253 and SS bracelet... bummer!

[opustitevkajenja]

Bought the SS bracelet from cschenone to fit my 253 on occasion, only to find out it does not fit! Since I'm too dumb to ask beforehand, apparently.. is there any way of fitting a SS on a 253, be it modifying anything on the watch/bracelet, or should I order a new bracelet (where?), or am I just sh** out of luck?

Pics to see where things go wrong:

 

[horologie_unitas]

not worth the effort !....it would be so much work...if possible at all.

 

[opustitevkajenja]

Keeps getting better

Just received a nice dark brown/burgundy strap from ewing and guess what.. it's too thick to fit! Apparently the lugs on the 253 are quite different from the rest of the reps..

 

[takashi]

Yes, it's different from Luminor series 44mm, maybe that's the reason SS bracelet can't fit. You can squeeze the strap to fit though.

 

[opustitevkajenja]

I have tried that, too, but the screw wouldn't go through the entire tube no matter what, and I doubt I'd have been able to screw the end in place without ruining the thread. Whether the strap would move at all if I did succeed is another matter.. I doubt it.

Guess I'll save up for a decent 111 or whatever other models there are with just a small second and nothing else, and fit it there.

Besides, I'm quite happy with the black stitched OEM strap from cschenone (even though I have no idea what an OEM strap is; probably not original Panerai, though, at that price).

 

[takashi]

Hmmm, strange, usually you can really fit the strap. It's not that thick based on you picture. The rep/OEM strap is definitely thinner than your pictured strap.

 

[opustitevkajenja]

So, I tried it again, and this time I left the tubes out of the equasion. I was barely able to fit both sides on, and I think the problem here is that the lug holes are drilled quite a bit closer to the case than what I've seen on other PAMs. Leaving the tubes out however doesn't feel quite as secure.

Of course, I noticed my buckle is 22 mm, whereas the strap is 24 all the way. Bummer again, lol. Where's the cheapest buckles to be had?

 

[Hambone]

I tried to put my steel bracelet on my 253 also, and it is a no go. The construction of the watch is different from the Luminors. The only way is to do a custom cast link to make a clean fit, and that is expensive, not to mention difficult to find a willing metalurgist to do the job.

 

[POTR]

GET WITH ROFLWAFFLE NOW! for that buckle which you seek.

I can guarantee he is a decent guy... met him at a GTG a couple of weeks ago...