Ive got to disagree. Probably the best version but the black strap with white stitching on the 5004BP just screams fake IMO. HKTAN or the Orloff ostrich black with black stitching are much more OEM looking. Or the one that andrew (trustytime) sells with the regular rep strap but with black stitching. Same price too.
Andrew, Lay, Josh and all other dealers get this watch from the same factory. If you order the black strap, it will likely be with black stitching, even though the picture posted on Josh's website shows white stitching (I ordered the exact model watch I posted, from Josh, and it showed up with black stitching, even though the pictures on his site show white stitching). I bought a black gator Orloff strap with white stitching. So, now I have black with black stitching, and black with white stitching, which gives my 5004-01 a very different look with a simple change of strap.
I totally disagree about your comment about the white stitching screaming fake, but understand if you have a different opinion. Different strokes for different folks. As you may know, gen Panerai owners buy all kinds of third-party leather straps and there are tons of third-party leather strap makers that cater to gen owners seeking to change up the look of their gen watch. Just like with Panerai, gen IWC Big Pilot owners purchase after-market leather straps all the time, from third-party makers, and these straps come in lots of different leathers, colors, stitching, rivets, no rivets, etc.
There is no rule that says you have to keep the original leather band that came with your watch. Also keep in mind there are quite a few different iterations of the Big Pilot made by IWC, some of which have unique straps, like the Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar, which comes from IWC with black crocodile with orange stitching. Gen IWC black crocodile straps don't all come with black stitching.
