Victoria

I thought exactly the same thing. They feel good on one's arm, and are not bulky in the least. Hublots look like they're trouble.

Just gorgeous, V. Your custom-made strap, not the buckle. (Is it me, or is this one of the ugliest buckles you've ever seen? Yes, the history behind it, but please)

Blimey. Now I'm worried. Because I've always had a great gen watch collection since girlhood, I've had to be very careful where I wear the pricier items. Stupidly, I've been held up at gun point in Wash DC (pumping "gas" at 10 PM...dumb Vic, dumb), so finding reps gives me a weency bit more confidence that if I "lose" my watch, I'll just email Andrew and get a new one. But now I'm worried about this PAV 91! Not that thieves know the difference, but also, they obviously would take both watch and strap -- the latter being far more irreplaceable. Ack.

TeeJay, loved what you wrote elsewhere, if you know what I mean. And actually I haven't been able to get a peep out of Tony YET, so no payment has been effected. If he doesn't answer soon, rolli or one of the other members I've contacted with bids, will get my money...

Eheu! Canis latrat in via. ;(

Suggestion: Take a yappy little dog with you. Or give them the Hyacinth Bucket treatment. Always worked for me.

I've hit the search button for all the wrist-checks since March, and let me tell you, so far these are the best shots. Impeccable choices, gentlemen. And it's early days since it's barely Friday here. Highlights, the PAM 082 GeF strap on subzero1, and Stephane's cheapo Steelfish (the only Breitling I could see myself wearing, other than the little Bentley ones which look like they have a baseball as a subdial, ick). Also, I quite liked TeeJay's various Omegas, and please note I pronounced that Omeega just like that guy called James.

Ah, right. I myself had that erroneous impression until now (although of course, I realised and had been told it was for the servers). Thanks for that, Cornerstone. And Fitmic, collectors, gotcha. Will definitely amend the vocab, cheers. -- BTW, I used a copy-paste from another forum's list of reputable vendors. That also gave me the jitters, in case I had transgressed in some way --

I finally got PM'ed by a newbier member than I, being asked for reputable dealer sites that I could recommend. I felt so good that finally I was contributing a little to the forum, since I am no where close to being knowledgeable as you guys are, and can't pay anyone back with info. But here's the rub: often, I notice that people are coy about posting details about reputable dealers ("You don't get in touch with Narikaa, he gets in touch with YOU", etc. said half in jest). Only after I returned the PM, did I remember that that is one of the perks of a VIP membership (currently open to all). So is that the reason? OR Is there a more sensitive reason people don't list all the dealers' sites out in the open? As in, the legality of the businesses; not wanting to draw attention to them by eavesdropping authorities, etc. Don't worry. I'm fine with it, and I'm happy I was of service. But just running it by you guys to see what the deal is here. PMs welcome.

I am an historian by training, so I can tell you that the Roman envoys to each of their Imperial outposts used to bring their wives with them. There are still parchments extanct from these ladies chatting with their many tradesmen back home, which would make our PMs and emails to Octavius and Augustus (see below) pale in comparison! They wanted the latest style footwear, as shod by the most fashionable ladies in Rome, even if they traipsed on the good mud of Britannia. ...Hunter wellies haven't yet been invented. Ditto for dresses, scented oils, and coiffeur styles. Ave Caesar! Those are awesome nicknames. I propose our next communication with them start off like that, "Dear Augustus", without a word being said as to why. That way we'll know who still reads the forum.

My mother was in contact with one of our esteemed collectors last night, and he said the HBB Aspen is being researched. If there is interest, they will rep it. Just to let you know, they were/are the hottest watches in Ibiza this summer, with everyone there and in the South of France seemingly wearing one. The collector later replied that Hublots are very popular in Spain. Ah. Caecilius est in horto.

Then we all move to China! En masse. Hey, read the fine print of the VIP upgrade -- I'm quite sure I read "accomodations in China provided".

What! That's crazy talk. And look at this right above it. "GPF-Mod dep on NEW Strapmaster 26/26, 125/80, $850" And here was me thinking I had just bought the best (most expensive) strap one can buy for a PAM -- the PAV 91.

Thanks to a head's up from another wonderful member (you know who you are, mwah!), plus having seen V's gorgeous two-fer photos, AND then saw that you broke down and bought the famed PAV 91, deltatahoe...well: I BOUGHT THE PAV 91!! The Holy Grail of Panerai straps, woo!! Sorry, but you're just not cool if you don't have this strap. Kidding! But it's really really nice, and if you check around, you'll find that there is a nice discount going on. My newbie Inbox is at 80%, but if it's not full, PM me and I'll tells ya. WOO, I got a strap now that costs more than any either of my PAMs. That's just wrong somehow.

I knew that was coming guys! You can't fool me for a second. You're just hanging around my drooling PAM posts in case you catch sight of something more...daring.

Now THAT is a PAM at the beach. What a gorgeous photo, Wheaton26! One likes a man with a bit of hair on him (sorry V).

Maybe with men. But with women, especially girls, fashionable accessories are ALL we notice. Trust me, if she can be in style with this watch, TeeJay will be her favourite brother-in-law for a loooong time.

Thanks, Theo, for saving me big $$. Well, I was only going to buy a

Ahh, no sorry. It's someone else on that same auction site. Very similar pics though.

Wow, great minds think alike. Or sneaky rep collectors' minds... I was looking at this site earlier for a full hour, and decided not to buy a thing! The only one which I'm interested in is his Hublot Big Bang Aspen, which I happened to post on another thread (by TeeJay, who ordered it for his 15 y/o niece, you might recall). If you check all his watches, they are truly substandard. The only one I would consider is the gold Breguet Tourbillon which coincidentally I purchased from a collector here, this Monday. He has it for less than half of what I paid, in gold as I had originally wanted it, but something tells me not to pull the trigger. (Also saw your post about this guy's PAM 036, sssurfer. It was gone when I went) HBB Aspen: http://www.cqout.com/item.asp?id=2668587 Breguet 1005: http://www.cqout.com/item.asp?id=2619465 Chronoswiss Opus: http://www.cqout.com/item.asp?id=2552390 I love how he starts all his auctions with "Very Rare". Yeah, very rarely correct. But hey, dead cheap.

If I had one, I'd take it! The rate I'm going, Eunomians, I'll let you know sooner than later. Seems the prices with Jay will be the clincher, here. They are unbeatable of the reputable sellers I've seen. I'm just concerned about US Customs.

I've been thinking about this watch since I saw this post. I think I know the watch you are talking about:

Aww, how can you tell? Hehe. And it's Miss Barrett! I ain't no feminazi. Ugh. I can't stand looking at it, though the guy from PcStraps/Panatime couldn't have been nicer. It was my very first purchase, before I even found you guys here. I won't even show you the rouille croc strap I got at the same time. It looks a tinier bit better than the fugly one Paul sent on the Mini-Fiddy...just. (Look at the stitches in that photo. NYLON! Never would've seen that if I hadn't taken closeups of the blackie)

Finally, a few nicer shots of my two new Panerai watches which you may enjoy! PAM 111h

Just did a general search for boxes, since I'm in the market now for them. I saw that our esteemed TWP sold a chap some beautiful ones (alas, I need papers and cards, etc., for the PAM else I'd PM him), but wonder if any of you have bought them from Jay of Silix-prime? How many boxes can one usually buy, without arousing the suspicion of US Customs? I'm guessing 3 tops, or do they don't care about that -- just the rep watches? Jay has a Patek box for $20, a PAM for $60, and an Omega with papers for $65. How are these prices comparable to ones you've bought? Thanks for any info.