what would I need with Playboy mags, when all I need is lipstick and mascara and I'm set to go! So, this is what I was rolling with on 6 August, just as I was ready to pay for my Davidsen Fiddy. Clockwise: - My favourite "bowling ball" Louis Vuitton handbag (yes, Ken, it's real! For a change) - My favourite wallet (I have dozens, maybe hundreds...), holding the precious U$420 it took to pay for the Fiddy - My NOKIA mobile/cellphone. It's like a Blackberry, since you can listen to mp3s, the radio, take pics and viddies, surf the web, SMS, has Bluetooth, whew, I don't even use half its capabilities! - My JUST-ARRIVED PAM 113 on OF Mario Paci cognac strap, earlier model (Hello gorgeous!) - Chanel lipstick (blush), and Lanc