New to Blancpain reps. Strap question.

[Johndo]

Hello Everyone.

I was hoping someone could help me with a strap question for a ZF fifty fathoms i just picked up.

I love the watch (up there with the best reps i've owned) , and i quite like the sail cloth strap and can live with it if changing is too much of a hassle but i would prefer to put it on a dark brown leather Nato.

I've searched back the forum and seen posts from 2014 that said i need Torx 3 and 4 screwdrivers but also that i'll likely have to glue the springboard back in afterwards with loctite or similar.

I've also seen other threads online that say it is very easy to round out the hex screws in a couple of turns if not careful on the rep.

With this in mind I just wanted to ask how easy this all is and if it's still necessary with the newer ZF version? I was hoping it was going to be like my PAM 111 and just a straight screw and change.

Has anyone that's done a change wish they hadn't as it's damaged the springboard or similar?

I'd be grateful for the collective knowledge.

Cheers

 

[Commander Straker]

I've also read the threads and it appears the risk of grounding out the hex is high. So I haven't tried it yet. However the strap on my ZF FF has flattened and looks cheap. It's now nothing like the gen.
Is there a way to revitalise the strap and thicken it a little so it looks more like it did upon arrival?

 

[freediver]

i got fed up with them after 2 years and i swapped them for push pins generic 23mm from bay. Much more easy to swap, no fear of damage , less expensive

 

[Commander Straker]

I get that Freediver, if my strap continues to deteriorate I'll have to do something as well. As I understand it, the problem with pins is they all have short necks, which leaves holes on the outside of the lugs. A good solution I read is to cut off the hex head and stick it into the hole!

I guess what we want is a better quality screw pin that exalty fits the hole! Does anybody know if they exist?

 

[Johndo]

I've read that 22mm Panerai bars are a good fit. The post in another site wasn't very clear though.

It was in response to someone rounding the hex screws out. The guy seemed to be saying he cut the springbars in half and pulled them out with pliers, then put in the panerai bars which he said looked ok. Better than regular springbars.

I didnt quite get it. What would hold them in if the hex nut is gone?

 

[aswe1022]

I recently changed straps on my ZF fifty fathoms and it was fairly simple. I didn’t face any of the problems that you mentioned.
No gluing nor rounding out the hex screws.

Maybe the people round there he’s screws bc their tool might be bit too small??
I used 0.9 mm Hex Tool/Allen Keys instead of Torx screwdrivers

 

[Naths63]

I recently changed straps on my ZF fifty fathoms and it was fairly simple. I didn’t face any of the problems that you mentioned.
No gluing nor rounding out the hex screws.

Maybe the people round there he’s screws bc their tool might be bit too small??
I used 0.9 mm Hex Tool/Allen Keys instead of Torx screwdrivers

What strap is this?...cheers


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[aswe1022]

What strap is this?...cheers


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It’s the Hadley Roma Cordura straps.
It’s fairly cheap and nice quality. The best part is that it’s water resistant, so I can dive with it!

 

[Naths63]

It’s the Hadley Roma Cordura straps.
It’s fairly cheap and nice quality. The best part is that it’s water resistant, so I can dive with it!

Did you get the 22mm...and what's the fit like at the lugs?...thanks


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[aswe1022]

Did you get the 22mm...and what's the fit like at the lugs?...thanks


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Yes, I’m got the 22mm and it has slight gap at the lugs, but it’s not that noticeable.