AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SAFARI STRAP TO BRACELET CHANGE

Well, living in a hot and humid country like Malaysia, sweat is a common problem when wearing watches.

Personally, I am not a fan of watches on straps...

Sometimes it can't be helped with watches like Panerai... but for everything else, I would preferably pair it with a bracelet.

With the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Safari that I got, it only comes with a hornback alligator strap.

So, I need to get a bracelet for it.

If you guys are wondering, yes... the price is steep for a bracelet... enough to get a mid range luxury automatic watch...

1st things 1st... I will need flat head screwdriver, toothpicks, the bracelet and the watch itself.

Remove the screws in both sides with the flat head screwdriver.

After removing the screws from both sides, use the toothpick to push out the pin inside.

After pushing out the pin, this is what everything looks like.

A pin in the middle with 2 screws on either side keeping the pin in place.

I think this is a better way rather than using a whole screw pin.

Make sure you don't drop the screws or it'll be difficult to find if you have carpeted floors.

Aligned the bracelet properly and push back the pin.

After pushing the pin in, start tightening the screws back.

After finishing both sides.

Voila... watch is now on bracelet.

The watch on bracelet...

1st thing that strikes me is... damn the watch is heavy...

I mean the watch head is pretty heavy and chunky by itself.

With the bracelet? More so...

Feels totally different on the wrist.

Huge wrist presence.

Maybe I should try on rubber strap?

Let's see how the bracelet holds up.

STRAP COMPARISONS

I recently received yet a few more straps that I have ordered.
To date, I have owned and tried straps from 3 different strapmakers.
Cheergiant of Taiwan, Peter Gunny of Indonesia and Simona of Italy.
So it's only logical that I would compare them.

The 3 straps that I will be comparing is:-
1. Saree Series Strap by Peter Gunny. USD89.90 shipping not included. (USD25 for shipping)
2. Ultrasoft Brown Calf Strap by Cheergiant. USD75.00 shipping included.
3. Toscano Honey Strap by Simona. USD131.85 (EUR100.00) shipping not included. (EUR35 for shipping)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st up will be the Gunny Saree Series Strap.
Taupe colour, 24mm no taper with sewn in flat brushed buckle.

The colour is very nice.
Matches the look of the watch.
Could be just me but when mounted on this strap, the watch markers look a tad cream... like patina.

The strap is 4mm thick, 3 layers.
Lug end part is thin.
Which causes a gap when strap is mounted on.
I don't like this at all.

Stitching work is uniform and clean.
Heavy duty thread. Should be able to last a long time.
Sewn in brushed flat buckle is comfortable.

As I have mentioned, strap is made up of 3 layers.
2 thin layers sandwiching a thicker middle layer.
Raw finishing makes this strap looks tough and vintage.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next up is the Cheergiant ultrasoft calf strap.
Dark brown in colour, 24mm taper to 22mm using OEM buckle.

The darker more uniform colour gives this watch a more subdued look. Less brutal.

Strap is 4mm thick, 2 layers.
The lugend part of the strap is thicker thus the fit does not reveal a huge gap when mounted.

Stitching work is very uniform.
Thread is not waxed enough though and after some use, will start to go hairy.
Strap is fitted with the OEM Panerai Buckle.

Edges of the strap is sealed.
A very clean look.
You can notice some of the threads getting hairy.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last will be the Simona Toscano.
Honey colour, 24mm no taper with sewn in brushed curved buckle.

The honey miele colour is nice paired with the watch.

Strap is 4mm thick.
Very thick at the lugends so there are no gaps when mounted.

I find the stitching abit uneven.
The tip is also slightly misaligned.
Brushed curved buckle is nice.
Buckle is signed.

The edges are sealed.
I find the seals not as clean as the ones done by Cheergiant as you can see the contact point between the layers clearly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conclusion.

I find the 3 straps comes with pros and cons.
Cheergiant is the cheapest and also most well made.
Gunny strap is the softest and most comfortable to wear.
Toscano is the thickest and I especially loved the thick lugends.

In my opinion.
The perfect strap would have the cost of the Cheergiant strap, the comfortable wear of the Gunny strap and the thickness of the Toscano strap.

But if I had to pick one.
Cheergiant will be it. (Close 2nd would be Gunny)

PANERAI PAM000 ON CHEERGIANT STRAP

After wearing my PAM000 on Gunny Saree straps for sometime, decided to change it to another strap that I got from George of Cheergiant.

Ultrasoft brown calf strap.

Remember on my previous posting on Gunny Saree strap that I mentioned about 3 layered straps being thinner on the lug ends compared to 2 layers?

This is the comparison picture.

Top is Gunny Saree Strap and bottom is the Cheergiant calf strap.

The Cheergiant strap have been edge sealed so it is smoother than the rough and raw edges of the Gunny strap.

I liked both equally.

Just personal preference for some.

No advantages of one over the other, just cosmetically more pleasing. 

Remember to use the tubes supplied with the watch... it will protect your screw bars in the long term.

My watch did not come with any tubes.

Fortunately a good friend of mine gave me a pair as a gift.

It was thoughtful of him.

As the strap is thicker at the lug ends, once mounted, there are no gaps on the lugs.

Now THIS I like very much.

As Cheergiant does not have any sew in buckles, I ordered this strap without a buckle and decided to mount the OEM buckle instead. Perfect fit as usual.

Looks really good.

Straps are comfortable and looks really good.

Stitching work is top notch as usual.

I am happy that the threads for this strap is well waxed and it's not hairy like the strap for my Seiko Dracula.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the strap.

For the price, there are no complaints and there's nothing more than I can ask for.

I have bought 5 straps so far from Cheergiant and each one have been excellent to say the least.

I can see myself being a long term customer of Cheergiant... :-)

SAREE SERIES STRAP BY GUNNY

Once I got my PAM000, the 1st strap that I purchased was from Peter Gunny.

The Saree Series strap in Taupe colour and black stitching.

Thick and soft.

Raw and rough edges... I like this look.
Strap is 4mm thick in 3 layers.
Meaning the outer layer (Taupe colour) is a rather thin leather sandwiching a thicker middle layer.

Which makes the lug end of the strap thin.
This is the picture with the tubes installed.

And when mounted, there will be gaps on the lugs.
I don't really like that... But that's just me.
From now on, I will stick to 4mm thick straps but only 2 layers.
Lesson learned, moving on.

Sewn in flat buckle.

Straps are really comfortable.
The supple and soft leather does not exude any pressure when wearing.
After wearing a couple of times, it will sort of mould it's curve to your wrist.

Despite the things that I don't like, it remains a very nice strap and I really like it.
I have been wearing the watch with this strap for over 3 weeks now and it's comfortable.
This is my 1st nice strap and I believe there will be more that I will purchase from Peter Gunny.
I also got one B42 waterproof strap for my Brother in Law as a Xmas present and I can't review that because I did not have any usage experience with it.
Overall, I am satisfied with this strap.

VISIT TO CHEERGIANT IN TAIPEI

My 1st stop when I reached Taipei Taoyuan Airport?

Cheergiant... It was nice of my friend who picked me up at the airport to swing by the place.

Nothing fancy or renovations in the workshop.
Just pure leather making table tops and samples of the myriad of available leathers.
The smell of leather just permeates the whole shop.

Display window shows that they make belts, wallets, pouches, bags, purses or just about anything you can think of.

Great selection of ready made straps of various leathers and measurements to suit all kinds of watches. You can be sure that you can find something that you like.
If not, you can always place an order and they will mail it to you once done.

Samples of available leathers.

 Just a sample of their work.

Manage to see the lady handstitching a strap.

Shows the amount of work that goes into each strap.

The gentlemen with the glasses is Mr.George Lan, a very nice guy to chat and deal with. Even before meeting him in person, our e-mail correspondence has always been pleasant.

A souvenir for my daughter. A keychain engraved with her name.

My visit there have been a pleasant one and it's nice to finally meet George in person.
Placed an order for a purse for my mom... custom made.
Still kicking myself in the nuts for not picking up a few straps though.
Oh well... there's always next time.

Anyone wanting to give Cheergiant a visit?
Their address is:

156, Chung Hua Road,
Taoyuan City, 33065,
Taiwan R.O.C.
Tel: 886 3334 9479