Hybrid Panerai

[thewolfofmiddlesex]

Recieved my PAM 1271 a few weeks back and it's been a real treat to wear, absolutely love the comfort, the crisp white sandwich dial, the proportions and the aesthetics as a whole.
The one thing a missed on my wrist after wearing my Fitbit Sense was the smart features, heart rate monitoring, music control, Alexa etc etc, but then I missed the simplicity and elegance of a traditional automatic watch when I was wearing that. I didn't fancy wearing 2 watches, to me that seemed odd. I wore the Aura ring for a while a few years back, but again I missed some of the features you'd get in a smart watch like notifications etc.
This week, I put together something that seems to work really well for me. I imported a smart buckle from Japan. It came with a rubber strap but I didn't use that as it didn't look great and would have made the watch feel a bit clunky. I had a custom leather strap made and the results are better than I could have hoped for.
Here are the results...

[DoricSpiker]

Not for me but whatever floats your boat. I would put the Fitbit on your other wrist if you wanted the data that much. The clasp, strap etc are all part of the watch but that's just my opinion. You do you. Lovely Panerai.

[Patton250]

Brother I think that is extremely cool. What a way to get two different things from one watch. We all want to enjoy the mechanical side of these things of which we love but getting that basic health information is always helpful as well. Many people wear the health strap on their other wrist. You you do both of these things on one wrist. I love it.

[1William]

Interesting but not for me.

[1st amg]

That's impressive you put that together...Love the white dial too

[Spartan2009]

Very interesting. Definitely A+ for idea/effort. Never knew those existed.


I wear a different watch everyday and it would annoying to have to swap that sensor out everyday. I solved this problem by getting an Oura ring. It monitors heart rate, body temp, and blood oxygen. I only have to charge it once a week which is great.

[thewolfofmiddlesex]

Thanks Spartan. Yeah, as per OP, I had an Oura ring too which was great but missed not having a display and being able to see real time information on screen such as notifications/ being able to use Alexa etc. The smart clasp is a once a week charge affair too, like the ring so that's not an issue. You're right about swapping to other watches though, it would be a pain. Now that I've got used to this setup, right know, I feel my other watches are going to see a lot less wrist time :(

[Armis]

Very impressive idea and overall execution! I think you highlight a great line of thinking around how smart straps can be developed that integrate aesthetics and select technologies. Well done.

[michaelodonnell123]

I bought my Panerai precisely so that I do not have to deal with that computer nonsense. Just wind it up and go.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci.

[thewolfofmiddlesex]

Maybe get an automatic next time, you won't need to deal with the winding up nonsense :)

[Cru Jones]

Good stuff. I like the passion.

[Booth9999]

Very cool, I could see some wrist time with that. Looks very good.

[faimag]

impressive. not my thing but impressive.

[duc888]

Interesting to see what´s out there. The implementation is well done.
These fitbit and co things are nothing for me but if it makes you happy...have fun.

[donas]

I like it. I would consider trying something like that, my only problem would be I only wear the same watch 1-2 days in a row. Nevertheless, how is it functioning? As good as a smart watch? For me, the main smart feature I like are notifications. If I'm mowing or working in my shop, I hate stopping what I'm doing to get my phone out of my pocket....first world problem for sure!

[thewolfofmiddlesex]

If it's only notifications you're after, it works perfectly. You can select which ones you want, eg, WhatsApp, SMS, email etc etc
But you'll also get so much more if you need it, eg, Alexa control, music control, weather and your health stats. The only part that doesn't work is NFC payments as the device only works with Japan's payment infrastructure for that.

[rootbeer7]

Absolutely barking but so beautifully thought out and executed. Englsh eccentricity at its best.

[michaelodonnell123]

Originally Posted by thewolfofmiddlesex

Maybe get an automatic next time, you won't need to deal with the winding up nonsense :)

I bought the 112 precisely for the beautifully decorated manual movement. Winding it up is a treat. The automatic doesn't even come close. If I am going to spend a lot of money on a watch, I expect it to look the part. This is why I will never buy a Rolex.

[thewolfofmiddlesex]

Beautiful looking watch. I bought my Rolexs, Cartiers and Grand Seiko's precisely because they're automatic so that I don't have to deal with that winding up nonsense. I sold my beautiful display caseback PAM 183 Black Seal only because is was a manual movement and I found it a bit unnecessary/inconvenient. But as someone said earlier, you do you, it's all good :)

[bcall]

Interesting!!!!

[brandrea]

Very cool OP

[Spartan2009]

Originally Posted by thewolfofmiddlesex

Recieved my PAM 1271 a few weeks back and it's been a real treat to wear, absolutely love the comfort, the crisp white sandwich dial, the proportions and the aesthetics as a whole.
The one thing a missed on my wrist after wearing my Fitbit Sense was the smart features, heart rate monitoring, music control, Alexa etc etc, but then I missed the simplicity and elegance of a traditional automatic watch when I was wearing that. I didn't fancy wearing 2 watches, to me that seemed odd. I wore the Aura ring for a while a few years back, but again I missed some of the features you'd get in a smart watch like notifications etc.
This week, I put together something that seems to work really well for me. I imported a smart buckle from Japan. It came with a rubber strap but I didn't use that as it didn't look great and would have made the watch feel a bit clunky. I had a custom leather strap made and the results are better than I could have hoped for.
Here are the results...
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Hey Neil. Can you send me the link where you purchased this clasp from?

[thewolfofmiddlesex]

Spartan, PM sent.