Victoria

Lanikai, my fellow strap obsessioner, got one from you, V??? Aww man. I am currently in bargaining mode with one of our members for a watch. What's wrong with me. Why am I passing up one of your beauties, just to get MORE watches...*bangs head on monitor*

I've been following this thread with great interest, though I hate the O-T section of any forum. One gets into trouble. I noticed that Stephane and I have the same watch leather case! What with the laptop, and me getting some Mont Blanc pens, I'll be like or Stephane Jr. (uuh, "Stephanie" maybe) to his Stephane! Un/fortunately, I live in South Beach. It's hard to convince one's parents to go to a pricey beach resort, when we live 5 blocks away from the "20 most exciting blocks" and beach in the world. Pace Copacabana. I know! I'll go into my pool...and promptly ruin my PAMs. Eunomians, I hope I haven't put my foot in it, but are you in Japan? I've been to those weirdo tent-beach places, where they have fake wave pools, where kids go surfing. Better than Butlins. Just.

Hey! That describes me perfectly! Except for one very important qualifier... By the way, you guys have gotta go see Hors de Prix, when it comes to your cinemahouse/rental place. How can any red-blooded man pass up Audrey Tautou looking like this? Artsy-fartsy, indeed.

Saw it, baby. Almost fell in a faint. Must have it... But the reason I'm posting today, in this lingering Mario Paci thread, is that I want to thank you, V, and especially fighgodeep for his/her splendid photos of the Senape. SO GLAD you guys convinced me to get that instead of the Anacardo, because it's absolutely GORGEOUS. Yay! Pics at the weekend!

"Not say it's a rep", I meant. Yeah, I'd lie -- with a straight face too. Or as my Spanish friends in SoFla say, "with a hard face".

Aww, poor guy! You're so bad, Maikel. Can't you let a guy try to pull one over on you? Even once? Seriously, I fear getting called out by a PAM freak like you guys are. And that's because I would lie just like the guy in your restaurant, and say it's a rep. What can I say -- maybe with that attitude, I deserve to be called out on it. P.S.: LOL, Kenberg.

I think I'm ready to try Ruby, and go for this Steelfish (the only Breitling I like). Always feared to because honestly, I like short, quick comms, payment 1-2-3, and I've heard she not only doesn't speak English well, but is as slow as molasses. Wonder if I should really... Actually, I was going to buy that Hublot Big Bang Aspen from that CQOUT.com guy, but after waiting for DAYS for the merest reply to a quick question, I realised it ain't worth it (his subsequent incomprehensible replies clinched my distaste). I'll wait for a collector who is in Asia now, to possibly source one for me. (Thanks for the wallpaper again, Pug! I had the previous one for three whole days, just staring at the beautiful teak wood and mahjohng tiles. More more!)

Do you feel collectors often quality control their very first shipment when you order that first time with them...and then, once they see you have your repeat custom, they start to be less careful? After a full month's worth of purchasing 16 reps from 4 different collectors*, I've noticed that almost without exception their first shipment is impeccable, comms lightning quick, extremely fast shipping (less than a week), and problem-free. Then, a breakdown in quality becomes highly noticeable, almost to the point of every shipment thereafter containing SOME problem, however insignificant like a wrong strap, deployant missing, and the like. Ultimately, our hobby is riddled with problems, and patience is required. All of us understand that. And most of the more reputable collectors will take care of you without much hassle. But

LOL. Jolly joker. Actually, that's a great one Ape, since last Halloween I didn't know what to wear for a costume. I think I'll print that out, and go as a "nouveau riche Eurotrash" ho, complete with orange tan, Roberto Cavalli leopard see-thru dress, and gold Jimmy Choos. Thanks!

dluddy, I meant! Sorry, FxrAndy! But you did ask in the previous wrist-check when I was going to show my wrists, so naturally I confuzzled both of you.

Argh! Did you not read a word I said, FxrAndy?! I wanted to have a flawless manicure for my first wrist-check shots, and my manicurist cancelled the appt on me today. Boo! Okay okay. I sense the natives are getting restless. Here's a sneak peak: Andrew's PAM 111h on the Giovanni e Figlio Cordovan Marrone strap (gorgeous too!). I actually went outside my balcony to take pics of this, and left immediately because one of my neighbours was looking at me as if I were a crazy lady -- the whacko taking pics of her wrists! Mmm, nice too. Lite?

Guys, no midweek wrist-check photos? Well, as I told you when I received my PAM 118 from Czarczar, and Elliot's luscious PAV 91, I would be posting my first wrist check photo this Wednesday, today. I had a manicurist appointment, and wanted everything to look spiffy for my debut post (yes, don't laugh). But she screwed me over at the last minute, and cancelled. So, I'll debut my wrists on Friday -- sorry... Meanwhile, here is what I am wearing Wed & Thurs! P.S.: I totally ripped off the wrist-check computer idea from Stephane. Imitation being the highest form of flattery. Can you feel the PAM/PAV LOVE??

Heh. Actually I grudgingly admit that she's very beautiful. I hadn't heard of Megan Fox before, as she was a small role actress before, but she's WAAY sexier than someone like say, Jessica Simpson. They should've cast Fox in Dukes of Hazzard instead... And cornerstone, thanks for posting those PO shots in "James May's 20th Century". I found a more petite 42.5mm PO for sale here, and your photos were the ones which tipped my scales to buy it.

Having just bought, finally, an orange bezel Planet Ocean (42.5mm) which will require a strap change, I am also interested in knowing about this. The seller said that some members suggest a little WD40 on the springbar, because it can be very tough. P.S.: HAHA. Now I am going to post on this Omega board all the time. And those of you who were breathing a sigh of relief that "Whew, she's only into Panerais so far", will now have to be afraid, be very afraid! I'll probably be PMing By-Tor daily with tips.

GASP. Lovely. It looks like the Crazy Horse, only better! P.S.: Saw your LV strap reduced, V. Would go for it, but would much rather save to get your Greek hide one.

When I moved to Florida, I wore Rolexes and Cartiers almost exclusively. In England, though by no means rare, they were unusual because they were expensive enough to make them unthinkable for the middle-classes (all those lovely taxes, dontchaknow). If you had one, and were an average person like most of us here, you had somehow saved lots and lots so you could buy them, or you had inherited them. The latter being my case. (I find that middle-class Americans are much better able to finance their goodies, than we are, perhaps as a cultural quirk such as credit card overusage, not caring if someone puts them in their place socially, etc. Or maybe they have less VAT luxury taxes...) Suddenly, I found myself in South Beach surrounded by Rolexes, especially SS Subs. EVERYONE had them. My condominium janitor, fresh off the boat from Haiti not two years back, wears one. As an aside, his cleaning lady wife also has a LV bag, also fake obviously. It's almost like a rite of passage in America. Everyone wears one, and consequently, they rarely get wrist time on me now. Part of that has to do with my own personal issues, which I'm honest enough to mention publicly. But part of it also has to do with not wanting to wear something which cost my parents blood sweat and tears to give me; looks beautiful; but is so ubiquitous and repped, that no one believes it's real. Like fitmic, when Jay answers my email for the vintage 007 Rolex, it'll be my first Rolex purchase.

(Last reply before shutting down the computer!) Because (a) I don't know how to cook, so food is ever on my mind (where to go, what to order, how much it'll cost me working out later.... & ( b ) I go out to eat a lot, with friends and family! Woo. Wallet drain... Did I mention I work out a lot these days? I'm sure I have scandalised all the Panerai purists here since my arrival. Fancy 4 possibly 5 PAMs bought in one month. Why, Pannies are there to savour, slowly, to appreciate each detail in the fullness of time -- not to purchase them like a Maalox run to the chemists! Not really. But then it seems we're both rather superstitious, lanikai. If I were a baseball player, I'd be as eccentric as Bill "The Spaceman" Lee.

I didn't even mention that I almost knocked down a wineglass, as I went to "get" the napkin! I'd have made a terrible 007. The one thing I mind about him, is that being Italian, he'll never go with me to an Italian restaurant! Because Italians always think it's a waste to spend so much money on something they can cook 10x better, at home. And they're right... Ooh, your wife is my mother. I am so totally not a shoe person. (I'm a handbag/perfume gal, though, big time. I tried to have a look at Bergie's Belts in that section without success!)

Because it's humanly impossible not to wear something you just got. I think Newton has a Law about this. That's totally my problem with Paul's mini-Fiddy! Argh, it's irritating. HAHA. I would've laughed and pointed at you too! Crazy guy!

Which reminds me, deltatahoe! Thank God RWG is not an academic or politically correct setting, as the word guinea might've landed me in hot water... I'm only half-joking! The pain, the pain of academia.

Hehe. And don't I remember a certain thread which my boyfriend pointed out, along these lines? "Do you have sex with your watch on?" That's ridiculous too! And mum's the word here. Thanks, swdivad. I'm delighted this South American couple will have an anecdote about that crazy gringa lady they'll retell for years. (Oh, and it's Tuesday Specials. I'm sure if you like the MP strap, Elliot will honour the price if you mention this "tomorrow")

Today, I went to an Italian restaurant wearing Andrew's PAM 111h on the newly arrived and always expensive PAM strap by Mario Paci, the Medici Noce, coincidentally today in Elliot's Monday specials. So there I was, dressed well, looking slightly satisfied with myself because of the chicness of the PAM, when I realised one horrible truth about myself: I'm a klutz. Yes, no co-ordination here, at'all. Always bumping my toe on something, slipping on stones, or when eating, dripping sauce all over myself necessitating the embarrassing use of a full napkin around my neck. *cringe* Then with an inner scream which I'm sure others could hear, I realised, "I just ordered Penne with red sauce, EEK! I'll splatter this for miles". The Mario Paci would be ruined faster than you can say TeeJay's Guinea Pigs. So, surreptitiously, I slipped off my Panerai watch into my bag, but alas, the strap being so new it's still a bit tough to work the holes. I struggled for a full minute with it, and then "borrowed" a fine cloth napkin to put it inside my handbag, hoping no one had noticed. Needless-to-say, the couple near me did. Oh, they laughed at the crazy lady in the beige turtle-neck and black pants wearing a bib, with a ginormous watch on her wrist, putting it into her bag after five-finger discounting a ritzy napkin. But since my watch is unbesmirched with "gravy", to use the word for ragu of my Neapolitan-American friends, I think the last laugh was with me myself and I. Thus ended my first ridiculous Panerai moment. I'm sure I'm not the only one here with one. Anyone? Don't leave me hangin'...

I agree with this 100%, despite it's conflicting messages. Here's my thinking: As a woman, I will probably never have this psychological problem unless Ferrari comes out with a pink car aimed expressly towards the female market. Ditto the Bentley. Moreover, I am not attracted to the existing Ferrari PAMs, thinking them clunky and ill-suited to the famed sleek lines of a Ferrari. The Breitling is just too masculine in general, in any version. But as I say this, I'm also thinking -- who cares? An hommage to anything isn't tacky, nor is desiring to have something tied to that hommage ridiculous just because you don't have the original. If that were the case, no one would collect Elvis memoribilia.

Indeed. Just goes to show that owning anything requires patience, love, and a good sense of humour. And money... Cute cute! Name? (always wanted to use that emoticon)

Blimey, I spent a lot of time investigating this and that was the only link I came up with, too. Thanks for the info, Keyhole! I wonder where the linked to post got its info, and if perhaps like today's 007, there were several versions used in the first films (although I know that Albert Broccoli apparently slipped off his own Rolex, and gave it to Sean Connery to use). 550ft. Keen eye, but argh, ruins it. Why do the almost all collectors always do this with their reps? It's as I said, it's almost on purpose, maybe out of superstition. I can't believe it's laziness, or just lack of quality control. Not sure what to do now. Order it, in the version of the photo I uploaded because at $58 it's practically GIVEN away, or take a pass on an unrepeatable offer. How many substandard watches don't I have already? Boo.