poretl Posted December 28, 2011 Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 Hi guys, anyone has any experience with the replica straps (gen leather) sold by the trusted dealers? For example this one http://www.yourtrustytime.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_61&products_id=7238 It's not cheap so, given it's a replica, one would expect it's of high quality very close to the real. But is it. Does it have the capacity to fool people(who have seen and touched a real Panerai before) that it's real or is it simly a piece of garbage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poretl Posted December 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Guys, anyone? Many watches from Pure time comes with these genuine croc leather 1:1 straps but it's $100 difference. I would like to invest in a nice strap that looks like the genuine. I can pay $300+ to get the real thing or pay $100 (not like it's free) to get the reps. If anyone has any experience could you comment? It would be a disaster to pay $100 for a piece of garbage while I could have saved some more and get the real thing. On the other hand, if it's good and hard to tell the difference and it;'s indeed reeal leather and quality, why pay 3X the price for nothing? Thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikellem Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 OK, Here we go. Yes the chinese are offering much finer stapes than they ever have. They are offering supposedly "high quality leather straps, same as genuine". They also are offering Exoitc strap also. Do i think a $100 Chinese strap is worth it? Not in my opinion... I would rather pay $300 for a custom strap where I know the quality is there, I also know the I will be getting the finest leather and the best workmanship. The chinese are ok if someone can not afford to go to the better Strap Makers. The chinese are brilliant business men and marketing genius's. Look at the Panerai watch offerings from our dealers.. Every Ultimate Version states "Best Replica To Date.", or AR done by Same Factory as Swiss. Come on, this is a bunch of baloney.. My final thought would be..Buy your watches from China, and find a nice Strap maker that you like his style and that you can communicate. I am finding lately there ther are some very high end Strap Makers in China and Thailand. Now these guys can give you a strap for $100, and its well worth the $100. You can more for your money in china IMO. Their costs are lower, there living expense are lower, therefore they pass this to you. Labor rate is much cheaper overseas. i will help you out and give you a big tip. A very close friend of mine has been dealing with a strap maker Overseas. His work is as good as it gets. He states on his blog sit that his straps are $40 to $75. Email address is: pan-stasiu@wp.pl (corrected email address) Good Luck My Friend, MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poretl Posted December 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) Thanks Mikellem for your input and time. That is what I was thinking. Who are we fooling. Come on! $100 is a lot of money for a strap. It;s not like it's dirt cheap. With $100 you can buy an entire XXL leather jacket of quality, detail and style (maybe not but you get my point). So this is why I was asking. When I pay $100 for a strap it better be good. I am aware that with $100 I can get some really good stuff from others, and I would otherwise have done that instead of sitting here wondering if the chinese stuff is any good, but the thing is that these straps also come with one more plus: they look exactly like the real ones. Of course that's not to say I will overpay only because they have the Panerai markings (this is the idea of Replicas- you don't pay for that) but it would be a perfect scenario if they were also of top quality (much like all the other aftermarket $100 straps). I'm not sure if you see my point but if the person you are recommending can provide top quality for only $45-70 why would the Chinese not give me the same (and even better) quality for $100? Are we getting ripped off? Edited December 29, 2011 by poretl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKH Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 At this time I have ordered several pan leather straps from trustytime 26 dec 2011....this was a bulk order of 4 leather straps........still waiting on shipment.....will let you know the quality when i receive them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poretl Posted December 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 At this time I have ordered several pan leather straps from trustytime 26 dec 2011....this was a bulk order of 4 leather straps........still waiting on shipment.....will let you know the quality when i receive them Thanks. So you got the $100/each straps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Mike - good write up. The custom straps blow everything out of the water even gen. Your leather your thickness your length. I have had a lot of customs. A good inexpensive or good value alternative is panatime.com good price, good service, good straps. I have a custom strap being made by someone for 45$. It's my first with this person so I have to wait to attest to the quality. But, most customs are 100$ us + I used HKTAN, he was one of the original custom strap guys here. But either he is gone or changed his info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poretl Posted December 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Panatime.com looks good man. Did you order from them before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Panatime is a first class operation and they have been around a long time. I've made at least a dozen orders from them, called talked ect ect. There clasps and prices can not be touched. I got 2 straps yesterday. They used to have more traditional stuff,but they have kept expanding with more stylish and 4-5mm thick straps. It's not a custom strap, but, cost/value is super. I have a whole reboot of my collection w straps is coming in the next few weeks as I get things together. My. Biggest problem with them is sometimes they don't have stuff in stock that I want to buy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poretl Posted December 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Panatime is a first class operation and they have been around a long time. I've made at least a dozen orders from them, called talked ect ect. There clasps and prices can not be touched. I got 2 straps yesterday. They used to have more traditional stuff,but they have kept expanding with more stylish and 4-5mm thick straps. It's not a custom strap, but, cost/value is super. I have a whole reboot of my collection w straps is coming in the next few weeks as I get things together. My. Biggest problem with them is sometimes they don't have stuff in stock that I want to buy! because I never owened one so far, do you know how mm thick are the OEM straps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKH Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Thanks. So you got the $100/each straps? No they are all leather. See if they are up to snuff..then will order a croc strap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 because I never owened one so far, do you know how mm thick are the OEM straps? Screw OEM go for your own taste. I'm using a 5mm on my breitling the gen strap is puny but my fat one rocks. Chase your taste not the one of a designer locked up in some small room with no windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poretl Posted December 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Screw OEM go for your own taste. I'm using a 5mm on my breitling the gen strap is puny but my fat one rocks. Chase your taste not the one of a designer locked up in some small room with no windows. I'm about to buy 2 from here for starters: http://panatime.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolwatchdude Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 all of the good straps from panatime are out of stock =( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 all of the good straps from panatime are out of stock =( I wouldn't say ALL the cool ones. But many cool ones are. If I'm running their business it's a good thing to have. They are moving product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poretl Posted December 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 True. Let's replace 'all' and 'many' that have been suggested by MOST. I'm in search of a tunnel OEM strap. Anyone has one? http://www.watches24seven.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=20193 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolwatchdude Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 True. I guess it's just me. But there are no more 115/75 genuine gator for deployment. I have two croc embossed style and I'm pretty happy. Looking for alternatives at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinmysoup Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Dear mikellem and RWG members. I am the user of email edmundlee76@gmail.com and I would like to clarify that I am not a strap maker, and I am in no way associated with any strap maker. This post has come to my attention as I have been recieving a few enquiries regarding straps that prompted me to investigate. Please do not email me asking for straps as I cannot help you in any way. I wish all at RWG a very Happy 2012 ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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