Stainless Diver & Durability

[Jkysh]

Hey everyone,

Thinking out loud here, and trying to source some inputs from owners regarding daily wear and durability of your AP divers. Ive had this watch on my mind for years now and until recently have strayed from its grasp. I purchased a Rolex Seadweller 4000 around Thanksgiving and have been wearing it daily, scuba'ing with it, shoveling, driving, boating... the works. The watch has not a nick on it, and has been put through its paces with ease.

I recently went to a local AP AD and was talking all sorts of references from many brands, and was instinctively drawn to the diver in person. Was essentially told without a doubt I can get close to what I paid back for my SD and into a LNIB AP diver with the enclosed case back (not sure what the latest serial designation this is) for a great price. A bit of cash would have to be added from my end, but I am able and willing to make the switch if this would make sense.

My issues lie with accuracy, and durability of the movement. From what I've grown to know about the Rolex 3135, it is very robust and can take as much beating as my wrist can. Ive purposely put it through some intense shocks on the boat and essentially not caring for how my wrist moves. Zero issues, crazy accurate time and date switches dead on at 12. I am so pleased.

If I were to bail on the SD that I have lusted for years for the only other watch that has been in my mental running (AP SS Diver) would durability and accuracy be an issue? I don't beat the crap out of my watches, clean every few days with Veraet and avoid dings/scratches like the plague. I have read that the 3120 is regarded as one of the best movements produced, but I am doing more than sit at a desk and prodding away at a keyboard with my watches, which is why I went with the SD 4000.

Other key attributes to my SD I have fallen in love with are the gridlock clasp, solid link bracelet and easily accessible bezel. I would be giving up these three traits that are somewhat necessary for me in a dive watch.Any inputs you might think ease my mind as well as suggestions you might have for me would be appreciated. Still, as many of you know..this watch is hard to remove from the wish list and I might be faced with an opportunity too good to pass up. Appreciate your thoughts in advance.

[RyanNL]

Keep the Rolex. The steel strap is way better than the rubber on the diver.


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[Joe.King]

Got my SD4000 a few weeks ago. There are a few watches on my radar that I would possibly sacrifice the SD. I mean these are at the very top of my list. The opportunity presented itself last week, but at the last minute I just couldn't do it. No way, no how. In the future, it would have to be the utmost perfect deal for me to think about doing that again.

[codecow]

I just got my ceramic diver and I wouldn't even want to get it wet it's so beautiful. Banging around a piece of art like an AP seems crazy to me, but I'm sure for some it can work fine as a tool watch.

[redsubby]

According to your activities...it is probably best to keep the SD4000

[bayerische]

The Diver can take a beating, but the bezel is a scratch/ding magnet. So if you are "OCD" about marks on your watches, then don't get the Diver.

Personally I'd take a Diver over a Sea Dweller every day.

[Snow-Dweller]

I'm careful with my watches, and I work in bars and restaurants (loads of scratch potential). For the last couple of months I've been wearing my new APs (15400 and SS Diver) every day.....with no problems and no damage (I touch wood as I write this!)

I have been a Rolex man for decades, and much as I still love them, I'm finding wearing my APs is a pure pleasure. The 15400 had been on my radar for a while, but during the buying process I slowly fell for the Diver (solid case back) and ended up with both (whilst flipping 3 of my 6 Rolex). If you had shown me a Diver a year ago I would have said that it wasn't for me. Today, I am astounded at how much I'm loving this piece. IMHO it is pure quality. Having said this, I wear a Rolex if I know I'll be doing some heavy work or activity....but that's just me.

To answer your specific questions....I know what you mean about the glide lock (I use my easy links all the time) and miss the lack of an adjustment on the 15400, but with the Diver the holes on the rubber strap are perfectly spaced to adjust at will. The Diver is supremely well balanced, and whilst I also love my metal bracelets, I find the rubber strap to be comfortable, smart, easy to live with, and un-damageable. The bezel might not be as easy to use as your SD, but it is useable. The accuracy is still settling down (new watch) and is at around +5 seconds/day...but improving.

I adore my Diver, and if it's on your mind then I would recommend you go for it. In a perfect world I would keep a Rolex as well (maybe a pre-loved Sub no date?).

Let us know what you decide!

[AK797]

I agree with Clive, AP Diver should be fine if you are careful, my cousin's had his for a few years and only couple of small marks on it, and AP can polish every year or two if you really need it, and up to 4/5 times. Go for it, yolo and carpe.

[cangelosijeff]

I went through the same thought process over the last few weeks, ultimately deciding to get what I really wanted (the Diver) at the expense of other pieces I liked but are easily replaceable (SDC and LV). The Diver arrives today (yay!) and I plan to add a Pelagos for the down and dirty stuff in a few weeks. Good luck with your decision!

[Kim T]

I got a SD4000 when they first were introduced, sold it again and got the Diver. No regrets what so ever - I LOVE IT......

[Jkysh]

Appreciate the feedback here! Its not the worst delimma to have, but I've been thinking about it as the days go by. Not sure what I'm going to do.

If anyone else can chime in with the amount of "abuse" they have put their divers through regarding any extracurricular activities or any issues that have arisen from stressful use I would love to hear. I am keen on making the swap as long as I can avoid having to send a new toy down to clearwater shortly after its picked up due to a freakish event.

Again, I'm new to the actual internals of AP and not too sure what they are capable of withstanding as far as anything more than wearing the watch casually in a normal setting.

[improviz]

Why buy a fine luxury watch to bang and ding it all up? It's like taking a Ferrari off-roading, buy an SUV for that....

[benlee]

The SD is more robust that the SS Diver. The SS bezel will likely picked up scratches and dings along the way. But that is expected unless you keep the watch as a safequeen. Just buy whatever you like and enjoy. You can always replace the bezel later on if it's too badly beaten up.

[Jkysh]

Originally Posted by improviz

Why buy a fine luxury watch to bang and ding it all up? It's like taking a Ferrari off-roading, buy an SUV for that....

I havent dinged or majorly scratched any watch I own never mind on purpose. Im referring to shocks, aggressive shakes, etc that are encountered on a boat or similar enviornment. Trying to gauge how/much of this these movements can take is hard to explain. Not sure where AP falls on the scale of totally robust to very delicate...

[dchang81]

I wouldn't sweat the scratches. I thought my ROO was beat up pretty bad, got it back from servicing looking brand new. Hell even after selling my ROO now I want a diver for a daily. I've stopped worrying about scratches, and it's become liberating.

[Speed]

Re movements. The 3120 is 6 beats / second whilst the 3135 is 8 bears / second. So the Sea Dweller second hand is a bit smoother - if that matters to you.

[improviz]

Originally Posted by Jkysh

I havent dinged or majorly scratched any watch I own never mind on purpose. Im referring to shocks, aggressive shakes, etc that are encountered on a boat or similar enviornment. Trying to gauge how/much of this these movements can take is hard to explain. Not sure where AP falls on the scale of totally robust to very delicate...

Don't think it's appropriate to call names (via the "dummy" symbol) for expressing an opinion, but maybe this wasn't intent....

Generally speaking, in my experience if you subject a watch to shocks you'll eventually ding it, but let's forget dings and focus on the shocks. I was referring to what you wrote (reiterated above) when I said bang up:

Originally Posted by Jkysh

Ive purposely put it through some intense shocks on the boat and essentially not caring for how my wrist moves.

In my view, it is not a good idea to take a fine luxury watch and subject it to intense shocks, etc, dings or not. Mechanical movements are more fragile, be they Rolex or any other brand.

Having said that, the Diver is shock protected and I believe meets an ISO standard for this (edit: I checked and it does, specifically ISO 6425 which includes shock testing, magnetic testing, etc, read about it here), so I'd think it would be allright, and in any case AP's support is second to none if something goes wrong with it, but personally I'd buy a beater for use in a high-shock environment.

[csi-n]

If it helps you at all, I go biking with my Diver all the time. In many instances, the surface conditions are pretty rough and I my hands/wrists vibrate vigorously along with the handle bar. I have been doing this for the past couple of years and the Diver has had no issues relating to the movement. Bezel has gotten a lot of character marks.


Sam

[endo]

Originally Posted by dchang81

I wouldn't sweat the scratches. I thought my ROO was beat up pretty bad, got it back from servicing looking brand new. Hell even after selling my ROO now I want a diver for a daily. I've stopped worrying about scratches, and it's become liberating.

Same here, gave up worrying about scuffing watches my long time ago.... I wear my diver daily, and it's got a few battle scars. (I've handed them in for servicing falling apart :p)
You're a long time dead, and a mint in box watch is no use at that point

Mine out camping in the Scottish highlands, with the right light you can't even see the scrapes ;)

[Dickson Lim]

Originally Posted by endo

Same here, gave up worrying about scuffing watches my long time ago.... I wear my diver daily, and it's got a few battle scars. (I've handed them in for servicing falling apart :p)
You're a long time dead, and a mint in box watch is no use at that point

Mine out camping in the Scottish highlands, with the right light you can't even see the scrapes ;)

I must admit, this is one heck of a beautiful shoot buddy!

[psv]

I personally wouldn't give up a SD4000 for a AP Diver, but rather add it to the collection as they are so different visually speaking. My thoughts on the AP Diver, having owned it twice:

- You really need to try it out at lenght as the large flat back is not comfortable on all wrists, it wasn't on mine.

- The AP case is a scrath magnet. Somehow I don't mind baning up any of my Role divers but it stings a bit more when denting the hand-polished/brushed surfaces of an AP.

- The Cal 3120 is a beaut, but as a daily driver I much rather have a 28.8K beat movement for accuracy. 21K is considered more "haute horologie" but is harder to tune for excellent performance. Watch forums are riddled with stories about poor accuracy of this movement, especially on the Diver. Now, if you are not very anal about absolute performance this doesn't really matter (I have many watches that I just love but might not be the most accurate because they are old, etc, so I'm not too anal about this depending on the watch).

- I've said this before, the AP has more wrist presence and might be more visually interesting and impressive, but I dont' really view it as a dive watch as much as a sport watch. The dive bezel function is pretty useless from a diving standpoint as you cannot adjust it with dive gloves, or under watter, or without removing the watch from your wrist and do it two-handed. I view it as the perfect post-tennis brunh watch at a nice seaside spot with your friends.

Maybe I sound too negative, don't get me wrong, the AP Diver has an iconic design and oozes of quality and craftmanship in combination with a very unique and distinct design. It is definitely a top-shelf luxury machine, but still as a daily go anywhere-anyplace watch and if I could only have one, I'd rather have the SD4000, even if it is a bit more bland than the AP Diver.

[FightOnSC!]

Originally Posted by Jkysh

I havent dinged or majorly scratched any watch I own never mind on purpose. Im referring to shocks, aggressive shakes, etc that are encountered on a boat or similar enviornment. Trying to gauge how/much of this these movements can take is hard to explain. Not sure where AP falls on the scale of totally robust to very delicate...

Okay, based on your introduction I too foolishly assumed you beat up on your SD for the sake of it.

but if you're talking about movement and the shock...i think you're fine. With the solid-case back Diver you get an extra level of shock protection. Someone correct me if i'm wrong but i believe solid case back models get a protective layer of iron (? or some sort of dense metal, please correct me) that protects it from electromagnetic shock as well as abuse from sudden shock.

I've even had an exchange with AP's twitter and he even told me modern offshore's are strong enough to withstand shock from sports like golf, etc.

now, golf isn't a "shock" based sport when you think about it quickly, but the amount of force your body strikes the ball and then the ground after is apparently equivalent to a body shot you take in american football or rugby, just condensed into a smaller area.

so if you're worried about banging your watch around on your boat, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say the movement won't be compromised.


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i'm sure cosmetics will be somewhat on your mind, so I say go purchase a pre-owned Diver so that someone has already put some of the more common dings on it for you and that depreciation has already occurred at someone else's expense.

AP's (unless they have ceramic and/or forged carbon) won't hold up as well cosmetically to a Rolex with a ceramic bezel, but they are built very stout (they just aesthetically get beat more than a rolex does on a surface level). But the insides are well protected...the watch itself and it's sandwich construction is very durable in terms of protecting it's movement.

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third, and a personal note: i love my Diver. I dont even know why i still keep my Sub-like GMT since I always choose the Diver over it...it's a brilliant watch and a sharp looking one as well.

[justin.meridabikes]

since the talk is about durability here, allow me to share my experience in the AP singapore boutique just this afternoon.

I requested to check out the 15400 in white. I must say the white dial is really striking and the tapisserie pattern really adds to the holographic effect of the dial. However, i noticed that the date did not change completely on the watch. Upon asking the sales rep, he tried to show me the instantaneous date change by manually turning the crown in the time set position. After many cycles through 12 o clock, the date was still stuck and it was clear that the movement was shot. He apologised and i said it was alright as i wanted to check on the size and fit of the watch on my wrist more than anything. However after he handed me back the watch, i noticed that it had stopped moving completely eg second hands stood still. The sales rep went on to manually wind the watch in a bid to revive it but to no avail, and there stood a 24kSGD paper weight.

I know when it comes to mechanical watches, things break and stuff but this was in the boutique where everything was supposed to be new. Come to think of it, it is quite embarrassing. Imagine wanting to test drive a ferrari and it doesnt start at the dealer.

[improviz]

Another day, another newb peddling AP horror stories...

[BZA]

You can rely on the AP as a daily diver sorry driver !! It often wins out as my watch of choice, IMO works well with a suit, jeans, sweats etc. I keep it on the rubber.

[endo]

Originally Posted by Dickson Lim

I must admit, this is one heck of a beautiful shoot buddy!

Thanks

We got lucky the with the weather the week we were camping/hiking, so i had to take a watch photo or two ;)

Fortunately i managed to resist testing the one thing i've always wondered,
Are the edges on an AP case sharp enough to be used with a ferro rod in Zombie Apocalypse / SHTF fire-lighting situation?

[SMD]

Originally Posted by improviz

Another day, another newb peddling AP horror stories...

If I had a dollar for every time this happens, I would have a heck of lot more APs!

[Jkysh]

Firstly - I don't know how to multi quote so I will just write..

I appreciate all of the insights, suggestions, and recommendations that have been provided. I by no means started this thread to bring up any (if there are any) negative aspects of either brand, as they are both at the top for their own reasons.

I think in reading the responses above they have further confirmed that although these are two "dive" watches they are both quite different in their demeanors. For the time being, I am truly loving my SD4000 on my wrist as a daily wear and will continue to do so. I hope to add an AP diver to my collection in the future, rather than sell one watch I've wanted for years just to acquire another.

Should one become available sourced by my AD I will consider making a move. The robustness and 28.8k my Rolex is providing me is well suited for the life that I am living as a 25 year old on planet earth. I hope one day I can post an incoming with an AP diver and my SD on the same wrist!

Thanks again