92tru Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 hey guys, my PAM 222 has been working alright for a bit and I have gotten into bicycles and wedding planning so I haven't been around as much as I had usually been. For a gift, my future father in-law told me to pick out a watch around $1800-$2000, but in taking a look, the only thing that turned my crank was the Hamilton X-Wind. Genuine Valjoux 7750 mov't, great leather strap options, looks generously meaty on the wrist without being too clunky or gawdy looking. Its the total package with day/date/chrono features and I scored it for a deal, So I decided I had a bit of coin left over for other wedding expenses and to try out a strap from strapculture.com I got the white-faced, black banded model, so I figured a decent brown leather strap up to the same quality will be required Pictures will be posted tonight, but if the flame is starting to dwindle on your favourite time piece, StrapCulture can certainly set you up with something that will get the fire burning again. I had put my order into Seth a little over a week ago and it arrived today, at work. Plain envelope but the inside packaging is completely branded, from the padded casing to the cello wrapper to the little tag on the end of the strap. It is of the finest quality, the leather is top notch and it is made completely with boasting brand recognition in mind. The buckle is massive, the SC logo is cleanly etched and the strap is marked on the inside, with the SC logo. NO WEIRD ODOURS. this just smells like a pair of gucci or prada shoes, or quality leather wallet. the finish on it is supurb without any distortion in the dye. I didn't even get the higher branded stuff, sort of middle to high of what Seth offers, but wow, I am sort of wishing I got one for my PAM 222, but instead I only thought my GEN Hamilton X-wind deserved the love that only strapculture could provide. awesome. again, pics will be up tonight, but if you haven't taken a look, www.strapculture.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4GTR Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 I love my strapculture legend! Wheres the pics!? Here's my played out pics everyone's seen before. Better than nothing 92tru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 WWE WANT PICS WE WANT PICS WE WANT PICS don't tease us man get on with it already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 I like your Father-in-law already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92tru Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 OK, so i guess I built up quite a bit of suspense with 70+ thread views. Well, here are the pics, prepare to modem melt!! Started innocently enough. Hamilton X-Wind, with the stock leather strap. For some weird reason, this white-face model is a rare item here. Rarer than the rose-gold limited edition, as the white is not readily stocked at the local Authorized Dealer. As you can see, the numerals are brushed steel, and change colour depending on how the light reflects off of them The RED accents in the face really set this off for me and contrast nicely with the white dial and black/grey numbers, and steel case. wristshots of the original. I figured, as its still new, let me see what StrapCulture.com is all about The packaging is an experience. Nothing short of a packaging sleeve, embossed with Strapculture.com, cello wrapper with more SC on it, and even a tag. What blew me away was a certificate of ownership, with the date of purchase, the model etc etc. Attention to detail to this standard is heads and shoulders above the average wrist watch accessory of any kind, in Asia and worldwide. Look at that grain. Embossing in the back of the strap under the backside. again, detail is supurb The stock X-Wind strap is a BEAST. Its slightly thicker than the Strapculture deal, and that was already approaching 4mm. The x-wind is also handmade and of a very fine quality leather and is soft, and durable. colour comparison The thing i really like about hamilton is that since they are a bit smaller watch company, and not quite as established as swatches parent brands, longines, tag, etc, they can get really creative with their casebacks. This is a fine example. The military model has an X thru the display back and the new x-copter has a tri/biohazard pattern with 3 separate windows. I find that other brands of more stature stick unnecessarily to their tried-true/brand-recognized designs, and this really makes some watches boring, but i guess thats what makes them timeless A look at the buckle of the strap, its huge. You can see the strapculture Certificate card beside it. A wristshot. dial is just so crisp wristshot backside, as u can see the buckle does all the talking and compliments nicely to the meaty leather. Fullshot, comparison against the original strap backshots a closeup of the buckle logo engraving Again, the colour and the brushed texture of the buckle, the dot there is a fingerprint. You can see the creativeness of the double-tang "H" in the original strap. Simply gorgeous, and a great shot to show the contrast in the two textures of the straps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 OH.... Thats incredible!!!! I would have never thought to put that color strap on that watch, but YOU have done it incredibly well! Now the black strap seems "out of place" next to the watch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old skool Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 looks great. This is the strap culture buckle I prefer for my pilot watches: http://strapculture.com/sc_buckle/scb1011.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cats Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 It's a very nice strap to look at. One thing that disappoints me over and over again is the terrible smell of the straps. Carpe Diem Cats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92tru Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 looks great. This is the strap culture buckle I prefer for my pilot watches: http://strapculture.com/sc_buckle/scb1011.html Hi Old skool. Good stuff with that buckle! To be honest, it was your pics that came up in a google search that motivated me to get another strap. I know the black dial comes with a brown strap similar in colour to the one i picked up, but the grain is a bit diff, the colour as well...and it was a requirement that the watch I get have a light coloured face.. pref white dial. This is my first venture into aftermarket straps, so now I gotta learn about buckles. is yours the legend buckle? If I had known they could have been switched out, then i wouldn't mind picking one up.... heck maybe on my next order i'll get something different as the buckles aren't sewn in. Either way, your hammy looks great. and that strap gives it that vintage look It's a very nice strap to look at. One thing that disappoints me over and over again is the terrible smell of the straps. Carpe Diem Cats If its one thing that was paid close attention to, these straps BARELY SMELL. no weird varnishes, no strong odours. Its only when you get your nose right on it, does it smell like shoes or baseball gloves. Have you ever picked up a real pair of quality leather shoes/bicycle saddle/belts/wallets etc, and they smelled unusual? same as the case with these strapculture materials - its the real thing. No chemicals need to be added to get the desired, color, texture, etc. The rep straps i have picked up just seem soooooooooooooooo SYNTHETIC in comparison. Some smell so bad/unusual/UNITENTIFIABLE i simply cannot wear them. as in, chemicals were made to produce them. Sure they look alright, but they don't feel like leather, and after daily use, they will wear quickly, break apart, or develop really unusual smells. STRAPCULTURE.com has really taken it to another level, and I hope that my post can motivate a few of those that were on the fence - this is nothing, NOTHING like a rep strap, but unfortunately, PICTURES CANNOT DO JUSTICE, as rep straps could look REALLY similar, in the pictures, on the shelf, etc... but they can never duplicate what real leather feels/smells like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Would you guys stop posting all Hamiltons all around the forum......I'm feeling some unwanted needs are arising here Beautiful watches and straps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92tru Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 OH.... Thats incredible!!!! I would have never thought to put that color strap on that watch, but YOU have done it incredibly well! Now the black strap seems "out of place" next to the watch! thanks for the comments!! actually, i think i may have gotten used to the black strap and it goes quite well with a dark suit, formal etc... and looks far better than my beater pam222... the brown strap tho goes with anything else thats not dark.. its one thing that hamilton didn't release in their colour choices, was a White Dial + Machined bezel + brown strap.. so i figured i'll try it and see how it looks. good to know it gets the seal of approval!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Would you guys stop posting all Hamiltons all around the forum......I'm feeling some unwanted needs are arising here Beautiful watches and straps! Same here.. I am now browsing ebay for Hamiltons... like I need anothr watch... Anyway.. Nice photos and watch.. And the strap it is very good looking.. but I have to say that both Strapculture straps that came to my hands were smelling AWFUL.. Nothing even close to italian shoes.. Smell some Italian leather hide straps and you will instantly understand the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slai Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Wow, the X-wind looks pretty sweet. Hmmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92tru Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Same here.. I am now browsing ebay for Hamiltons... like I need anothr watch... Anyway.. Nice photos and watch.. And the strap it is very good looking.. but I have to say that both Strapculture straps that came to my hands were smelling AWFUL.. Nothing even close to italian shoes.. Smell some Italian leather hide straps and you will instantly understand the difference. hamiltons = great choice. The workmanship on this timepiece is unmatched. Screw-in crowns are smooth as silk, bezels are weighted and turn as if they are greased without hesitation or burring/catching or biting. the detail in the dial is excellent with all hands pointing exactly at their markers on the hour/min/second, the finish on the dial is perfect even under a loop, all numerals on the dial are straight, no fine hairs or anything caught in them, etc. and its powered by the val 7750 movement, running excellently, and after setting the watch down for 1 hr at night, I tried to measure how much it was losing or gaining against my computer's clock and it was only off 1 second over 3 days. is this a good way of measuring the movements variance? day/date + chrono is unbeatable value for the money.. and look at that stock strap, pure quality! regarding the smell, i forgot to list that it is only my strap finish that doesn't have any smells, other finishes could warrant other aromas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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