The Watch Appreciation Thread - Part two (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger LeCoultre,

[Dino944]

And before the wifey complains, she got these..
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Nice to see someone else here who is also has some love for Cartier! I have a Tank also, but it is a very different type of watch. One can have both without it being redundant. Changing straps is not as easy, but I wear my Tank a lot, and not just for dressy occasions. Anyway, the Santos is a great piece and very special in the history of watches and the modern version is very cool with its bracelet system. Oh, and my first good watch as a teen was also a GMT Master.

Love the older rolex display boxes.

I greatly prefer the old Rolex boxes to the new ones. If you get a few warm humid days the painted boxes stick to paperwork that may be under the box, or the paint can stick together and come off when you try to open the the box. Definitely, not the best design.

 

[Thin White Duke]

The chunkiness is one of my favourite things about the watch.

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The mid-case is only a bit fatter than the Sub's, so it keeps the family resemblance, but the thicker caseback and bezel together with the raised-and-bevelled crystal give the Sea-Dweller a really distinctive look.

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The effect isn't apparent in a photo taken more-or-less directly from above, but it definitely makes a difference on the wrist — which I personally love.

Plus there's always the no-date Sub if someone wants a flatter-wearing alternative.

Yeah I was in a jewelers once who sold second hand Rolexes. A fella came in and stood next to me and tried on a Sea Dweller. I could tell he wasn’t happy with it as the proportions are similar to a sub. I told him he needs to get the Deep Sea, which they had in stock, so when they brought it out you could see his face light up when he tried it on - it was clear it was that extra chunkiness that he was looking for.

I quite like ‘em myself but really don’t like that ‘Ring Lock’ text around the rehault. They are ridiculously over engineered of course as mentioned above but that’s some of the appeal right? I type this as the owner of a Jeep wrangler that very seldom gets off the tarmac!

 

[Phileas Fogg]

How does that particular SD fit under a shirt cuff?

 

[Phileas Fogg]

The chunkiness is one of my favourite things about the watch.

View attachment 1375152

The mid-case is only a bit fatter than the Sub's, so it keeps the family resemblance, but the thicker caseback and bezel together with the raised-and-bevelled crystal give the Sea-Dweller a really distinctive look.

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the idea of a date or day indicator on a diving watch always struck me as odd. When I’m at 4-5 ATM do I really care that tomorrow is taco Tuesday?

 

[Thin White Duke]

the idea of a date or day indicator on a diving watch always struck me as odd. When I’m at 4-5 ATM do I really care that tomorrow is taco Tuesday?

So what? A diving watch can’t be versatile?
I have several dive watches but the one I actually use for diving is a Seiko PADI solar. It has a date. I might need

the date to remind me exactly when the holiday is over and it’s the day I need to pack and head for the airport.

 

[Belligero]

How does that particular SD fit under a shirt cuff?

Depends on the cuff.

It fits just fine on the type of shirts that I'd actually wear with that type of watch. It's a bit snug with how I get my dressier cuffs done, but I have other watches for that, so it's a non-issue.

Also, the sharply-scalloped edges on the bezel will eventually fray the **** out of finer-gauge cuff fabrics, especially if it's a tight fit — which is all the more reason not to wear a diver's watch with a fancy shirt.

Of course with the extension link and adjustable clasp, it always fits perfectly over a cuff. It's not just for diving, either; it's nice to have for things like skiing sometimes.

the idea of a date or day indicator on a diving watch always struck me as odd. When I’m at 4-5 ATM do I really care that tomorrow is taco Tuesday?

Probably not, but if you're in a saturation environment for a few weeks, it's pretty handy to have the date for things like filling out the log book.

 

[FibroblastsMakeLeather]

Here is my diver. My left wrist is thin and the Submariner is almost too big. I never tried on the SD4K but would assume that the 43mm would be too much wrist presence for me. It does look amazing though, as well as the James Cameron.

 

[bdavro23]

Here is my diver. My left wrist is thin and the Submariner is almost too big. I never tried on the SD4K but would assume that the 43mm would be too much wrist presence for me. It does look amazing though, as well as the James Cameron.
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Interestingly, I felt like the Red SD that came out a couple of years ago actually fit my wrist better than a standard Sub. Maybe it had to do with the lug to lug measurements and the Maxi case sub looking much bigger on the wrist than other 40MM cases. IDK, maybe it was just me.

 

[FibroblastsMakeLeather]

Interestingly, I felt like the Red SD that came out a couple of years ago actually fit my wrist better than a standard Sub. Maybe it had to do with the lug to lug measurements and the Maxi case sub looking much bigger on the wrist than other 40MM cases. IDK, maybe it was just me.

I think it has a lot to do with the lugs. I tried on an old (2008) SD at an AD and it did fit better (it was truly beautiful). The Maxi case also makes a difference with lug to lug size. So it is not as comfortable or 'cool' looking.

There are raging arguments on Rolex forums about how Rolex has lost its way and ruined the Sub with the larger case and fat lugs. 'No longer a tool watch'... 'It is a soap bar with a ceramic circle on top impersonating a dial and bezel'....etc...

For me, I invested a lot of time and energy into obtaining my modern SS Sub at MSRP from an AD. It is also my first big watch purchase. I am going to make an attempt at this being my 'one watch' and see how things change over time. Perhaps it will end up being everything all of the critics say about it. Maybe I'll start hating it, and then have a memorable experience with it and can't stop wearing it, and then it will just be something I wear everyday just because it is simply me....

Below you can see the old SD and beside it a 'gold' Modern Sub that I was testing at a different AD. The SD lugs seem to curve graciously around my thin wrist. The lugs on the modern sub stick out...

 

[Ebitdaddy]

Lol I can't believe people still think of them as "tools". They are about as far away from being a tool as I can imagine.

 

[mak1277]

Lol I can't believe people still think of them as "tools". They are about as far away from being a tool as I can imagine.

Even if someone wears their Sub or SD in all the situations where you might use a tool watch? The very reason I bought a Sub in the first place was the idea that I could wear it in pretty much any situation I find myself in (which, for me, includes a great deal of fairly rough outdoor activity).

 

[Dino944]

The funny thing people used to say about all the 4 and 5 digit reference Rolex watches, they were overpriced considering they had Mediocre bracelets with hollow links, cheap stamped steel clam shell end link/attachments to the case, and cheap stamped steel clasps, and the bottoms of the lugs were too sharp and should be polished and flatter. Oh and people wanted bigger watch cases from Rolex.

Now people look back fondly and the 4 and 5 digit reference Rolex watches, those are tool watches! While the new watches with improvements people asked for solid end links, solid metal bracelets, machined clasps and bigger cases, well these aren't tool watches they are jewelry/bling.

 

[FibroblastsMakeLeather]

The funny thing people used to say about all the 4 and 5 digit reference Rolex watches, they were overpriced considering they had Mediocre bracelets with hollow links, cheap stamped steel clam shell end link/attachments to the case, and cheap stamped steel clasps, and the bottoms of the lugs were too sharp and should be polished and flatter. Oh and people wanted bigger watch cases from Rolex.

Now people look back fondly and the 4 and 5 digit reference Rolex watches, those are tool watches! While the new watches with improvements people asked for solid end links, solid metal bracelets, machined clasps and bigger cases, well these aren't tool watches they are jewelry/bling.

I suppose the next gen sub will keep the improvements but have slimmer lugs? I wonder if the complaints would go away if all of the improvements were there but had the old 'sexy' design.

 

[Dino944]

I suppose the next gen sub will keep the improvements but have slimmer lugs? I wonder if the complaints would go away if all of the improvements were there but had the old 'sexy' design.

No, I doubt it. No company can please everyone. Some people like the vintage pieces, some people like the new pieces and welcomed the beefier case, some people like both, and some people don't like anything from Rolex. It took me a while to get used to the newer lugs, but once you wear a watch that has the newer lugs, you forget about it after a while.

Not to mention, if all of the sudden, Rolex went back to the old style of lugs, all of the sudden we would see people speculating and trying to buy as many of the super lug cased watches as possible. We would probably see prices go up because it would just be a roughly 13 year chapter in Rolex history (quite short in Rolex's life span) where watches had these lugs.

In the end anything is possible. You bought a modern Sub, enjoy it! It's a great watch!

 

[rodgers12]

The chunkiness is one of my favourite things about the watch.

View attachment 1375152

The mid-case is only a bit fatter than the Sub's, so it keeps the family resemblance, but the thicker caseback and bezel together with the raised-and-bevelled crystal give the Sea-Dweller a really distinctive look.

View attachment 1375153

The effect isn't apparent in a photo taken more-or-less directly from above, but it definitely makes a difference on the wrist — which I personally love.

Plus there's always the no-date Sub if someone wants a flatter-wearing alternative.

I found the SD4K to be a bit top heavy in my brief exposure so probably better suited to larger wrists, but beautiful watch nonetheless.

Personally would opt for it over the Sub even with increase in cost