louky Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 I was wondering why Panerai OEM strap (Usaly made by Hirsch Austria after Richmond took over) are so small? They are usaly 115/75 which barely close at the last hole on a regular male wrist.Men got thiner wrists ober the decades ?..........LOL!Nothing worng wth that bust why cant they put 2 straps sizes? Even if you ask for something longer usaly its not in stock and you have to order one! I Have a coupls of pre-v watches that i bought in 1993 no aone even knew them then,and they had a couple of superb waterproof straps that were 135 85 on the one watch and 125/85 on the other ! When i bought a gen modern pam 2 years ago the strap was 115/75 and it ddint fit my wrist,i asked for a replacement and they said you have top buy a new one for something like $160!The quality of the strap was bad anyway so i used aftermarket straps!maybe they do thsi deliberetly to sell starps ? Makes me wonder!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Don't know how they picked the original size but the basic 115/75 strap will fit a 7" wrist and these watches were being sold to Europeans - not as fat as Americans. Also remember the original smaller straps were coming with tang buckles which IMHO don't work as well with long taild straps. Pre-V straps were thicker, tougher and longer. Whether you like the Hirsh straps or not they are very well made straps. That is about all I wear when wearing a PAM under a suit. I save the longer Pre-v straps for weekend wear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louky Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 I am European and not fat and most people i know that wear pams here pre-order them with 120/80 at least! 115/75 doesnt fit most guys wirsts i know. Concering the quality of the oem straps is another question and opinion!But since you mentioned them. Basicly i find them bad.The new 2012 line has changed contractor with one in Italy ,dont know who,havent seen this yet to judge.Nothing worng with Hirsch but if you look at the aftermarket Hirch straps and compare them to the oned made for panerai its day and night.Also i dont like tampering straps ,all the way one size is the best looking for such watche,perosnal opinion.The straps i Have from my 1993 Pam have been through so much yet they still stand superb!While my pam 88 oem strap faila apart when i accidently fell in a pool once with the leather on!So when ever i get a gen i just put the strap away and look for something better. The initail question was the size because Richmond group chose that! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poretl Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) Unless they are too small to close, which of course would make them useless, they are just small. But they serve the same purpose as the longer ones. Now the question becomes whether you like them on the short side or on the longer one. I personally like them short like that because I find it more neat and more in accordance with a luxury watch. Just my personal preference. I'm sure Panerai are aware of the length of their straps. They wear them too (and I'm sure they are no differentin size then the rest of us) and they get feedback too. So they may have some similar story to tell as to why they are short. Which my the way they are not that short. I have a close to 8" wrist and I still like them. So I'm sure if they were longer there would be many 6.5"ers who would be dissatisfied much like you, and many others, are now. Edited January 20, 2012 by poretl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 I fully agree on the older Hirsh straps. I love the way they are made. And they have held up very well. Years ago I stocked up on a bunch at a reasonable price and have never looked back. I don't have a lot of the newer OEM straps other than the 24x24 or 26x26 Pre-V type straps but they have been fine. I have never tried an aftermarket Hirsh strap though. I have to agree that there are a lot of talented strap makers these days but as someone who regularly wears his watches under dress shirts the longer Pre-V straps are more the exception than the norm for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asf Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Not to sound like a jerk, but I'm probably sure the Asian Market has an influence. We have smaller wrists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louky Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Not to sound like a jerk, but I'm probably sure the Asian Market has an influence. We have smaller wrists Not a Jerk at all !You are right !Also women wear them! Wich comes to my point,for the price of such a watch they should offer 2 sized straps or the ability to change them at the dealer with the size required with no charge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asf Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Not a Jerk at all !You are right !Also women wear them! Wich comes to my point,for the price of such a watch they should offer 2 sized straps or the ability to change them at the dealer with the size required with no charge! I'm with you on that. They should have an option for larger straps on new watches instead of paying for ot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefcook Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 To me the situation seems to be quite different. I have a 6.75" wrist and the biggest wrist I know is roughly 7.5". I've never seen someone having problems with the regular Panerai strap size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 In short, for the average wrist 115/75 covers everything from 6-7.5" wrists. And yes, they should have a long strap option but so should every other manufacturer too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sempire Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 If you vet get to sit in a huge SUV or pickup truck you will see that despite the huge exterior, the interior is made for small people. I find the same with big watches... The seats in a hummer are higher and closer to the steering wheel than a Smart Car.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefcook Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 The Smart really is impressive. Even I (6'4.5") have still some room left to the back in the seat adjustment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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