The Panerai Source Forums

In have a PAM 88 with an alligator strap & deployment buckle. I haven't submersed my watch in water ( pool or the sea ) for fear that the strap would not maintain the original luster as new. I know Panerai says it's OK to wear the watch in the sea etc. and then let it dry out of the sun. Has anyone actually worn a leather strap in the ocean or submersed it and can tell me the effect on the strap? Thanks

I never wear my leather/croc straps in the water, even if they do say water resistant. If I have to wear my Pam in the water, I would just put on the rubber straps that comes with it. Does Panerai say it is OK to wear the leather straps in the water?

The Panerai website states that if you wear the watch in the pool or sea that you should rinse the watch and strap in clean warm water and let it dry naturally out of the sun to avoid faster than normal evaporation. Hair dryers should not be used. Their website also suggests that straps should be changed by an AD even though they provide the tools to do it yourself. For me changing to the rubber strap and avoidng scratches to the watch seems to be problematic, so I'm inclined to follow their suggestion, see how it's done and attempt it on my own when I change back to the leather strap. Thanks for your reply.

I find changing the straps pretty easy.. I actually have a video showing the two strap change systems and how I change them if you are interested:
http://www.paneraisource.com/video_arti ... em%20Video

Thanks Paneraisource. I viewed the video and it does seem easy, although I have the deployment buckle which adds a another step.

Here is an article from Sportback (wherever he went to!) that shows how the deployant is changed

http://www.paneraisource.com/articles_straps.shtml

Thanks once again paneraisource. great info.

seeing this post i just went back and check...last time i pm'ed SB was july of last year, and that was to check up on him since he's disappeared a few months before that! this place is not the same w/o him

I was just thinking the same thing. He always posted good info and pics...im fairly new but what happened to Sporty?

Sporty probably just got busy with other things and lost interest in chatting about watches. He's still a moderator here with moderator access, but he hasn't logged on in a long time. I emailed him a while back and he said he'd just been busy. Not everyone sticks around the boards forever!