The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Thanks again guys!

I just got home from work, and there was a nice little package waiting for me, so here's an update on the strap front!

This is the new deployant strap I bought. It's actually made of seal skin, and has a great graining on the leather..... that I've not managed to capture too well on my iPhone! It's also a really nice rich dark brown, and again I'm not sure the Bl***y camera has captured it, but anyway here's the pics -



As it's designed for a Panerai, the holes are larger to accept tubes, but as the M25 won't accept tubes I bought a pack of "Fat Boy" spring bars that are 2.5mm in diameter that are specially designed to allow Panerai straps to be used with other watches.



I also picked up a 316L steel Panerai pattern deployant clasp. i.e. identical to a Panerai clasp but without the branding, and at a fraction of the cost.



Put 'em all together and what do you have? Well, this actually -









It's loads better than the original strap, and looks superb IMO. It needs a bit of breaking in as the thicker part is quite stiff but I'm sure it will in a couple of days. I'm really chuffed!

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Very nice Driver! Congrats! Thats a heck of allot of value right there and that would make a great beater indeed!

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Certified watch nut.

I would respectfully disagree. Granted my pictures tend to be better than these. But, as you pointed out, that is simp;ly down to quality of equipment.

However, your prose and technical knowledge is as good as I have read on any forum. Your review was a pleasure to read and I learnt something. You cannot ask for more than that.

I look forward to your next.

BTW, was it not you who recently berated me and openly questioned my IQ when I showed some pictures of my ex-Panerai 312 on some after market straps.

Only teasin', of course, I think the new stap looks great.

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Forum Representative for Andrew Michaels Jewellers, UK

Please visit my Watch Blog at http://www.AndrewMichaels.co.uk

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Awesome!...i love Lum-tec's i had a pvd lumzilla for a while.

this looks like a Panerai to be honest without the obvious crown guard.

Sweet

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ROLEX SEA-DWELLER DEEPSEA

Touché Mr Ricardo, touché!

BUT..... in my defence, this is a deployant strap which is nice and thin at the clasp, not the 1cm thickness of leather that I personally dislike about most tang and buckle aftermarket straps.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Is that a 22mm deploy or 24mm?

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

22mm. It's the same as the standard Panerai deployant for 44mm watches.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

For some reason I get a kick out of the strap being seal skin.

Take that Peta

Did you happen to pick that up from Panatime?

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

No, I bought it on eBay actually, but those Panatime ones look pretty similar. I just wanted to make sure it was as close to OEM quality as possible as most aftermarket deployants are pretty poor quality.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Seller name on ebay - i like the deployment that should work with my navitimer?

Timepiecerepublic

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Awesome review, Driver. I haven't checked out LumTec in awhile - now I'm motivated to check them out again.

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PAM359, Omega PO Big Size, 1951 Omega Seamaster, Rolex Sea Dweller

Driver8 it reminds me alot of a pam 359. Great review BTW

Nice to see this older thread resurface again! And thanks for the kind words!

Just as a little update, in the last 5 months of ownership I've worn this M25 A LOT, and so far it has proved to be excellent. Timekeeping-wise it loses around 3 seconds a day, which is pretty darn good in anyone's book...... although I personally always prefer it if autos gain rather than lose as at least it means I won't be late for anything!

The aftermarket seal-skin strap has also proved to be excellent. It softened up nicely within a week or so, and so far shows absolutely zero signs of wear. The Panerai-pattern steel deployant has also proved to be very durable, and with the exception of a couple of very small desk-diving swirlies, it looks brand new.

However it's the tungsten head that never ceases to amaze me. Despite being worn as a beater (although I don't subject my beaters to anything THAT bad anyway) it is still absolutely mirror-shine perfect. Tungsten is a truly amazing material, as a couple of months ago (despite being careful with all my watch) I actually caught the M25 on a metal doorframe, and then (sods law) I also clipped a lug on a brick wall! Result? Absolutely nothing at all! Not a ding, not a scratch, not a mark of any kind! I've never seen anything like it.

After that I actually took a pair of scissors and tried to scratch one of the lugs with the sharp edge (NOT something I'd EVER normally do, and I was coming out in a cold sweat even doing it on this watch), but again there was no mark at all. It was really odd how normally you would feel the blade just "bite" slightly into the surface of any other metal, but in this case the scissor blade just slid over the surface.

It's a truly remarkable metal, and an excellent watch that so far is doing exactly what I wanted it to. Very pleased.

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Driver8

Site Moderator