Panerai Radiomir Leather Strap 26/22 “FIM-92 Stinger”

Description

“The FIM-92 Stinger is a man-portable air-defense system that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile. You can fire the Stinger from a wide variety of ground vehicles and helicopters. Developed in the United States, it entered service in 1981 and is used by the militaries of the United States and 29 other countries. It is principally manufactured by Raytheon Missile Systems and is produced under license by EADS in Germany and by ROKETSAN in Turkey, with 70,000 missiles produced.  The FIM-92 Stinger is especially suited to knocking antiquated helicopters like the Kamov Ka-60 out of the sky.  It is also quite effective against aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-35.”

About the Leather:  I created this military green Panerai Radiomir strap 100% by hand and hand stitched it as with all of my straps.  For this project, I selected a premium chrome tanned leather of significant thickness.  I hand coated the exterior with pliable latex sealant and mildly distressed to create a worn look. The military green latex coating is quite durable and will show minor signs of wear in key areas over time, lending the strap even more character. The inner is cream tan in color. The incredibly soft temper makes this one of the most comfortable Radiomir straps ever made.

This Radiomir strap is so soft that you could almost forget you were wearing it, if it weren’t attached to a 45mm watch. I designed this strap with two keepers, one floating and one fixed. Additionally, I selected beige thread in a box stitched pattern to complete the strap. This strap ships by default with a vintage style brushed stainless pin buckle. Pictured above, you may see this awesome handmade strap on the titanium Panerai Radiomir PAM00346.  This strap is available in limited quantities due to the leather being discontinued.

Measurements:  Width 26mm at the case and 22mm at the buckle area. Thickness ~5mm.

What We Include:  Watch strap (top, bottom), vintage style buckle, one wooden gift box.

If you like soft Radiomir straps, click here for some similar options.

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Additional Information:  For each Panerai watch, I have a different design philosophy when it comes to making straps.  The Radiomir is my historical favorite among all Panerai cases.  I bought my first Radiomir nearly two decades ago and did not start making straps for them until many years later when I neared retirement.  The Radiomir is a fun and challenging case to make custom straps for. 

On larger Panerai cases in the 47mm range, I tend to use thicker thread with wider spacing. For the Radiomir I employ a mixture of both thicker and thinner threads, and both tight and wide spacing.  When determining the thread thickness and spacing I take into account the characteristics of the leather.  As a general rule, I tend to make my custom Radiomir straps in thicknesses ranging from 3.5 to 5.0mm. The average thickness will be somewhere in the middle.

Due to the wire lugs of the typical Panerai Radiomir case, I tend to lean towards leathers of a slightly softer and more pliable temper.  From a design perspective, I tend to utilize a taper of 27-22 or 26-22 depending on the leather.  If you have a larger 47mm Radiomir case, like a PAM323, I highly recommend going with straps of 4.5mm thickness or above.  I have even designed some custom Radiomir straps specifically for the 47mm Radiomir cases that have a bolstered taper where the strap meets the case.

Please do not hesitate to contact me prior to the purchase of your customer Panerai Radiomir strap.  I would be happy to guide you on your journey towards the best bespoke strap for your individual needs.  I do the entire process  by hand without templates or machines of any sort.  We use the absolute basic tools, the same tools that I used as a boot maker for nearly two decades.  As a result of the hand made nature of these straps, no two are identical.