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Old 21 October 2018, 05:23 AM   #61
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OP, great photos. Did you use a DSLR or your phone?
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Old 21 October 2018, 05:27 AM   #62
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Great photos and post, Mystro.
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Old 21 October 2018, 07:42 AM   #63
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OP, great photos. Did you use a DSLR or your phone?
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Old 21 October 2018, 07:47 AM   #64
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Its total proportions are absolutely perfect from the face, hands, bezel, case, bracelet and the clasp.
[/B] Think "Rolex perfection".
Great review and cool pictures.

I've owned my SD43 since launch back in May 2017. Although I like it, it's not perfectly proportionate to me for one reason: I find the dial too small compared to the case size. It took me a while to realize this but wearing other divers made it clear to me. It's even worse in the Deepsea further accentuated by the ring lock system. Basically with the Sub/SD/DSSD you're getting roughly the same dial size as in a 34-36mm watch, which kind of sucks. I look at my big SD43 and I see a tiny dial.

Not my picture but it illustrates my point. Planet Ocean vs. Deepsea:
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Old 21 October 2018, 08:18 AM   #65
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This morning I checked the time and it was spot on after two days since last set against atomic clock, so may be orientation I rest it when off.

I am out today where it belong on the water (if not below the water). Cheers!



My family - our watches on the boat!



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My wife with her Sea Dweller 16600 M serial



Daughter with her Milgauss




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Old 21 October 2018, 08:48 AM   #66
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This morning I checked the time and it was spot on after two days since last set against atomic clock, so may be orientation I rest it when off.

I am out today where it belong on the water (if not below the water). Cheers!



My family - our watches on the boat!



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My wife with her Sea Dweller 16600 M serial



Daughter with her Milgauss




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Your killing me. Your weather looks so much better than ours today. Cold and windy with a chance of snow flurry’s tonight. Great pics.
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Old 21 October 2018, 08:56 AM   #67
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Mystro, great thread. Love your enthusiasm for this reference! It's pretty much perfect...
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Old 21 October 2018, 09:12 AM   #68
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Mystro, great thread. Love your enthusiasm for this reference! It's pretty much perfect...
Thanks. I honestly have fallen back on fire for the Rolex brand the last few years. I appreciate their technology and advancements. As much as I loved owning Rolex for almost 3 decades, the brand felt a bit stagnant before the ceramic movement. Now with the bigger sizes and new movement have nailed what I have been looking for. I struggled with the Rolex companies new heavy handed policies but I begrudgingly accepted it.
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Old 21 October 2018, 09:31 AM   #69
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Great review and cool pictures.

I've owned my SD43 since launch back in May 2017. Although I like it, it's not perfectly proportionate to me for one reason: I find the dial too small compared to the case size. It took me a while to realize this but wearing other divers made it clear to me. It's even worse in the Deepsea further accentuated by the ring lock system. Basically with the Sub/SD/DSSD you're getting roughly the same dial size as in a 34-36mm watch, which kind of sucks. I look at my big SD43 and I see a tiny dial.

Not my picture but it illustrates my point. Planet Ocean vs. Deepsea:
The PO has a big face and small bezel. Two very different designs. Here is a pic of my old 45mm PO 2500 with my old 5 digit Serti Sub. The SD50th looks like a monster next to a 5 digit Sub.


My wrist with both:

The PO bezel is a bit thin side to me.


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Old 21 October 2018, 01:12 PM   #70
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Wore a PO on nato for many years till I traded it for SD50. Yes, the dial observation is spot on.



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Old 21 October 2018, 05:00 PM   #71
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A few more pics from boating on Coronado and Hotel Del afterwards
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Our Watches - 1 (5).jpg (201.6 KB, 226 views)
File Type: jpg Our Watches - 2 (1).jpg (232.5 KB, 226 views)
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Old 21 October 2018, 11:15 PM   #72
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It has been said before in this thread, but your pictures are lovely and your observations are appreciated. Your passion for this watch is palpable and I applaud you, sir.

If I didn't already have one, I would be lusting after it so badly right now...
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Old 22 October 2018, 02:21 AM   #73
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Basically with the Sub/SD/DSSD you're getting roughly the same dial size as in a 34-36mm watch, which kind of sucks. I look at my big SD43 and I see a tiny dial.
That's an interesting observation. I always thought it was a little incongrous that the 39mm Explorer has a bigger dial than the 40mm SubC. It's even more incongrous comparing the Explorer dial to that of the SD43. I have often wondered why Rolex saw fit to beef up the size of the SD case but not the dial.
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Old 22 October 2018, 04:18 AM   #74
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That's an interesting observation. I always thought it was a little incongrous that the 39mm Explorer has a bigger dial than the 40mm SubC. It's even more incongrous comparing the Explorer dial to that of the SD43. I have often wondered why Rolex saw fit to beef up the size of the SD case but not the dial.
may be because of the higher depth rating.
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Old 22 October 2018, 04:37 AM   #75
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may be because of the higher depth rating.
SD4K had the same depth rating as the SD43, but dial-to-case proportions similar to that of the Sub, at least in terms of diameter (not thickness).
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Old 22 October 2018, 12:26 PM   #76
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The pictures are fantastic. The write up is great, too. But it’s great to get an upvlose visual like that to look at every detail.
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Old 22 October 2018, 12:28 PM   #77
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Which dial is bigger, the 43mm SD50th or the 42mm DJ2?


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Old 22 October 2018, 12:48 PM   #78
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That's an interesting observation. I always thought it was a little incongrous that the 39mm Explorer has a bigger dial than the 40mm SubC. It's even more incongrous comparing the Explorer dial to that of the SD43. I have often wondered why Rolex saw fit to beef up the size of the SD case but not the dial.
Are they really the same size dial? I could have sworn the RLSD had a larger dial because the hour/minute/second hands are longer on the sea-dweller.
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Old 22 October 2018, 01:31 PM   #79
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Are they really the same size dial? I could have sworn the RLSD had a larger dial because the hour/minute/second hands are longer on the sea-dweller.
VicLeChic says the Rolex master catalog lists the SD43 dial diameter as 29mm, and the Sub and DSSD dial diameters as 28mm. Given Rolex's liberty with measurements (we all know the DJ41 is really 40mm, for instance), I'll take that with a grain of salt. Even if Rolex's figures are correct, though, proportionally the SD43's case is 16% larger than the Sub's by top-surface area, whereas the SD43's dial is only 7% larger than the Sub's by the same standard. In other words, the SD43's dial is proportionally smaller relative to its case and bezel. I can already see Padi yelling about how hung up we are on picky details, but the numbers do confirm some subjective observations that the SD43's dial appears "small" compared to the case. At the very least, we can objectively say that the proportions of the SD43 are different from that of the Sub's.

Comparison with the Explorer II raises another question. When Rolex beefed up the Exp. II from 40mm to 42mm, they not only made the dial bigger, but they actually created a larger movement specifically for the watch, so the date window would not be too far inboard and throw off the dial layout. The SD43 uses the same size movement as what's in the current Sub (the 3235 is the same size as the 3135). If they made the SD43's dial too much bigger, without also enlarging the movement, the date window would be out of place and screw up the look. So the question is, why would Rolex develop a larger movement for the 42mm Exp. II, but not the 43mm SD43? Was that a conscious design choice, a functional consideration (due to WR requirements), or a cost-cutting measure?
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Old 22 October 2018, 01:42 PM   #80
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Congrats!
Nice pics.
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Old 22 October 2018, 02:50 PM   #81
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VicLeChic

Comparison with the Explorer II raises another question. When Rolex beefed up the Exp. II from 40mm to 42mm, they not only made the dial bigger, but they actually created a larger movement specifically for the watch, so the date window would not be too far inboard and throw off the dial layout. The SD43 uses the same size movement as what's in the current Sub (the 3235 is the same size as the 3135). If they made the SD43's dial too much bigger, without also enlarging the movement, the date window would be out of place and screw up the look. So the question is, why would Rolex develop a larger movement for the 42mm Exp. II, but not the 43mm SD43? Was that a conscious design choice, a functional consideration (due to WR requirements), or a cost-cutting measure?
Could also be production challenges, e.g. enlarging the dial will lead to thinning of bezel. ExpII is using metal bezel, that is equivalent to no bezel, just a part of the casing.
But a different story for ceramic bezel. Could there be a limit, eg higher rejects for bigger ceramic bezel diameter with reduced width (additional warp, cracks...might happen)

Just my wild guess.
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Old 22 October 2018, 08:33 PM   #82
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VicLeChic says the Rolex master catalog lists the SD43 dial diameter as 29mm, and the Sub and DSSD dial diameters as 28mm. Given Rolex's liberty with measurements (we all know the DJ41 is really 40mm, for instance), I'll take that with a grain of salt. Even if Rolex's figures are correct, though, proportionally the SD43's case is 16% larger than the Sub's by top-surface area, whereas the SD43's dial is only 7% larger than the Sub's by the same standard. In other words, the SD43's dial is proportionally smaller relative to its case and bezel. I can already see Padi yelling about how hung up we are on picky details, but the numbers do confirm some subjective observations that the SD43's dial appears "small" compared to the case. At the very least, we can objectively say that the proportions of the SD43 are different from that of the Sub's.

Comparison with the Explorer II raises another question. When Rolex beefed up the Exp. II from 40mm to 42mm, they not only made the dial bigger, but they actually created a larger movement specifically for the watch, so the date window would not be too far inboard and throw off the dial layout. The SD43 uses the same size movement as what's in the current Sub (the 3235 is the same size as the 3135). If they made the SD43's dial too much bigger, without also enlarging the movement, the date window would be out of place and screw up the look. So the question is, why would Rolex develop a larger movement for the 42mm Exp. II, but not the 43mm SD43? Was that a conscious design choice, a functional consideration (due to WR requirements), or a cost-cutting measure?
In the 5 digit cases, the SD always had a smaller dial than the Sub did, so in a sense the current SD is no different in that respect.

And there's no doubt in my mind having owned both a ceramic sub date and the SD43 that the SD's dial is bigger than the sub's dial.
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Old 24 October 2018, 03:50 AM   #83
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More pics while in airport heading to wine country










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Old 25 October 2018, 04:39 AM   #84
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I have a somber follow up to this review:

I have been having finger numbness and wrist/arm pain for a week now. I went to my friend that is a MD and he narrowed down that I have two raised tendons on the inside of my left wrist that flexes up when I make a muscle. My SD50th clasp is putting pressure on these two tendons and causing this pain and numbness. Its a combo of the weight of the watch and the clasp. I have tried sizing the watch looser but it wraps off my wrist bones and hand. I have tried every sizing combo there is in a desperate attempt and I cant get the paint to go away while wearing the SD50th. I have lifted weights for 30 years and am very muscular but the tendons rise up too high around my wrist muscles.
I have never had this issue with any of my other oversized watches. I switched the SD out for another watch like my DJ2 and the pain and numbness goes away within a 1/2 hour. Ugh.... Talking this over with my wife I am going to cut the SD50th loose and put down some more money to purchase a grail watch that is in the 40mm size. I am at a watch size/weight impasse for my wrist. I wear a 44mm Panerai on a strap for years without any issues and it doent give a whiff of pain perhaps because its on a strap.
I am pissed about the whole situation as I could have never have factored a pinched tendon in on a watch purchase. I think this is a unique situation and doesn't take anything away from the SD50th at all. Decades of Rolex ownership and this is a first.
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Old 25 October 2018, 04:46 AM   #85
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I have a somber follow up to this review:

I have been having finger numbness and wrist/arm pain for a week now. I went to my friend that is a MD and he narrowed down that I have two raised tendons on the inside of my left wrist that flexes up when I make a muscle. My SD50th clasp is putting pressure on these two tendons and causing this pain and numbness. Its a combo of the weight of the watch and the clasp. I have tried sizing the watch looser but it wraps off my wrist bones and hand. I have tried every sizing combo there is in a desperate attempt and I cant get the paint to go away while wearing the SD50th. I have lifted weights for 30 years and am very muscular but the tendons rise up too high around my wrist muscles.
I have never had this issue with any of my other oversized watches. I switched the SD out for another watch like my DJ2 and the pain and numbness goes away within a 1/2 hour. Ugh.... Talking this over with my wife I am going to cut the SD50th loose and put down some more money to purchase a grail watch that is in the 40mm size. I am at a watch size/weight impasse for my wrist. I wear a 44mm Panerai on a strap for years without any issues and it doent give a whiff of pain perhaps because its on a strap.
I am pissed about the whole situation as I could have never have factored a pinched tendon in on a watch purchase. I think this is a unique situation and doesn't take anything away from the SD50th at all. Decades of Rolex ownership and this is a first.
Based on your Hulk ownership, I estimated you would have this watch for about a year before you flipped it, even with your glowing reviews. Boy, did I overestimate that figure.
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Old 25 October 2018, 05:08 AM   #86
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I have a somber follow up to this review:
Man, that's a bummer. I can understand a larger watch causing discomfort, but I'm puzzled your other big watches don't. How does your Breitling treat you? Based on my experiences with a Chronomat Evolution, I would have thought if your Blackbird didn't cause you problems, nothing would.
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Old 25 October 2018, 06:12 AM   #87
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There's plenty of strap options out there.
Rubber B comes to mind, or something in Kevlar perhaps?
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Old 25 October 2018, 06:18 AM   #88
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Man, that's a bummer. I can understand a larger watch causing discomfort, but I'm puzzled your other big watches don't. How does your Breitling treat you? Based on my experiences with a Chronomat Evolution, I would have thought if your Blackbird didn't cause you problems, nothing would.

That is what I thought as my Breitling is a big watch but not as heavy and it’s pilot bracelet and small clasp is a different animal. I weighed the 45mm Breitling and is like 130g ish.
The sharp edge of the Rolex bracelet in combination of its weight causes a linear sharp pressure across my two wrist tendons directly in the middle of my inner wrist. The doctor could duplicate it with a tongue depressor. My DJ2 isn’t a light weight watch and it’s perfectly fine.
It’s a bummer but my wife had mercy on me and green lighted some more money to purchase a grail watch that is 40mm and not as heavy in its place.
Decades at this hobby and it still can throw a curve balls at you. I want Imcan always wear for extended periods of time so the SD50th is a catch and release for me without too much financial damage.
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Old 25 October 2018, 06:19 AM   #89
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Which dial is bigger, the 43mm SD50th or the 42mm DJ2?
Where are you getting 42mm from on the DJII??? Everything I've ever seen comes in at a true 41mm.

I have the same two watches by the way and love them both
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Old 25 October 2018, 07:00 AM   #90
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Where are you getting 42mm from on the DJII??? Everything I've ever seen comes in at a true 41mm.

I have the same two watches by the way and love them both
Here is a pic of the two together. The DJ2 is much thinner and lighter in weight.

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