submariner vs sea dweller

[silverbullet818]

I love the brand so the next comment is not penned in a derogatory manner.

So, is there really much ado about nothing between these two models?

The differences are 'subtle' in appearance. Performance with respect to depth rating is clearly obvious but what about wearability.

Can someone who is fortunate enough to own both concurrently or have owned them each at one point in time kindly provide their thoughts?

It would be helpful for me in making my future decision.

Thanks

[Rolex57]

To me, the biggest difference is one has a cyclops and the other doesn't.

Next question to ask yourself is do you want a plain ole sub, or an over-engineered sub?

Personally, I always go for the over engineered. I've never owned a sub because the SD was better. Then when the DSSD came along, I dumped the SD and bought the DSSD and have kept it ever since.

[Jfullm42]

I've owned both, but I currently have a triple 6 SD, I've had three 16600's and one 116600. So I'm biased to say that the SD beats the Sub for me. Love the sans cyclops, and the way it sits on my wrist. Some don't like the height, but I love the height and the crystal of the SD

[silverbullet818]

So the SD is indeed a bit 'larger' in the case?

I'm looking for a complementary Rolex sports watch to keep my GMT ii BLRO company.

There are times when I just want to 'rough' it with a pure steel model.

[Gasoil4ever]

[silverbullet818]

Originally Posted by Gasoil4ever

Thanks!

It appears very similar when on the wrist.

This I need to try on in an AD

[Rowlf]

Sea Dweller sat too high on my wrist. But I really like the smaller date window!

Cheers,

Ben

[chong2k]

The more you dive into the world of these watches and read about them on the internet, the more the differences will become obvious to you. For "normal people", both watches, as well as older vs. newer models look exactly the same :)

All of them are great, though!

[fskywalker]

The main difference in appearance, as already said, is the cyclop, plus the fact the SD is a big thicker due to the He valve. SD only comes in SS while the Sub comes in many different styles (steel, 18k, combination) and bezel / dial colors.

[Gasoil4ever]

They are different when side by side.

SD : smaller lugs, thicker case, raised crystal, satin dial, smaller crown guards, HEV, thicker engraved back, heavier, diver extension link, no cyclop, minutes marker all around the bezel.

A few live pictures :

[Mick P]

Chaps

Sub v Sub Date v Sea Dweller, herewith are my humble comments that possibly state the obvious, however I do so in a spirit of helpfulness and counsel.

The Sea Dweller is the most water tight and goes down to great depths. If you are physically capable of going down 4000 ft and need reminding of the date, this is the watch for you. It has a date function but no cyclops, which is good for looking cool but bad if you are short sighted. Also it is the most bulky of the 3 watches, so some people will think you must be someone important to wear such a big watch whilst others will think you are a poseur.

The Sub is the coolest looking of the 3 watches and you can use it to dive down to about 1000 ft (depending on if its a recent model). When you are in the casino, women will drool over you because they can see you don't have to keep looking at the thing just to remind yourself what the date is. Women admire men who can remember the date.

The Sub Date is the most popular of the three because you can dive down to about 1000ft and easily read the date thanks to the Cyclops.

All three watches are truly tool watches and have a loyal following of devotees who can never make their mind up which one is the best.

I wear a Sub Date purely because it was a good deal when I bought it.

As regards to which one is the best, I would say that depends on how you use it and here you must be honest with yourself.

If you buy these expensive, highly water tight watches just to splash about in the pool or for the occasional snorkel dive, the Sub or Sub date is your best bet.

If you have the ability to remember what day it is, opt for the Sub, if you need to constantly look at the date, go for the Sub Date so you can see that it is the 28th when you are halfway to the bottom of the pool.

If you are a tough guy and one of the 0.00000001% who will be going down 4000 ft, then the Sea Dweller is the one for you.

Of course, if you actually do go down to 4000 ft, there is a good chance that you may be attacked by man eating sharks and if you are really unfortunate, you will also be eaten by the shark who will digest you and will shit you out as nature intended.

The main advantage of the Sea Dweller now comes into its own. It will be shat out with you and will sink, intact and ticking, to the bottom of the ocean and will lie and remain water tight on the ocean floor, gently ticking away, thanks to the ocean currents, as an ever lasting memorial to you.

I hope that helps.

Regards

Mick

[FloydTheBarber]

[cervantes]

Originally Posted by Gasoil4ever

They are different when side by side.

SD : smaller lugs, thicker case, raised crystal, satin dial, smaller crown guards, HEV, thicker engraved back, heavier, diver extension link, no cyclop, minutes marker all around the bezel.

A few live pictures :

Great photos! Smaller Lugs and crown guards do it for me...

[rick101]

thank g for this thread! i'm actually thinking of flipping my sub c for the sd and getting the hulk

[mailman]

SD4K is a cool watch. The kugs, dial, bezel and crystal all attribute to it. It sits higher on your wrist due to the taller caseback. It's noticeably heavier than a Sub also.

Ultimately I flipped the SD for a SubC. It just works better for me

[Wcdhtwn]

They wear very differently. The SD sits higher on the wrist, noticably. The Sub has the Maxi-case, I've seen called tthe Super Case, so lugs and overall width of the case feels larger than the SD. They are both 40mm but if you try them on side by side you'll swear the Sub's diameter is bigger. I personally prefer the SD but I have a Seamaster Pro which is very similar to the Sub. It always surprises me to hear how many people don't like the cyclops, I need it to see the date, that's the drawback of the SD for me. But with reading glasses and a smart phone the small date window can be overcome as a problem. If I were buying the thicker/higher case, the bezel, and the uniqueness to the Sub would make me pull the trigger on an SD.

[FTX I]

Originally Posted by Mick P

When you are in the casino, women will drool over you because they can see you don't have to keep looking at the thing just to remind yourself what the date is. Women admire men who can remember the date.

[belligero]

Originally Posted by Rolex57

To me, the biggest difference is one has a cyclops and the other doesn't.

Next question to ask yourself is do you want a plain ole sub, or an over-engineered sub?

Personally, I always go for the over engineered. I've never owned a sub because the SD was better. Then when the DSSD came along, I dumped the SD and bought the DSSD and have kept it ever since.

You say "over-engineered" like it's a good thing. Considering that the even the deepest experimental dive in history was around 500 m, and that the number of people who have gone scuba diving recreationally below 240 m is the same as those who have walked on the moon, there's no benefit to having extra bulk to lug around and an extra hole in the case whose only function is to release helium accumulated in a saturation-diving environment.

As an engineer myself, I prefer properly-engineered to over-engineered. The plain ol' Submariner is slimmer, has one fewer leak point, and is the better watch for wearing.

On the other hand, I went for the Sea-Dweller because I like the way it looks. :)

Originally Posted by Mick P

Chaps

Sub v Sub Date v Sea Dweller, herewith are my humble comments that possibly state the obvious, however I do so in a spirit of helpfulness and counsel.
[...]
I hope that helps.

Regards

Mick

Quality post; thanks for that.

[beer]

i prefer the SD because the maxi case is less pronounced, so the bracelet does not look disproportionately small as with the maxi case

just my opinion

[landroverking]

Don't know about the new "C" models.
There were only two parts outside of the movement that they had in common.
The old SD had a smaller dial but larger bezel for example.
I would like to know if this carried over to the current models.

[Gasoil4ever]

Old vs new SD's.

[ferrissteve11]

This will be a constant back and forth between these models...Personally it comes down to choice and what you deem important. Either is a great watch. I started wearing Rolex with an older Sea Dweller - that was stolen...tried 1 vintage Sub and 1 Sub C and ultimately settled on the DSSD. I prefer the over engineering capabilities of the DSSD and also have a big wrist. So while I'll probably get a Sub down the road to even out the collection the DSSD is a stunner. Though as with all Rolex's YMMV.

[sensui]

Good and fun thread...I thought I was decided on the sub no date but I guess the internal battle rages on. Have to try again at the ads.

[GB-man]

SDc offers the best look at expense of a bit of heft.

[artschool]

i currently wear both a sub no date and a sd4k in circulation. i personally am not keen on the cyclops.

i thought buying the sd4k would make me sell the sub but they wear differently.

the sub sits a lot flatter on the wrist.

[sco]

The sea dweller is just too thick for me for an everyday piece.. Sub Date all the way..

[silverbullet818]

Best comment so far...

.... heard women love men with the no date model more because the love men that can remember the date. Apparently it's more sexy. Something about the date model and the association of the man having the onset of Alzheimer's.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Mick P

Chaps

Sub v Sub Date v Sea Dweller, herewith are my humble comments that possibly state the obvious, however I do so in a spirit of helpfulness and counsel.

The Sea Dweller is the most water tight and goes down to great depths. If you are physically capable of going down 4000 ft and need reminding of the date, this is the watch for you. It has a date function but no cyclops, which is good for looking cool but bad if you are short sighted. Also it is the most bulky of the 3 watches, so some people will think you must be someone important to wear such a big watch whilst others will think you are a poseur.

The Sub is the coolest looking of the 3 watches and you can use it to dive down to about 1000 ft (depending on if its a recent model). When you are in the casino, women will drool over you because they can see you don't have to keep looking at the thing just to remind yourself what the date is. Women admire men who can remember the date.

The Sub Date is the most popular of the three because you can dive down to about 1000ft and easily read the date thanks to the Cyclops.

All three watches are truly tool watches and have a loyal following of devotees who can never make their mind up which one is the best.

I wear a Sub Date purely because it was a good deal when I bought it.

As regards to which one is the best, I would say that depends on how you use it and here you must be honest with yourself.

If you buy these expensive, highly water tight watches just to splash about in the pool or for the occasional snorkel dive, the Sub or Sub date is your best bet.

If you have the ability to remember what day it is, opt for the Sub, if you need to constantly look at the date, go for the Sub Date so you can see that it is the 28th when you are halfway to the bottom of the pool.

If you are a tough guy and one of the 0.00000001% who will be going down 4000 ft, then the Sea Dweller is the one for you.

Of course, if you actually do go down to 4000 ft, there is a good chance that you may be attacked by man eating sharks and if you are really unfortunate, you will also be eaten by the shark who will digest you and will shit you out as nature intended.

The main advantage of the Sea Dweller now comes into its own. It will be shat out with you and will sink, intact and ticking, to the bottom of the ocean and will lie and remain water tight on the ocean floor, gently ticking away, thanks to the ocean currents, as an ever lasting memorial to you.

I hope that helps.

Regards

Mick

Good stuff, Mick, we'll make a pimp out of you yet.

[judodave1964]

I bought my first seadweller just before last christmas after 25 years of going from the sub date to the sub and back again over and over due to my love hate of the cyclops. I wish I bought a sea dweller a long time ago because its a superb stunning watch.

[arty11001]

Had a 16610 sub date and absolutely loved it! I changed a few months ago to a 16600 SD and do not regret the change in the slightest. It still surprises me just how much more 'right' it feels! It's hard to tell in photos... Even side by side comparison shots. They look too similar. Initial try on of the SD and thought 'meh'! Then I looked again and made the change anyway... It only took a matter of hours wearing it to know I made the right choice. Chunkier without being bigger, cleaner whilst keeping the date and just feels like a heavier duty watch, whilst still looking similar. Overall no regrets!

Good luck!