Did a Submariner ever leak?...

[Sixxgrand1]

I do not recall ever reading a post anywhere about a Submariner ever leaking or failing at a usable depth. Looking at this picture comparing a DeepSea to a Submariner...one can't help but wonder if Rolex went a little overboard (no pun) in building the DSSD...I owned one for six months and it was comfortable - kudos to Rolex...but did they really need to build a timepiece that thick (was a depth rating of 12K+ really needed?)

[Grissom]

That DeepSea......nice profile!!!

[sleddog]

There have been many reported failures posted here....
Mostly though it is due to poor maintenance or failed/worn seals that have caused this!

A well maintained watch should never flood as long as the crowns in and the seals are good!

[chris russell]

Never, ever, ever, not even one time. And yes, the depth rating and the thickness of the Deep Sea are iddy-ottic. >:-(

[austinnh]

Yes submariners do flood sometimes. I have no idea weather or not this is due to user error/poor maintenance.

I think that in order to achieve the crazy depth rating, the extra thickness was necessary. But was the extra depth rating necessary? Well no, but neither is the 300m on my sub.

[Singslinger]

Rolex's philosophy is to engineer watches to the highest possible standards, then put them out there for the public to buy. If people don't like it, they won't buy and the watch will eventually sell for a discount; conversely, if everyone wants one, ADs will start charging a premium. It's then up to the individual to vote with his or her wallet.

True, no one will ever need a watch that goes 13,000ft deep but if the company sat still and didn't bother trying to push the boundaries, then they probably wouldn't enjoy the reputation or market positioning they have today. With the Deepsea, Rolex can offer customers (or boast) a mechanical watch with the highest depth rating in the world, which I would say is a pretty useful marketing tool.

[Clogger]

Originally Posted by Sixxgrand1

I do not recall ever reading a post anywhere about a Submariner ever leaking or failing at a usable depth. Looking at this picture comparing a DeepSea to a Submariner...one can't help but wonder if Rolex went a little overboard (no pun) in building the DSSD...I owned one for six months and it was comfortable - kudos to Rolex...but did they really need to build a timepiece that thick (was a depth rating of 12K+ really needed?

Rolex went way over the top with the DSSD IMHO. The DSSD does indeed have some very nice improvements over the SD but the pure bulk of the thing makes any other improvements mute. The extra depth rating adds nothing to the real world use of the watch and the extra thickness actually makes it less practicle for it's intended purpose.