|
|
| Welcome to 3T! Please take the time to register and join in on the friendly,knowledgeable watch talk.Please note that not all registrations will receive an immediate activation e-mail.Those who do not receive an immediate notification will be activated manually within 48hrs. by an admin. without an e-mail activation url sent to you,you may then sign in using your username and password,if you feel there is a problem please e-mail us at timetechtalk@hotmail.com and include your name and username and we activate your account.Thank You! |
| Moderated by: 3T | ||
| Author | Post | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
apeogre 3T WIS 
|
So, for a long time I've been hesitant about looking at Rolex. I went into the local AD yesterday and tried a 50th version of the sub. I gotta say at 40mm it's pretty small, but I'm not sure it's too small. Was I thinking it looked good because it's a rolex on my wrist, or does the classic look, albeit a bit smaller, just look good on everyone? I was wearing my 45.5 PO in at the time I went in. It didn't seem too small compared to it. Anyone have any thoughts on Rolex and their smallish size? BTW I know I said I was done buying watches. It's still fun to look though. :) |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS 
|
Apeogre, it's ok to lie about not buying another watch again . I do that all the time.....In my opinion, Rolex takes the usual middle road when they express designs. For example, when the trend was to go big, it took Rolex a few years to follow and when it did, it didn't go overboard and didn't make cases and dials as big as a frisbee. In fact, Patek went bigger ahead of Rolex and Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-Le Coultre, Cartier and even Zenith, led the way ahead of most of the luxury brands. As proof, just recall AP's Royal Oak Offshore T3. I think you can land a small plane on its dial and the Royal Oak Offshore T3 was issued about 6 to 8 years ahead of the big DSSD.Rolex's interpretation of size stops at the 43mm of the DSSD and the slightly bigger looking Yachtmaster II. I think they are telegraphing a message that all their futuring and modelling shows that 44mm seems to be the limit. They may be right and they may be wrong. Time will tell. Their Datejust line has also been fed with some steroids and the usual 36mm DJ of a few years ago is now issued at 39mm although slightly heftier and heavier. So, to get to my point, Rolex always strives to be a classic, to be timeless. It's in their heritage and for sure, in their vision. They strive not only to be the most coveted brand but also for perfection. All this brand power combines when you go to your favorite AD. I find Rolex "smallish" as you say but then again i think they have made a bet on where size will settle at in the buyer's mind and in the buyer's wrist. Doubts? Check out the Tudors. They also stop at 43mm with the Iconaut at the top of the range. Hope this helps. |
|||||||||
|
apeogre 3T WIS
|
BRP, I swear I'm done..... for now. :) That said, I do think of Rolex as a classic. It's not going anywhere anytime soon. I do wish they would make a more reasonably priced 43mm watch. The DSSD is far and away a great looking watch but, the monstrous price tag is a bit of an eyesore. I did tell the guy at my shop to call me when they get a no date sub in. I'm going to try it on and see what it's like having a black watch on at that size. I have a feeling that the size isn't going to bother me much. I just have to remember not to wear my Breitling Avenger Skyland in when I try it on. It just wouldn't be fair. BRP, do you happen to own any Rolex watches? I can't remember seeing any in the daily check. But There's just so many cool watches I see. |
|||||||||
|
Paxman 3T WIS 
|
I like big watches plenty but 40mm doesn't stop me. I just think back to 20 years ago when a 40mm watch seemed a big watch. I think you are right on with your thoughts on being "classic". A Rolex at 40mm has more than enough wrist presence unless you've got gorilla wrists. I can tell you I had reservations about my GMT Master II being 40mm when I started down the path, but they were soon swept aside once I had the watch on. Hey, we're WIS and at the moment the trend is big. Most lay people look at me like I am a nut job when I am wearing a 48mm Alpina and even watches at 44mm/45mm are considered huge to the general public. I don't think you would regret wearing the Sub at 40mm but that's jmho! DO IT!!  |
|||||||||
|
Graham 3T WIS 
|
Apeogre BRP has more Rolex's than I can remember! And that says something, because he's mostly into the BIG watches.......I think Pax nailed it: wrist presence. Even my 18ct. Datejust looks good on the wrist, despite being 36mm. We have had this discussion a few times before: personally I think anything over 45mm is more of a fashion statement. Things might or might not change back to the "average" size as the norm. The point is: who cares? If you're wearing a particular watch to impress someone else, it's for the wrong reason. Wear it because you like it - regardless of its dimensions. Back to Rolex: I don't know too many people who will turn a Rolex down because of the size.........;) |
|||||||||
|
apeogre 3T WIS
|
Hey guys, I'm not saying I'm gonna be buying another watch. :) I'm just here to get everyone's opinion on the size vs the name Rolex. I saw someone wearing a sub the other day, and I thought, dang that looks good! not, wow, that looks really small.  And the more I think about it, the more I like the SeaDweller. But I'm not gonna buy one.....I have a new camera and scuba equipment to buy. Moving to Japan in Jan. :) |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS
|
Apeogre, yes, I have quite a few Rolexes. (Thanks for the covering fire, Graham;)). I will PM you what I have been posting. Today, I posted a Daytona. I also have Rolex his/hers models that I haven't posted yet. Rolex was the brand that launched me into collecting watches about 16/17 years ago. The DSSD is at a price point that I can't seem to reconcile with but then again, price/value are all relative. For example, the Patek World Time, with its elegance and time zone simplicity is at a price point about 5 times the DSSD and yet doesn't have as many features as the DSSD. The Seiko Pepsi (009) for example is so much watch for so little money and is way up there for relative quality and value but yet, like many of us, I may just wear it just about 2x or 3x a year. Simply put, it lacks wrist presence, in my opinion.On the topic of big watches, I agree with Graham and Mark. We should really be wearing the big watches because we want to. In a post I contributed to sometime back, I opined that the big watches (north of 40mm) will have a category of their own in the years to come. There will be a big watch category as there are divers, GMTs, chronos, pilots etc;) Last edited on Fri Nov 20th, 2009 11:16 am by bigrustypig |
|||||||||
|
Paxman 3T WIS
|
If I'm not mistaken, Jeff, Basel started a big watch category two years back...;) I guess that time has come. |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS
|
You are right, Mark. I think that was the year Basel split up into 2 venues....or was it the year prior:? |
|||||||||
|
mcwright Admin 
|
I had coffee with an old boss of mine yesterday. I wore my new 43mm Ball Night Train and he had on his 20 some year-old Rolex President in yellow gold. The old Rolex President looked tiny compared with my Ball. I'm not sure the size of the Rolex, but I'd guess it was 36 to 38mm. It was an interesting comparison in terms of case size and how big watches have become. FWIW, the watch STILL looked good on his wrist and he is a large size man with an 8.5-inch wrist. I also just bought a vintage Seiko moonphase quartz for a friend. It is a man's watch. Size is 32mm. |
|||||||||
|
GX9901 3T WIS 
|
I tried on a GMT Master II a few months back. I wore my 42mm SuperOcean at the time and the Rolex didn't seem small in comparison. I'd buy the GMT Master II if I had the cash! I think 40mm is actually a pretty good sized watch. Only when compared with the big 44mm+ watches do they become kind of small. |
|||||||||
|
smith1792 3T WIS 
|
Paxman wrote: A Rolex at 40mm has more than enough wrist presence unless you've got gorilla wrists. I have just such characteristics coyote2.gif, and they seem small on my wrist. That's not stopping from saving for my 50th Anniersary Sub though. Stu |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS
|
mcwright wrote: I had coffee with an old boss of mine yesterday. I wore my new 43mm Ball Night Train and he had on his 20 some year-old Rolex President in yellow gold. That's a great watch to have, the Rolex President. What an appropriate name for the flagship of the entire line. The old President is 36mm but is slightly thicker than the usual same time period DateJust because of the day feature at 12noon. The President is what I always wanted, but in white gold or platinum, as a way to mark one's lifetime achievements.:D |
|||||||||
|
apeogre 3T WIS
|
smith1792 wrote: Paxman wrote:A Rolex at 40mm has more than enough wrist presence unless you've got gorilla wrists. Sounds like the allure of a Rolex is overpowering the "smallish" size of the watch. :) |
|||||||||
|
smith1792 3T WIS
|
apeogre wrote: smith1792 wrote:Paxman wrote:A Rolex at 40mm has more than enough wrist presence unless you've got gorilla wrists. Apeogre, You may be right, but you also can't sell any old watch anywhere in the world and buy a plane ticket either. It's an investment. There's no way in H-E double hockey sticks that I would wear it to work, but I just want it. There, I said it. Plain & simple, I want it. Such is life. Stu |
|||||||||
|
Nabco 3T WIS 
|
I sold my three DJ about a year ago, was not wearing them because of the size. I had purchased all three watches on the secondary market. That said I sold all three of them within an hour for at least what i paid for them...so to that end i do agree there is still a sellers market for them.....at least there was a year ago. |
|||||||||
|
apeogre 3T WIS
|
smith1792 wrote:
I'm starting to become in the same boat. It might be a little small, but I want one too! I think the namesake surpasses my hesitation on the size. Besides, I've got just around 7.25 inch wrists. It's still look pretty normal. Now, to start saving for the nice used Sea-Dweller! |
|||||||||
|
KenC Admin 
|
Please, 40mm is fine on a Rolex...sorry to disappoint some of you, but when people are looking at your Rolex (or any other watch) they are doing just that...looking at the watch...not your "manly" wrists! |
|||||||||
|
teddyhanna Guest
|
Funny funny I gues it's time for Teddy to man up. Everyday I wear the Marathon TSAR 41mm to work, but when I get home then I switch and put on, one of my big boys. Its's funny I dig the sh*t out of that 41mm TSAR, for me I wear it with the bracelet one week then I switch to the zulu or the marathon rubber. It's taken me 3 years to figure it out 44mm and 18mm high is the biggest I want to go. Noted I have 7.25 wrist. |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS
|
My limit I guess, is 52mm (withOUT the crown) and 18mm high. The Seiko Prospex SBDX011 fits the bill. Note that my wrist is just 6.75 inches |
|||||||||
|
IanM 3T WIS 
|
All above agreed, fellas. Remember, too, that face size contributes strongly to the appearance of a watch on the wrist - just try a Mido "all-dial" and be surprised at how large it wears compared to its more modest case size. I have some Rolexes, all of which are 40mm or thereabouts - 3 x date subs, one no-date, and a gold Daytona with white face on a gold bracelet. Love them to death because they remind me of the reasons for buying them every time I take them out of the safe. Don't wear them all that often any more. Evidence of the love is everywhere on all but the Daytona (which is still like-new) - the others have taken a severe beating over the years but have and will, I suspect, always perform flawlessly, despite their SIGNIFICANT wabi :?. Even in the days when 34 to 38mm watches were the "trend" I was keen on the larger size as a personal preference! IMHO - nobody doubts the build quality of a Rolllie - but until now and for the foreseeable future, the company has surely decided that its own "sweet spot" is 43mm or under. I would not like to see a 45mm President version - it would be like a charicature of the iconic original. And a 47~49mm version of the Sub would not be as universally wearable as the original, either. I guess my point is that you either like the original and everlasting versions of the Rolex, or you choose another watch! Put one on your wrist, make a choice, but decide for yourself if the cachet of the name and the undoubted image such a watch creates of its wearer (which is usually a good one - barring the bling bling versions I have seen on a few "rappers"!!) supports the slightly smaller (than is usual these days) case size, and then it is merely a question of cost, percieved value - and if you are a flipper, then possible resale value, too. In short - they are great watches, mate. Whether looking or buying, perhaps your most interesting comment was that you had even noticed your old bosses watch! It is a mark of a solid career, of solid values, of solid dependability and of a solid price paid! But would you have made the same comment if it was a Timex, or a Swatch? I suggest not! Yeah - you love 'em - and I hope you get one soon to experience the feeling it gives YOU to own what are rightly called by many to be a classical masterpiece. Good luck with your window shopping! I would go for the DSSD, too. And just to open the topic up a little - my choice would be a PVD version.. :shock: IanM hand6.gif |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS
|
IanM, you've got a gold Daytona??? Man, I always wanted that and the President but that's several salary grades above me. Apeogre, you won't know how it feels until you own it and I can't describe the joy I feel whenever I have one on. Start with the Sub with date, if I may suggest. IanM, the new President is already 41mm and so are the new version DateJusts. Nic, you shouldn't have sold your cache of 3 DJs . Those babies really rock! |
|||||||||
|
Nabco 3T WIS
|
bigrustypig wrote: Nic, you shouldn't have sold your cache of 3 DJs They sat in the safe for almost 2 years and did not wear them even one time.....it was time for them to go... |
|||||||||
|
oagaspar Site Founder 
|
as WIS we may know more than the average watch consumer and can name dozens of watches we feel are better than a Rolex both less and much more in price. In reality though given the same price range, the fact that a Rolex rarely if ever loses $ or value and has a long running reputation for longevity it's very hard to beat .My next Rolie will undoubtedly be the Explorer I with no date and it's a mere 36mm ....it's a classic and one I have always wanted...and it will be worn.I think many forget how rugged a Rolex really is and how much R&D is put into the brand to make it so...Rolex as a brand is more than a glorified symbol or just a great looking watch.... it can stand up to pretty much any conditions imo....just ask James Bond! :D |
|||||||||
|
OldeCrow 3T WIS 
|
You know James bond gave up his Beretta and his Rolex for a Walther and an Omega. |
|||||||||
|
IanM 3T WIS
|
bigrustypig wrote: IanM, you've got a gold Daytona??? Man, I always wanted that and the President but that's several salary grades above me Hiya BRP - yessir. Testing my memory - the Daytona is (I think) a U?? serial, bought in 1998 and the model number is probably a 16509. Better minds can confirm the details, but it is an 18k yellow gold white-faced, white subdials with gold surrounds non-Zenith model (with no diamonds!!). Has sure held its value - its worth more now than when I bought it. Mate, I acknowledge your point about the increased size to 41mm - but I can't say I have ever seen a 41mm President or Datejust in the flesh, yet ;). I have tried on a coupla 42mm Omega Aqua Terras, and they were just about the minimum I would consider to be my taste, these days. I am off to Canberra for this Wed, Thurs and Fri - might get the chance to see the new Rollies there, or will chat with the AD here in Perth on my return, so I can talk about it from experience and not just photos!! Wonder if the bigger Presidents and Datejusts are more "me" than the smaller version, or if I am too used to the 42s. 44s and 45s I wear now?? Will let ya know! Cheers guys - let the debate rage on! IanM hand6.gif |
|||||||||
|
apeogre 3T WIS
|
I love where this discussion is going! BRP, why would you suggest the sub with date as opposed to the Sea-dweller? Note, I can't see myself buying a dssd. I have the bubble on my Boschett RR and I gotta say, I'm not a super fan of the bubble. Love the watch but the bubble kind of distracts from the fantastic blue face. I talked to my AD and he said that apparently Rolex will remove the bubble for me, however, it would probably leave a small right. I'm guessing in the AR coating. I'm not really a fan of having a ring on my crystal. Hence why I'm thinking that the SD would be a good choice. Does anyone here have a SD? I'm curious to see their thoughts on it, especially compared to the Sub. Ian, I'd love to see a shot of your Gold Daytona!!! Maybe next to the res of your subs??? Please?  I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one here who'd like to see it. And please don't forget your camera when you go to get the info on any new models on the horizon. |
|||||||||
|
aujang 3T WIS 
|
apeogre wrote: I love where this discussion is going! At 40mm the Sub is the smallest watch in my "family" and it is dwarfed by its larger siblings. Is it a problem? Absolutely not. You should know, however, that contrary to what your AD has told you, Rolex will not remove the cyclops on the crystal. Also if you send your Sub in to RSC for service without the cyclops Rolex will replace the crystal or it will not service the watch.  |
|||||||||
|
apeogre 3T WIS
|
aujang, that Rolex seems a little out of place in that photo. |
|||||||||
|
lincolnunit 3T WIS 
|
I too have been kicking around a Deep Sea Dweller, but can't seem to abide the pricing. At least it will be the most expensive I've bought at this point. I have a Yachtmaster and TT Sub, and even owned an Explorer II, but got rid of it as it fit too small for me. Then I went and wore one of my Renato divers and MAN WHAT A 'HONKER!!! To be truthful, I've been rotating two of my Seamasters (which I thought were massive at one time, but not compared with some of my wrist tanks) and the Rolex's. Trying to convince myself to pop the tire of a purchase of a DSD already. Since the size and heft are more in line with what would fit with my wrist. But the holidays and my nagging conscience....! |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS
|
Apeogre, to answer your question and just my opinion, I would recommend a Sub or any watch with a cyclops over the date because it makes reading the date easier. When you get to the stage, like me, where you have less head hair and women don't notice you anymore, the eyesight goes away fast and reading a tiny date window will be hard without a cyclops. The other issue really is having a watch with a date. It is simply my preference to have this convenience of knowing the date whenever I have to. With so many details and numbers in my daily life, knowing the date in a flash helps tons. Since I try to shake and wind all my unused watches every day, having a correct date confirms to me that the watch has had its daily "workout....and the rotor and spring can relax. Also, if you want to re-sell the watch with a date or with a cyclops, you will have a bigger secondary market if the watch has a date or date with cyclops. I have to agree with Augang. Your AD may have erred in saying Rolex will take away the cyclops. It simply can't be perfectly and technically done. The cyclops is part of the glass dropping/forming operation of Rolex in its glass plant and erasing it is absurd, in my opinion. What he may have meant was that the Sub's glass with the cyclops MAY be retrofitted with another crystal from a Sea Dweller. But this is where your problem starts: Rolex will never accept your "modified" Sub with that cyclops-free crystal. Try putting a stainless steel Jubillee bracelet on your 2-tone DateJust and watch how quickly the pretty Rolex customer service assistant will push the watch back to you. Plain and simple: changing the original....it's a no-no. I may be a purist on this and the only watches I MAY consider playing around with are my cheaper Seikos....but even then, I still have to muster the flair to do so. Augang, I love your collection, amigo! hand6.gifhand6.gifhand6.gif Hope this helps, Apeogre.;) |
|||||||||
|
aujang 3T WIS
|
apeogre wrote: aujang, that Rolex seems a little out of place in that photo. Yes, one of these watches is not like the others :) |
|||||||||
