Here's the scoop: Pics of Deep-Sea SeaDweller vs. Submariner!!

[mcubed]

Originally Posted by tonysabres

disgustingly garish, worn by david beckham, nuff said! i own a 1680 sub, a 16550 cream dailed explorer 11, a 16600 sea dweller and a vintage yellow gold day/date that i inherited from my father, i wouldnt touch the sdds with a barge pole! how stupid of rolex, to make what is supposed to be their most hard core tool watch into an oversized disgusting attention grabbing piece of atrotious bling! it goes deeper than the mariana trench, the deepest part of the ocean in the world. having said that, i'm sure that a lot of the "johnny come lately" nuevo rolex afficinados will pounce on the possibility of owning one. unforgiveable, hans wilsdorf and alfred davis must be turning in their graves! the only saving grace about the sdds is the blue lume.

Yeah, because the original submariner was such a tiny, dainty, understated thing compared to the common gold, leather strapped, 32-34mm watches most men wore in the 1950s and early 60s.....It is all about context

[tonysabres]

i would say it's more about taste, or lack of it in favour of being ostentatious!

[acadianl79]

Deleted post

[acadianl79]

Just compare the DSSD with other current men's watch and you will realize that the watch is just above average size.

[jjbodean1970]

the writing on the rehaut is barely noticable once you start wearing it, and doesnt detract from the readability at all.

my wrist is 6 3/4" and i pull it off rather well i think. very comfy. took a little getting used to after having the SD for a while, but once i made the change i wasnt looking back. sold the SD and am thrilled every time i strap on the SDDS!

[Gerardus]

Great post, thanxs!

[Speedmeister]

Originally Posted by tonysabres

disgustingly garish, worn by david beckham, nuff said! i own a 1680 sub, a 16550 cream dailed explorer 11, a 16600 sea dweller and a vintage yellow gold day/date that i inherited from my father, i wouldnt touch the sdds with a barge pole! how stupid of rolex, to make what is supposed to be their most hard core tool watch into an oversized disgusting attention grabbing piece of atrotious bling! it goes deeper than the mariana trench, the deepest part of the ocean in the world. having said that, i'm sure that a lot of the "johnny come lately" nuevo rolex afficinados will pounce on the possibility of owning one. unforgiveable, hans wilsdorf and alfred davis must be turning in their graves! the only saving grace about the sdds is the blue lume.

Precisely why I bought the old one.

[Trini]

One could argue there is some comfort in knowing that should the wearer be on a romantic cruise in the middle of the Atlantic, and the said watch should unexpectedly come loose and fall over the side to the ocean floor ten miles below ... that upon retrieval the following day it would be fine. So the depth rating is a plus.

The size is manly.

But the DAMN writing all over the rehaut - as the gent said a few posts ago, who wants to read that 20 years from now. Big mistake, makes the watch look clumsy and dopey. Should have simply had a bigger dial and the watch would be a great representation of a 'larger' Rolex for those wanting one.

Love it but for the childlike writing.

Originally Posted by erasuretim

I think that the designers and some fans of this watch have been suckered into the concept of "bigger is better". I do not agree. Other posters have stated that this is a "tool watch" yet a prime part of the definition of a tool is surely something that is suitable for its purpose?

For 99.9% of people who wear a Rolex the depth rating of a sub is more than sufficient. Most of the features on the DSSD are redundant for the average wearer [except to bolster the wearer's ego with depth envy]. Over engineering does not make for a good tool.

If I wanted to hammer a nail into my wall - I would use a good quality normal hammer. I would not use a sledgehammer on the grounds that it was bigger, more manly and could hammer with more force than a normal hammer!!

This watch is not a tool watch IMHO, it is a watch for stock brokers and lawyers to play one-upmanship with and Rolex know this - that the customer they are marketing this to.

Can't wait till we get the first "Can I wear my DSSD in the shower" type post !

Regards

Tim

[tonysabres]

i have had 2 16600 sea dwellers both bought new, i traded my first one, an explorer and cash to get the extremely rare cream 16550, i also had a 1665 (with white writing, not red) some time ago, and bought another 16600 last week because it is a beautiful understated yet extremely tough watch which is getting very hard to find new now. my 1680 sub was given to me by my dad for my 18th birthday present. i think the people who are buying the dssd are clueless & flashy!

[kkwn98]

Originally Posted by tonysabres

i have had 2 16600 sea dwellers both bought new, i traded my first one, an explorer and cash to get the extremely rare cream 16550, i also had a 1665 (with white writing, not red) some time ago, and bought another 16600 last week because it is a beautiful understated yet extremely tough watch which is getting very hard to find new now. my 1680 sub was given to me by my dad for my 18th birthday present. i think the people who are buying the dssd are clueless & flashy!

Tastes vary and to each their own.

That said, I think this says more about you than it does those who buy or wear the DSSD.

[tonysabres]

what does it say about me then?

[Clogger]

Here is my take on the DSSD.

I am one of the guys that this watch is meant to have been designed for ie I am a Commercial Diver working in the Oil and Gas Industry.

Those of us in my profession that are keen on watches (there are quite a few of us) have keenly talked about the DSSD and many guys showed an interest in purchasing one, probably just a case of one up manship as a lot of guys wear Sub's and SD's, infact there are loads of the things on my vessel. I wear at the mo either an SD or SS Sub Date.

I was particularer interested in getting a DSSD however until recently I had only seen photo's of the watch on the net. Some of my friends had seen it in the flesh and said it was a bit of a monster. First I would like to say that from the photos I have seen I think the watch does look awesome and I was even more keen to get one.

The other day while at an AD (with a friend who is also a Comm Diver) to get a new watch (the Sub) they had a DSSD in and I was keen to have a look and that is where my interest stopped.

We both commented on how commical and ungainly the watch looked, as many have said it's not the diameter but the thickness. My mate also decided that it wasn't for him and recently ordered an original SD and I stuck with my original choice and purchassed the Sub.

Now I have always liked the fact that Rolex has always marketed it's sports watches as tools, the explorer for Mountaineers, the Daytona for Drivers, the GMT for pilots and the SD/Sub for Divers.

Now the DSSD is so big it actually is not fit for purpose, let me explain;

All romantic notions asside, Commercial Divers for the most part do not wear watches in the water, despite those great images from Comex etc.. as the watch would likely get broken and lost. The place where they got worn is in the Sat Chambers and when back in the bar on land. To that end the watch has to be quite comfy and fit for all occasions, the SD and Sub are perfect for this the DSSD is not (unless you are a very big fellow).

This is why I think the DSSD is a bit micky mouse and the original SD is in fact the better watch, I think Rolex would have been much wiser to have just updated the SD a little and kept the watch the same size as it the size of a practicle tool. I personally think Rolex have made a huge mistake with DSSD.

So if the DSSD is not favored by those who it is ultimatly designed for then what is the point in it? like I say I think the watch does look awesome but if you want to get a watch that is worn by the pros either get a Sub or a now discontinued SD.

I am not writing this to bash the DSSD, at the end of the day if you have one and like it that is all that matters. I am just trying to explain my dislike of the watch that has nothing to do with fashion but from a purely practical stand point.

Regards.

[Zanuf]

^^^Clogger, thanks for the great insight. I always wondered if the "real" pros ever wore these things. I don't think professional divers were the target market for the DSSD. There aren't enough of you out there to warrant the R&D and tooling that went into creating it. If you could buy a DSSD, keep it in the box and store it away, I think it will be a rare watch in the future. Out of all of the new Rolexes, this is the future collectable. With Rolex sales down, the likelihood of seeing another highly specialized/unusual production watch like this may be low.

[Speedmeister]

Originally Posted by Clogger

Here is my take on the DSSD.

I am one of the guys that this watch is meant to have been designed for ie I am a Commercial Diver working in the Oil and Gas Industry.

Those of us in my profession that are keen on watches (there are quite a few of us) have keenly talked about the DSSD and many guys showed an interest in purchasing one, probably just a case of one up manship as a lot of guys wear Sub's and SD's, infact there are loads of the things on my vessel. I wear at the mo either an SD or SS Sub Date.

I was particularer interested in getting a DSSD however until recently I had only seen photo's of the watch on the net. Some of my friends had seen it in the flesh and said it was a bit of a monster. First I would like to say that from the photos I have seen I think the watch does look awesome and I was even more keen to get one.

The other day while at an AD (with a friend who is also a Comm Diver) to get a new watch (the Sub) they had a DSSD in and I was keen to have a look and that is where my interest stopped.

We both commented on how commical and ungainly the watch looked, as many have said it's not the diameter but the thickness. My mate also decided that it wasn't for him and recently ordered an original SD and I stuck with my original choice and purchassed the Sub.

Now I have always liked the fact that Rolex has always marketed it's sports watches as tools, the explorer for Mountaineers, the Daytona for Drivers, the GMT for pilots and the SD/Sub for Divers.

Now the DSSD is so big it actually is not fit for purpose, let me explain;

All romantic notions asside, Commercial Divers for the most part do not wear watches in the water, despite those great images from Comex etc.. as the watch would likely get broken and lost. The place where they got worn is in the Sat Chambers and when back in the bar on land. To that end the watch has to be quite comfy and fit for all occasions, the SD and Sub are perfect for this the DSSD is not (unless you are a very big fellow).

This is why I think the DSSD is a bit micky mouse and the original SD is in fact the better watch, I think Rolex would have been much wiser to have just updated the SD a little and kept the watch the same size as it the size of a practicle tool. I personally think Rolex have made a huge mistake with DSSD.

So if the DSSD is not favored by those who it is ultimatly designed for then what is the point in it? like I say I think the watch does look awesome but if you want to get a watch that is worn by the pros either get a Sub or a now discontinued SD.

I am not writing this to bash the DSSD, at the end of the day if you have one and like it that is all that matters. I am just trying to explain my dislike of the watch that has nothing to do with fashion but from a purely practical stand point.

Regards.

Interesting post.

[Zirotti]

Originally Posted by tonysabres

what does it say about me then?

Clueless ;)

[Clogger]

...

[GeoGio Greece]

Originally Posted by ronin7

brings tears to my eyes!.......................it may be the closest i get to one in this lifetime.

+ 1

...and this is because of the size, not the price

[robrobin]

Hmmm, interesting responses. I don't dive, rarely snorkel and just like watches. I have a number of favorite divers and the DSSD is among them. Whether it's designed for 12k feet or 300 it is a striking watch that is engineered beautifully, except for the relationship size of the head to bracelet. Recently I starting wearing the new Ploprof. For me the comfort level was a bit better, mostly because the size of the bracelet. Probably the best value for the money on the market for a WR mechanical watch is the large size Omega Planet Ocean. The black on black looks great, size is perfect for me, nice bracelet and a very accurate movement.

When my wrist gets tired, I migrate back to my Seiko 200m Orange Monsters. Very comfy for every day and super inexpensive.

Loved the feedback from the pro diver but as someone said later, it probably wasn't designed for them. It was designed for the WIS who want something different......

For the record, I like the watch.

[GeoGio Greece]

Originally Posted by Clogger

Here is my take on the DSSD.

I am one of the guys that this watch is meant to have been designed for ie I am a Commercial Diver working in the Oil and Gas Industry.

Those of us in my profession that are keen on watches (there are quite a few of us) have keenly talked about the DSSD and many guys showed an interest in purchasing one, probably just a case of one up manship as a lot of guys wear Sub's and SD's, infact there are loads of the things on my vessel. I wear at the mo either an SD or SS Sub Date.

I was particularer interested in getting a DSSD however until recently I had only seen photo's of the watch on the net. Some of my friends had seen it in the flesh and said it was a bit of a monster. First I would like to say that from the photos I have seen I think the watch does look awesome and I was even more keen to get one.

The other day while at an AD (with a friend who is also a Comm Diver) to get a new watch (the Sub) they had a DSSD in and I was keen to have a look and that is where my interest stopped.

We both commented on how commical and ungainly the watch looked, as many have said it's not the diameter but the thickness. My mate also decided that it wasn't for him and recently ordered an original SD and I stuck with my original choice and purchassed the Sub.

Now I have always liked the fact that Rolex has always marketed it's sports watches as tools, the explorer for Mountaineers, the Daytona for Drivers, the GMT for pilots and the SD/Sub for Divers.

Now the DSSD is so big it actually is not fit for purpose, let me explain;

All romantic notions asside, Commercial Divers for the most part do not wear watches in the water, despite those great images from Comex etc.. as the watch would likely get broken and lost. The place where they got worn is in the Sat Chambers and when back in the bar on land. To that end the watch has to be quite comfy and fit for all occasions, the SD and Sub are perfect for this the DSSD is not (unless you are a very big fellow).

This is why I think the DSSD is a bit micky mouse and the original SD is in fact the better watch, I think Rolex would have been much wiser to have just updated the SD a little and kept the watch the same size as it the size of a practicle tool. I personally think Rolex have made a huge mistake with DSSD.

So if the DSSD is not favored by those who it is ultimatly designed for then what is the point in it? like I say I think the watch does look awesome but if you want to get a watch that is worn by the pros either get a Sub or a now discontinued SD.

I am not writing this to bash the DSSD, at the end of the day if you have one and like it that is all that matters. I am just trying to explain my dislike of the watch that has nothing to do with fashion but from a purely practical stand point.

Regards.

I could NOT agree more. I had my time with diving, both military and in private, a watch of this size is a danger , gets in the way and obstructs operations.

A Sub is there for your safety, to keep times and remain healthy and alive. And a strong - reliable watch. A SD was for saturated diving or for show. The new one is only for show and I do not think that being so complicated will prove reliable and easy to maintain / service.

Even Marketing MUST have its limits

[Lowflight]

Sub FTW....SDDS just looks stupid.

[Speedmeister]

Originally Posted by robrobin

Loved the feedback from the pro diver but as someone said later, it probably wasn't designed for them. It was designed for the WIS who want something different......

But the original SD was designed for commercial Diving. In fact, all of the Sports watches from Rolex, Omega, etc. of the 60s and 70s were designed for a purpose.

The Deep Sea represents a shift in Rolex design.. Sport watches at least. They have conceded to the market. All Rolexes have become just jewelry, stainless or otherwise. I'll bet some people won't wash their car wearing a Deep Sea.

It was inevitable really. Nobody NEEDS a rolex for ANYTHING. They are just trophies now, not tools. I think the Deep Sea is what it is and is cool for some people, but it was designed for different reasons than the original SD.

[Zanuf]

Originally Posted by Speedmeister

But the original SD was designed for commercial Diving. In fact, all of the Sports watches from Rolex, Omega, etc. of the 60s and 70s were designed for a purpose.

The Deep Sea represents a shift in Rolex design.. Sport watches at least. They have conceded to the market. All Rolexes have become just jewelry, stainless or otherwise. I'll bet some people won't wash their car wearing a Deep Sea.

It was inevitable really. Nobody NEEDS a rolex for ANYTHING. They are just trophies now, not tools. I think the Deep Sea is what it is and is cool for some people, but it was designed for different reasons than the original SD.

You know, just after my above post, I checked out the COMEX website. There is a nice article on the DSSD in their Comex Magazine #3. According to the article, Rolex and Comex worked togther developing the DSSD. So maybe there is a legitimate commercial application for the watch afterall.

[Clogger]

Originally Posted by Zanuf

You know, just after my above post, I checked out the COMEX website. There is a nice article on the DSSD in their Comex Magazine #3. According to the article, Rolex and Comex worked togther developing the DSSD. So maybe there is a legitimate commercial application for the watch afterall.

Unfortunatly Comex are no longer a Commercial Diving outfit so their input is pretty irelivant these days.

I think we can safely say that the DSSD is catering towards the trend/fashon for bigger watches and I see nothing wrong with this. Companies do have to move with the times or risk being left behind. I really do love the look of the DSSD as I am sure many others do, I feel it's just a shame that I won't get one because of the size. The positive is there are plentity of other Rolex's we can choose from if the DSSD doesn't take our fancy and the original SD's are still readaly available for those that like them.

[cber7]

Could be used as a weapon

[A1000]

Great shots and really helpful to see the comparison.

[HL65]

Great pics--great watches.

[sea-dweller]

Nice photos !!!

[mic6]

The pics on this post show clearly that the end of the old-fashion sub has come...Horrible lume, horrible clasp, too small etcetcetc

DSSD is the future

[mascot]

What a impressive watch! On this video its used in the right enviroment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsE-S...EC570&index=29

[ElPrimero]

Originally Posted by mic6

The pics on this post show clearly that the end of the old-fashion sub has come...Horrible lume, horrible clasp, too small etcetcetc

DSSD is the future

X 2