Highflyingclive

This has been the subject of a previous discussion... but I can't remember which forum it was on. Search, search, search. As far as I can remember, you have to remove two screw caps (on each side) in order to remove one pin. But I could be wrong... Inspect the bracelet carefully. Form follows function.

Mine came within moments. Something you said, perhaps?

... or was it you? Happy timekeeping! Clive

Hassle, hassle, hassle... give the guy a break - he has a life, too.

Here is one of my Oris reps... together with another favourite friend: (Cross-dressing watches. The Oris is wearing the strap that the 147 was wearing when she first arrived at my house... The oris XXL rep is. I think, fairly true to the original, position of the date window aside. Except for the limited edition plate on the left-hand side of the case. But not bad for a HK street-market watch. Perfect timekeeper, of course.

Willith, Willith, Willth.... I know that you acted with the best of intentions... but your list is too short. Always the under-achiever ABP offer watchstraps made from animals that you may never have heard of... check out the choice, if it isn't endangered, it seems that ABP will make you a strap from its hide. Being French, they probably offer personal customers a tasty stew made from the rest of the beast Here is the link: http://www.abp-paris.com/abpw/index_en.php This is an abbreviated list: Alligator - square, hornback or round scales Stag Lamb Ostrich (from several different parts of the anatomy. I fancy the shin...) Buffalo Goat Suede Peccary Pig Calf Sheep Beaver tail (nice...) Anaconda Toad Elephant Emu Stingray Frog Kangaroo Llama Pangolin Perch Seal Python Shark Dogfish Salmon Sea Snake Camel Cobra Sea Bass Whip snake And for the polyester-wearing vegans : Denim Moire Satin Cork. All straps are made to measure and look absolutely beautiful. Not cheap, though. Happy timekeeping! Clive

You will need a very fine spring-bar tool to remove the bracelet... a standard tool probably wont pass through the very small aperture in the end-link. You could fiddle about with a tiny screwdriver... but much better to have the right tool in your hand. Help is at hand! Narikaa sells these tools at very reasonable cost. You need to measure both the lug width and the buckle width. Probably your dealer can give you this information. Have a look at the official FM web-site for details of the original strap. Or cruise the real watch vendor sites. www.banda.com will make a strap for you, made to measure, from your choice of a vast range of different leathers and colours.

My understanding is that the regulator is quite functional. It lacks the swan-neck hardware... which isn't necessary on the real watch, let alone on the rep. It does look pretty... but that's its main purpose in life Marketing flim-flam, in my opinion. A feature without a major benefit. Millions of other movements manage quite happliy without the swan-neck gubbins.

When you "meet at the end of the year", wear both your 187s, one on each wrist. That should really [censored] him off.

Here is one of mine. When funds allow, I'll be treating myself to a polished stingray strap - they are really special.

The Zigmeister speaks very highly of the Asian copy of the hand-wind 6497 movements...

Panerai in Hong Kong? No problem - there is a Panerai Boutique there. OFFICINE PANERAI Prince's Building, shop G-30, 10 Chater Road, Central Hong Kong "Robbors" on the mainland? Of course. Every country has its criminals. But I think that the leval of crime against foreigners in China is very low. I feel much safer walking around in China than I do in America. Take sensible recautions, as you would anywhere else. Admin - before you leave HK there is one thing that you must do. Have a beer in the bar of the Intercontinental Hotel in Tsim Shat Sui at eight o'clock in the evening. You will witness the best man-made view in the world. I'm guessing that you are staying in Central... no problem... the Intercontinental is only a couple of hundred yards from the Star Ferry terminal. The other thing that you must do is book a table for Sunday Brunch at the Intercontinental. Bottomless Moet & Chandon and all the lobster you can eat. And a whole load of other stuff... seafood, sushi, sushimi, a huge range of Chinese and Japanese dishes... traditional English roast beef with all the trimmings... you won't have ever seen a buffet like this. And it isn't even expensive. I always eat so much that I have to go and have a nap afterwards. On the mainland, the place to find reps used to be the "Commercial City" (shopping mall) in LoWu... take the train from Tsim Shat Tsui to LoWu. Be prepared for long delays as you pass through immigration... as you exit the station there is an ATM where you can get some local currency, although most places in ShenZhen seem happy to accept HK dollars. Anyway, come out of the station, turn right, go up the stairs that you will see on your left - and you are at LoWu Commercial City. The shops inside are cheaper than those on the walkway outside. The place used to be full of reps... but last time I was there, there had been a police crack-down, so there were few reps to be seen. They are there... you have to ask. It is a fun place to go shopping though. You are unlikely to find any high-end reps in LoWu. The only place that I have ever found high-end reps was in the wholesale watch market in Canton... and the few that I saw were "last years model"... our favoured dealers have the latest stuff. Have fun! Clive

The website is no help - what does it say on the side of the pack? Which Oxyclean product are you using?

@Fendi... I'm wearing my original 111 tonight... complete with recessed pin, up-in-the-air minute hand, square cut bridges... "17 ewels" and "officni" engravings. Still a great beauty, nevertheless. We'll never part. Happy timekeping! Clive

What is "oxyclean"? Chemical formula or constituents would help us identify a similr product on this side of the pond.

Just another troll. Bye bye troll.

Oil. Lubricate your links. There has been some discussion on this subject, "in another place". Some people prefer not to use mineral oil, for a number of reasons... fear that it may be carcinogenic, cause dermatitis or just smell unpleasant. The alternative is a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Either will help your links flop about the way they should.

Have you tried adhesive tape or Narikaa's sticky balls? Caseback removal tools for perfectionists!

More information is also required regarding "dust bunnies"

What's Clorox? There are people here in the UK who need to know

Run it for a week to let it settle down... then try again. Six minute inaccuracy is very unusual. This movement is capable of much better than that. All of mine are within a few seconds a day. The swan-neck does not ensure accurate time keping. The working version merely makes minute ajustments easy and ensures that the regulator arm cannot move. Flim-flam, really. There are many great movements that manage without this extra hardware. But it does look pretty.

Wow! Now that's what I call service! An answer within moments of asking the question. What a fantastic community this is! Many thanks, Ryaku... I'll write to the manufacturer (by snail mail - they don't list a e-mail address on their website) and ask if they have a distributor in the UK. So irritating to think that if I were in Italy, all I have to do is to pop into Auchan... great supermarket, by the way. The one at Fano even sells Fuller's London Pride beer... one of my favourites Happy timekeeping! Clive

When she was in Italy, my wife bought some "Class" marrone scuro shoe polish. It is wonderful stuff... it stains as well as gives lustre - I used it on a mid-brown strap that I didn't like... the result is a wonderful warm, very dark chesnut brown colour. Now I love that strap! The trouble is, my wife is running low on this polish and has reserved its future use for her shoes, exclusivly. My wife doesn't understand watch-straps are so much more important than shoes... So does anyone know where I get get "Class" polish on the web? I have searched without success... but perhaps it appears on an Italian site... any help would be appreciated. here's a pic: I had to wait until the wife was away from home before taking that pic. If she had seen me as much as touch her precious pot of "Class"... my life wouldn't be worth living...

MooCroc

There's no pleasing some people. I remember howls of protest that the A/R on the 111 was too strong... now it isn't strong enough.