OP41 Silver review and comparison with Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium

[thenewrick]

After just about 2 months on the waitlist I got my OP41 Silver Dial Saturday.

I was told I was their first Silver Dial customer which was a little surprising.

I've worn it for a couple of days and I've got some initial impressions but first a spec battle.

Rolex:
$5,900
136.5 grams
11.4 mm thickness
39.5 mm case diameter
20 mm bracelet with taper
47 mm lug to lug
Crownclasp with Easylink
+2 seconds a day
70 hour power reserve
28,800 bph
100 meter water resistant
Screw down crown
No date complication
Adequate lume and 18k indices/hands
Case is attractive with no beveling and mixed finishing
Very small crown with solid feeling action

Tissot:
$775
154.1 grams
11.5 mm thickness
40.1 mm case diameter
21 mm bracelet without taper
48.6 mm lug to lug
Double deployant clasp with no adjustment
+2 seconds a day
80 hour power reserve
21,600 bph
100 meter water resistant
No screw down crown
Date complication
Adequate lume and steel indices/hands
Case is attractive with polished bevels and mixed finishing
Medium sized crown with average feel

First impressions:

My first thought was that it was smaller than expected, fancier looking than expected, more dainty feeling/lighter than expected and the small crown was a little surprising. In the past I considered 34 and 39mm OP's but figured the 41 would be more to my liking. I am glad I did not go with a smaller piece. This is as small as I'd go with a full 7.5 inch wrist. I'd have preferred a full 41mm case and dial.

Putting the watch on felt okay but I had to use the full bracelet with the Easylink set to maximum length for it to fit at all. It's still a little tight. I'll use that as motivation to lose some weight. I am surprised that I have to set everything at maximum and consider buying an extra link for my only slightly larger than average wrist size. Seems a little cheap on Rolex's part. They should have included 1 extra link with all watches I think, or have them readily available at AD's for free with purchase. Just seems weird to buy the watch and not be able to size it correctly in the AD without having to order other parts and such.

Watch is comfortable on the wrist. I like the lightness and thinness of the case. The 20mm bracelet feels fine compared to the 21mm bracelet I'm used to. The Rolex bracelet has more taper and that seems to feel better as well. Bracelet feels well made and didn't pull hair like the Tissot did at first. Feels more well made than the Tissot but not by a mile. I'm still getting used to the Crownclasp. I think I prefer the double deployant buttons and hidden clasp though.

The dials on both are fine. I prefer no date. The Rolex seems a little higher quality for dials and indices/hands. I don't hate the double batons but don't like them either. I'd prefer to have single batons if I had the choice but it's not a big deal. It does make the time more legible. It's essentially set up like a 3-6-9 Explorer. If you like the Explorer you'd like the double batons.

The "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" text is dumb. Looks fine otherwise.

Crown feels strong and well engineered. Crown is way too small though. I was shocked by how small it is. I have medium/large hands and it's a challenge using the crown.

It's made me want to find another daily wear sports watch like a Grand Seiko GMT/diver or something that's larger, and feels more masculine and tough. I think the OP41 would look great on a strap as a dress watch. It also makes me appreciate lightness for comfort and makes me think a well made titanium sports watch would be excellent. I also have the updated Milgauss and Explorer on my radar for the coming years as a sports watch partner in the collection.

I'm keeping track of the Rolex accuracy and testing different night time resting methods. I'll report back with results. So far it actually has identical accuracy to my Tissot where it gains about +2 seconds at rest over night then loses about 2 seconds during the day while worn.

All of this leads me to my overall impression that the OP41 is a dress watch. It's dainty, pretty, small, elegant, highly polished, lots of curves and feels special. I was expecting a little more ruggedness and "entry-level tough tool" feeling. But this is really a large ladies watch. I know people don't want to hear that but it's true. It's a feminine dress piece that's sort of blurring the lines with a men's watch; just my opinion. The Tissot feels much more manly, tool-like and tough.