Rubber strap

[DwatchD]

Hi,
Recently I’ve bought PAM111 by Noob with black rubber strap and must say that the the rubber is very rough and hard. When I want to fasten it, it can barely go through clasp and loop.
Do you have similar experience with these rubber straps or it’s just my subjective feeling?
Are there any premium rep rubber straps on the market that you could recommend?
Thanks for any advise.

 

[TESLA760]

Some of the rep ones are very tough. You can try going gen. Another option is giving it some heat with a gun or submerging it in hot water. This sometimes softens them up.

 

[Martycus]

Be sure the to test fit the lug screws by inserting them into the straps lug holes first to make sure there's no blockage. You can then submerge the strap in hot water for a few minutes to soften the material, after which you can mount on the watch head.

 

[DwatchD]

I’ll try with water. If it doesn’t work I’ll probably go for a gen.
Thanks

 

[evilgenius88]

Quickly: Best bet is a gen, second best is a quality aftermarket strap in the $50-$100 range.

Detailed:

• Stock replica watch straps are often mediocre at best.
• Even higher-priced aftermarket ones don't guarantee quality, as I've seen disappointing $100 rep straps. Conversely, you can find decent ones for $10. But quality is pretty much a gamble with aftermarket straps replicating brand designs. So you could go into a cycle of buying straps, being disappointed with the quality, then trying another website, rinse, repeat. Waste of time and money.
• Premium aftermarket brands like Rubber B and Everest are excellent but costly.
• For value, consider brands like WatchGecko. For example, I use their rubber strap on my Omega PO which I find nearly as good as Omega but at 1/5th the price. If you need the strap to say "Officine Panerai", then of course you can't get that from non-rep third parties.
• If you're comfortable with paying the gen price, it's typically the best choice for comfortable wearing experience, especially for big and heavy watches like Panerai.

 

[DwatchD]

From what you said, buying a rep strap is a gamble. I think I’m getting closer to buy a gen.
Thanks

 

[KidTiger]

I closed up a rep rubber strap with zip ties and soaked them in boiling water and now they have a permanent curve. Just put it in a mug, poured boiling water onto it, and let it cool. Since I had time, I did this twice, but I probably only needed to do it once.

It's much more comfortable now, but I wish I'd made the curve higher up the strap where it's thicker, and slightly less aggressive. It is totally permanent too, it won't bend back anymore, although maybe if it would if I boiled them again.

Rep rubber is a gamble, but only a $10 one