Rolex In Heavy Weight Showdown...!

[Ryuden]

Got some free time, took some photos and decided to share it here and make my first real contribution.

I've always been a loyal fan of Panerai and never Rolex until they created The Deepsea. The IWC Aquatimer is just so iconic that its a must have for me. So here are my 3 deep divers up for a cage fight.



The contenders are , Rolex Deepsea - Iwc GST Aquatimer 3536 - Panerai Pam 243

[Ryuden]

Rolex won hands down with the deepest rating of 3900m. Aquatimer 2000, as the name suggest, is half the depth of the Deepsea at 2000m, and Pam 243 is half of the Aquatimer at 1000m.


Actual testing-
Deepsea 4,875m.
Aquatimer 2000 3,200m.
243 ? I have not been able to get any info on this.

[Ryuden]

243 is ahead by just a bit at 44mm, while Deepsea is at 43mm and Iwc is at 42mm. This measurement is without crown. With crown, there's no contesting who's the winner.


Case with crown-


243 approx 51mm
Deepsea approx 48mm
Aquatimer approx 45mm

[Ryuden]

243 took this category with the thickest casing and biggest crown w/crown guard followed closely by Deepsea while Iwc is no match against the big boys with no crown guard and the thinness among the three. The 243 has the 1000m markings on the crown lever while the Deepsea has the famous Crown signature. The Aquatimer is the interesting one with the old fish logo, apparently used before Richemont took over Iwc.


Thickness-
243 18mm
Deepsea 17.68mm
Aquatimer 14mm

[Ryuden]

This is a pretty close contest between all three but purely my personal opinion, Aquatimer won this round. The ala military dial and minimalist look, compensate the lack of AR coating and lume on the second hand tip. Not talking about lume here, purely dial aesthetic in terms of legibility , wordings and date. It's madness, the amount of character on the Deepsea. Lol!

Number of words (characters) on the dials (including digits and symbols)

Aquatimer 47
243 50
Deepsea 141

[Ryuden]

Rolex emerged the winner here. The caseback being one of the three core component in the ring lock system to withstand immense pressure. The Aquatimer has a pretty decent case back with the Submarine logo and the 243 is the one with the most info engraved on its back.

Screw down case back

Deepsea Stainless Steel ring with titanium alloy
Aquatimer Titanium
243 Stainless Steel

[Ryuden]

Aquatimer is the champion here with its unique bezel where you have to press down in order to rotate it. It's useful for divers as it practically eliminates the possibility of the bezel turning accidentally. The Deepsea have an impressive ceramic bezel insert, an upgrade in the recent changes from the older aluminum bezel found in Rolex earlier divers. 243 bezel have a nice contrast with its polished indicators against the brushed bezel.

Number of clicks

Deepsea 120 clicks
Aquatimer 60 clicks
243 60 clicks

[Ryuden]

This is a very very difficult category. All three divers have their strengths. Deepsea with its impressive glidelock bracelet. Aquatimer with its well engineered push pin system. 243 with the unlimited ability to mount practically any straps. The winner? All three score a point. It's a tie.

[Ryuden]

Both the Aquatimer and 243 are a discontinued model and Deepsea is widely available in the market. Tie between 243 and Aquatimer.

243 2500 pieces
Aquatimer 3000 pieces
Deepsea current production

[Ryuden]

No contest here when it comes to the weight. Deepsea is the real Heavy Weight champion!

But since the arrival of the Aquatimer, the Champion is having a hard time to get on the wrist. The Aquatimer is so comfortable for daily wear. Since we are talking about weight and comfortability, Deepsea wins. The trick is to really fit the bracelet to your wrist size and wear it like how it's supposed to be worn! I bet the complains about the tapered bracelet and top heavy will soon be gone.

[Ryuden]

Score :-

Depth Rating - Deepsea
Size - 243
Thickness/Crown - 243
Dial - Aquatimer
Caseback - Deepsea
Bezel - Aquatimer
Bracelet/Straps - Deepsea/Aquatimer/243
Availability/Rarity - 243/Aquatimer
Weight/Comfortability - Deepsea

Total
Deepsea 4 points
Aquatimer 4 points
243 4 points

It's a tie in total scored points between these three divers. I am lucky to own them and the only issue I have is deciding which one to wear. Lol.

This comparison is purely from my point of view and will varies with different owners.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers.

[cali kid]

That is a great collection.... love all three and the 243 is one of my favorite Panerai Submersible pieces..

[GadgetGeek]

Thanks for the review. I've always liked the Aquatimer. Nice collection.

[Cc1966]

That was a great/fun contest. Well thought out and incredible pictures. Thanks for the review (BTW I concur with your findings...almost!).

[GT1]

Great Read!! Thx

[sea-dweller]

Nice photos and review!

[playmore009]

Awesome Trio and a great review. I would have a hard time deciding in the morning.

[antbkny]

Nice write up! You gotta get a ploprof up in the mix next time!

[Nycturbovr6]

Great write up!

[Psmith]

Three great watches

[TripleB Boston]

Awesome post. Well done. Enjoy all three.

[dominic.warren]

I must say nice post. All 3 pieces are great. The panerai has such a cool look it is so hard not to get one. The deepsea well is a deepsea and is just bad ass. And I along with you love the bezel on the iwc. So for me the panerai wins on it's unique styling. Love your post!!

[Marvoon]

Great review,thx :)

[Hairdude1]

Great post

[Andad]

Good work but you missed the most important comparison Miki.















































Desirability......

[Santiago79]

Great collection!! congrats