The History Of Dive Watches
There are many things we take for granted when speaking about modern timepieces, and one of those is water resistance. There are no "water proof" watches, as that implies water would not be able to enter them under any circumstances, so we use the term "water resistant." The history of water resistant watches really began in the 1920s, but it was not until later that the serious water resistant diving watch came into existence. Today dive watches are the most popular type of sport watch, not necessarily because people use them to dive, but because of their style, promise of durability, and utilitarian value.Regardless of whether one pays a few hundred or several thousand dollars for a watch, they rightfully expect reliability, accuracy, and comfort. Having said that, we are rarely reminded of just how much time it took wristwatches to transform from fragile pieces of art into workhorse instruments that can put up with most of the challenges we expose them to during our daily lives. Tod

The Evolution Of Wristwatch Sizes
In the beginning the watch gods created the wristwatch, and it was good.Up until the early 1900s, pocket watches ruled the day for men's timekeeping fashion. These were worn on a chain in a pocket, either in a vest or trousers. It was considered sissy for men to wear watches on their wrists. However, in 1904 Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont collaborated with his friend Louis Cartier, the famous French watchmaker, to design and create a timepiece for the wrist that could be easily read while flying. Something that wasn't so clunky and awkward as a pocket watch which Dumont hated to keep having to pull out of his pocket in flight. Thus the Cartier Santos was born, and the official birth of a new era in timepiece design: the wristwatch.The wristwatch really caught on during WWI (circa 1917) where the soldiers had the same needs as Dumont�� a convenient timekeeping apparatus that didn't need to be pulled out of a pocket during stressful action times. Finally, it became not only c

Safari on Diver Strap
Hey Guys,I have posted about the unfortunate demise of my OEM AP Deployment Buckle and how I was using an OEM AP ROO Rubber Strap with an AP Bands Tang buckle. It was an adequate solution until I could figure out what I was going to do about the deployment buckle situation but the aftermarket buckle always kind of bugged me. I recently acquired an OEM AP Diver Strap with the OEM Tang buckle. After owning a Panerai, strap changes have become almost a necessity for me. I also found, after wearing a Panerai, that the AP was much more traditional in its proportions and seemed quite narrow at the buckle. In fact, after a year and half of wearing the AP, I had gotten used to the more traditional proportions of the AP strap, so, the diver was a bit of a shock in that it is quite wide throughout its length, much like a Panerai. It's been done before (putting a diver strap on other ROOs) but I'm posting another one. I rather like it.As an aside, I was at an AP AD about a week and a half ago and

UH OH What did I do(now with pics)
I joined the club!! I have wanted to grab one of these for a little bit now so I went ahead and pulled the trigger.I would love to show you the photos of my new P.O. but I just got an iphone and for some reason when I take a pic and email it to myself It wont let me save the pic. into my pictures. So I will have to wait until I can take pics with a camera and then put them on my computer.

177 or 176, be great to have feedback
Hi all... Newbie is finally in touch with a recommended dealer at reasonable pricesAs if narrowing down the options of all the different references wasn't enough - I've now got to decide on the intricacies within the individual references so I'm asking for help....Sandwich or painted??The 177 is g series paintedThe 176 is sandwich (not sure which year)I'm of the understanding both are discontinued as of 2014 to make way for the in-house movements and bigger cases to come...Is it true the base (176) is more sought after? Is the base look with sandwich more of the original panerai style?Is it true the painted g 177 is also special as then they went sandwich after this?Its a first Pam purchase... There is a ��500 differential... Which way would you go??Thanks so much for taking the time