Highflyingclive

There at least two people floating around these forums as a result of my warning them off a suspect Ebay auction - and pointing them in the right direction.

I always leave England with a couple of reps... and come back with a dozen or so... never had a problem, yet.

Ha ha ha! Breitlings can also take straps

Did you fit new batteries? Nah... only kidding

Wow! A manual gearbox! How quaint.

Can you post a link? That we we can all have a go :-)

You can report a suspect transaction to Ebay. In theory. In fact, you have to drill down until you find something about copyright fraud. Reporting is no guarantee that Ebay will pull the auction. But it is worth a try.

Sift through the posts in the "dealer review" section. Read, read, read. We all have a favourite dealers... some are cheap but drop-ship, some charge a little more but pick and pack themselves and offer fantastic after-sales service. That is why we say " first choose your dealer - then chose your watch" Choose a dealer that offers the level of service that you feel comfortable with. All the dealers - at the top end of the market - offer the same, or very similar, products. If they haven't got it, they can usually get it.

My Everloving and I were watching the show. "Hey - don't you have one with big numbers like that", she said. "Like this one?" I asked, showing her my 195. "No... that one (the one on tv) dosen't have all that high-tech gagetry around the winder. The one on tv is much nicer than yours". I'm going to take that as permission to purchase a vintage Radiomir :-) I love television.

I can help - Send me your address by PM.

Have a look at DavidSens offerings.

Wow! That really is a design disaster. Diamonds on a plain-jane (brushed?) bezel Screaming red seond hand. Ugly calender sub dial All teamed with a rubber dive strap. (Why?) One has to ask if the designer was on (poor quality) drugs. But you did pay a fair price. You could part it out... the movement should fetch a few dollers. the diamonds must be worth a bit... and who knows what you might get for the tasty strap? Best of all... if you threaten to part it out on TZ... the numbskulls will probably offer you top dollar, just to keep it in one piece. Easy to see why it was a limited edition, though...

Why are pirates called pirates? Because they arrrrrrr

Sorry about the huge pic of my DavidSen Pam 195 amd MMX strap... but look closely... you can see the buckle emerging from the shadows. Not too clearly, it is a stealth PVD buckle But of course, if the strap was the right size for me - you would not be able to see the buckle in this pic... it should be opposite the watch, not creeping around my wrist. So, no worries, mate. An MMX strap will fit your wrist better than it does mine. Failing that, you can use it around your waist, to hold your stubbies up, cobber Exit Clive, singing, "Tie me Panerai down, sport, tie me Panerai down..." Bonzer timekeeping! Clive

www.banda will make a strap to any size that you want - in leather. Don't know about NATO straps... personally, I think it would look wrong on this watch. I'd be thinking about well-weathered natural calf. Here is my Radiomir 147 (from Jos Nana) on a custom-made Banda 26 x 22mm dark brown genuine alligator strap. As you can see... it would not be wise to choose a strap that is less than 26mm wide at the lug-wires. The width of the other end depends on the buckle that you want to use. In the last pic, the strap has been photographed on a 5mm x 5mm grid

Scammers rely on the greed of their targets. Tell me... do you feel greedy, today?

I wish that I had bought one of these when I had the chance...

These scammers rely on the greed of their targets. They often speak in broken English in order to make you feel that you are smarter then them. You are not! This is not some bloke trying to skin you for a few bucks... it is organised crime. Don't fall for it. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

I have several DavidSen "MMX" straps. They are long for me - I have to use the last or second-last hole, depending on the time of day - and I have a pretty stout wrist. However, www.banda.com will make a strap to your exact specification... colour, leather and size... at very reasonable cost. I have had a lot of straps made by Banda and have been delighted by them all. I just measured my Pam111 mounted on a DavidSen strap. Overall length, from inside edge of buckle to first hole... is a little over 9.5 inches. So I don't think that you will have a problem. Word of advice: Davidsen straps are very nice... but tend to be dry and lifeless when delivered. Give it a dose of whatever leatherfood you have handy... beeswax leather balsam... mink oil... saddle soap... whatever - and you will see a real difference.

026 is on my wish list... 195 (older version) has ben on my wrist all weekend. Here it is, again:

Hairspray?

But how do you do it on a DavidSen watch? On my 195, the drilling for the pin does not penetrate the bottom of the CG

I'm wearing my 195 today. Love it to bits!

I'm sorry to hear that you are unwell. Nothing trivial, I hope