Noob Q re Leather Straps

[BXNupe]

Hello All,

I'm new to the dark side having recently purchased a PAM 88. I love the watch but b/c all my other watches have either ss or ss/yg bracelets, I don't pay much attention to them when on my wrist. Now that I have a PAM w/ a leather OEM strap, I feel like I have to take the watch off to wash my hands or keep my arm inside the car while driving in the rain or...well, I'm sure you get the picture. I don't have the mental bandwidth to think about this stuff, but I do b/c I want to take care of the watch. I mean God forbid if I get warm water and soap on my strap! I also sweat quite a bit and consciously decided not to wear the PAM to an outside event this past weekend when the temp was blazing hot. I was fearful that I would somehow cause the strap to loose its sheen, dry up, blah, blah, blah. I feel somewhat foolish asking these questions -- kinda like the new Submariner owner who is concerned about wearing his/her Sub while taking a shower -- but I am curious. Am I being overly concerned, perhaps even neurotic, or am I simply going to have to be more mindful of the conditions when I wear the PAM? Please note that I'm only questioning the impact on the strap, not the watch. Which leads me to my final question...do people generally treat $300 straps as disposable?

Thanks in advance. I'm now gonna put on my flame suit.

[TurboWatch]

http://www.panerai.com/s_page.xpd?id...categoria=4848

[ocwatching]

Nah..no flames..

Congrats on the 88 and you are just going thru the usual new watch honeymoon period. These straps are actually pretty tough and can handle the usual splash of water. Now I don't recommend going swimming with OEM Croc (that's the OEM Rubber). But I am sure you can be a bit careful washing your hands. If you had the JV, that's a different story. If the weather is hot, OEM Rubber is the way to go.

And yes, these straps are disposable but they take a lot of beating before that getting to that point.
enjoy!

[kilyung]

Phil's right - it completely depends on the strap material. I'd be more careful with JV straps but some of the vintage ammo straps can take a lot of abuse and just look better. Ultimately leather straps are disposable.