There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Right off the bat, I'll admit that I'm not partial to aftermarket equipment. I tend to always prefer the way stock equipment looks, fits, and intrinsically feels (I am a devotee to the SKX007/9 jubilee).
The stock silicone diver’s strap is awesome and I’ll come back to it in warmer weather, but in the meantime, I had the perfect winter strap to find. I first had it on a NATO-style strap in sage (read: pale green grey), but I didn’t like how tall it made the Turtle wear with two layers of nylon under the case.
The cushion case of the Turtle is so well fitting, despite it’s dimensions, that I find it most comfortable when the caseback lays directly against the wrist. I also knew I wanted something to act as counter balance to the thick and weighty Turtle watch head.
The BOR bracelet speaks for itself in pictures. There is so much to love about it, just look at it.
A personal critique is that I don’t usually prefer bracelets this thick (it tapers down to 20mm from 22mm end links), but it does balance the watch nicely. The link edges and flip-lock clasp are also a little rough to the touch, though I imagine that they will file and smooth with use.
Very minor on a very major bracelet option for the Turtles.