12 Yrs of Rolex Divers and why the SubC Won (after multiple Subs, SD, DSSD & SD43)

[moby33]

I’m writing this lengthy 12 year summary of my search for the perfect diver in hopes that my journey might help to clear up some common questions that others might be wrestling with. It took me that many years and a bunch of watch flipping to finally realize why the Pros & Cons of every watch eventually led me to the SubC.

Let me begin by saying I grew up loving watches, but wasn’t a fan of Rolex (don’t shoot me, I eventual came around). When I was in high school in the early 90’s, I drove to a local jeweler and asked to see a Tag chrono. The owner smiled and asked if I’d ever held an Omega SMP300 chrono…when I reported I hadn’t and didn’t really know about them, he let me try one on. “Son, the Tag is fine, but if you want to experience a watch at another level, just hold the Omega, try the pushers and tell me what you think.” I was hooked and instantly became an Omega Man (well, at that time more like a zit faced 16 yr old Omega kid).

I longed for that watch for the rest of HS and all through college; after graduation I deployed as a newly commission officer in the Navy and saved enough to buy my beloved SMP300 Chrono for at that time around $2K. It was ALL the money in the world to me, but I loved that watch (and still own it) and didn’t take it off my wrist for over five years. In 2003 my brother got married and his bride purchased him the only watch he ever wanted – a Rolex Sub 16610. I remember holding that watch next to my SMP and thinking, “Wow, this is a toy. The head feels nice, but the bracelet is thin & light, the clasp feels cheap and the watch overall didn’t feel substantial at all.” My lack of interest in Rolex was only strengthened.

Then around 2005 I started really getting into trying different watches. I purchased a number of different Breitlings, Bell&Ross, Omega, a number of micro-brands, dozens of vintage & new Seiko divers…all except Rolex. But then in 2006 it hit me, “I’m a watch lover…I can’t bash Rolex unless I actually give them a try for long-term review.” So I set out to determine once and for all why Rolex divers have been so loved for so long.

Naturally I wanted something a little different, the Sub was just “too common”, so I researched and fell in love w/ the Sea-Dweller history. I purchased a 2006 16600 online, no test fit. When the watch arrived I was so excited, I tried it on and was blown away at just how tiny it looked and felt on my wrist. I was in my late 20’s, had been wearing 42-44mm chrono’s daily, so the 40mm SD with slim lugs just seemed small. The SD’s crystal had the effect of making the dial look even smaller, even more reason to make the watch seem extremely small on my wrist. I was willing to give it some time and maybe that little voice would change in my head, but in walks my wife and hit the final nail in the proverbial coffin:

“Hey honey, what do you think of my new watch?”

“Seriously? That looks like a girl’s watch on your wrist…why so small?”

Damnit…no way I was going to get that comment (and my own doubt) out of my head. But alas, I had to give it some time. I also wasn’t thrilled with the tiny thin clasp. Coming from an Omega SMP with a wide metal bracelet and zero taper, it was a real shock to wear the tapered band and thin clasp. ‘Kids watch’ kept coming into my head. But a funny thing happened after a few weeks of wearing that SD…I eventually started to enjoy the feel of it. And there was no denying the quality of the watch. The head felt solid and the timekeeping was perfect. And that funny taper of the band?...it started to grow on me too to the point when I put on my beloved Omega, I started to think its wide band was cumbersome and not a clean design. What? This Rolex made me start to question some of the design features of my glorious Omega…how can this be?

I couldn’t get the small look on my wrist (nor the small markers and hands w/ their limited lume) out of my head. I never take my watch off at night and actually use the lume to tell time nightly, so the SD just wasn’t cutting it for me.

That’s when I discovered the SubLV and that glorious new thing called “Maxi-Dial”. So the SD was swapped for the LV and my love for the watch grew even more. But, it wasn’t perfect…as the green just wasn’t for me as a daily color choice. So yes, can you believe I sourced a genuine Rolex black metal insert and researched how to pop out the green LV insert in order to go black? Yep…I was probably one of the only guys running around with a FrankenLV simply because I wanted the look of a classic black Sub, but the better lume of the LV markers and hands. It was now around 2007 and I decided to start reading and sharing stores on this new to me forum called TheRolexForums.

Then Baselworld 2008 hit and the glorious Deepsea was debuted. WOW…I was hooked. A bigger watch to meet my 7.75” wrists and this new Glidelock clasp…it seemed like the perfect watch. I purchased one about a year later and fell in love. I was now in my early 30’s and still enjoyed big divers as my daily watch, and the DSSD was so good I didn’t take it off for over two years. Yep…if you search you’ll see threads I posted back then when I would dive with it, I would snow ski with it, I would boat with it…I did EVERYTHING w/ the DSSD. People reported too think? Nah, it’s fine…you just need bigger wrists. People reported 44mm (actually, back then Rolex called it 43mm if you recall) was “too big” and how the 40mm SD & Sub was “perfect”. Really? What is perfect? I debated others as we’ve all done on this forum. It was a fun time, I enjoyed my watch and getting to know people here.

But a little over 2 years and shortly after Baselworld 2010, something clicked with me (almost overnight). I started to see flaws in the DSSD and couldn’t get it out of my head. The inner chapter ring started to really annoy me…not because of the writing (in person you really don’t see the writing like you do in pics), but due to its size, it really started to make the dial look too small to my eyes when you considered the massive case. And all of a sudden, the thickness started to annoy me. I wouldn’t say it was uncomfortable for me at that time; it just started to let me know it was there? And being a watch addict, I would be lying if I didn’t admit I was very interested in the new SubC w/ those cool looking fat lugs that came out that same year. Many people bashed it back then (and still today), but to me, I thought the maxi-case was a HUGE improvement simply because it did make it look ‘less elegant’. And now the Sub finally had a clasp worthy of the watch (after two years with the DSSD Glidelock, I was hooked and realized there was no way I could sport a watch without micro-adjustment). So I flipped the DSSD and purchased a SubC.

At first it took some getting used to…there’s no mistaking when you go from a DSSD to a SubC as a daily watch. The watch was light, thin and I hardly even felt it. When I looked down at my wrist, it definitely looked smaller, yet strange thing is when you looked at it on the wrist via a mirror, it really didn’t look that much smaller. I was shocked at how this 40mm watch could appear so much bigger on the wrist. I would swap out my 42mm Omega and again, via the mirror test, the 40mm maxi-cased SubC looked identical to the 42mm Omega. The more I tried to convince myself this wasn’t really the case, the more I couldn’t deny it. I wasn’t complaining, I was just shocked at how much different it looked compared to the 40mm SD I owned a few short years previously. Lugs make all the difference on the Sub.

And so I wore that SubC for almost 3 years and thought, “This is it, I’ve found the ultimate 1-watch that can do it all…” but come on, we all know how that ends. Around year four of SubC ownership that little voice started to chime in, “You know, this watch is too small for your fat wrists, don’t you miss your DSSD?” I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I sold the SubC and bought another DSSD. At first I was in love, but I quickly realized the thickness of the DSSD wasn’t comfortable. I was now in my late 30’s and obviously not the early 20’s ‘kid’ that would wear 45mm wide, 18mm thick watches and think they were fine. Was pushing 40 years old finally changing how I felt about comfort and what I would & wouldn’t stand for on a daily basis? Maybe.

The second DSSD didn’t last very long, and since I knew I wouldn’t want it long-term, I sold it around 2016…and from then until not too long ago, I had no Rolex divers in my collection/rotation. But not a big deal as I started to follow the rumors of Basel 2017 and had a feeling something special was coming regarding the SD. And sure enough, when the Sea-Dweller 43mm was debuted I was knocked over. Rolex had FINALLY built the perfect watch for me. Larger than 40mm, but not overly so. Not as thick as the DSSD, cyclops (yes, I’m in the camp that likes the cyclops for actually reading the date which I do all the time) and considering the history of how Rolex tried to put a cyclops on the original SD, I wasn’t offended that they finally did it (so what if it took them 50 years to accomplish?). The red lettering – nice cherry on the top.

So I waited, and waited and waited…I don’t even want to go into the pains of trying to get one. Eventually I secured the SD43 (in early Aug) and the minute I put it on, I could tell – “This is it!” Right away it felt more substantial than the SubC, but by no means on par w/ the DSSD in the weight category. I agree with those that have stated the SD43 wears more like a big SubC as opposed to a little DSSD. I wore that watch quite a bit for the first 30 days, but I couldn’t believe it, I started to think about the SubC! What?!?! Are you kidding me little voice, how can you be asking about the SubC again? You’ve given it up multiple times for a bigger watch, it’s time I admit I can’t wear 40mm and be happy – right?

Well maybe it’s because I’m now in my early 40’s and no longer the young pup I use to be, but comfort has quickly taken the first position when it comes to watch criteria. But I didn’t want to give up the SD43 without a head-to-head comparison. So I purchased yet another SubC and put them in rotation…with hopes of going at least 30 days before making a decision. But it only took two days…after 48 hours of wearing the SubC I knew it was the winner. When I woke in the morning w/ the SD43 on my wrist I always felt it, not so with the SubC. When I chased my little kids, I felt the SD43, not so with the SubC. I like to wear my watches on bracelets a little loose…something I can do with comfort w/ the SubC, but with the SD43 I quickly learned it moved too much and definitely let me know it was there. Unlike the DSSD, which started to actually annoy due to the weight & thickness, the SD43 doesn’t annoy, but it does let you know it’s there. Not so with the SubC. I’ve been telling my watch friends lately, the only way I could justify keeping the SD43 is if I were constantly putting it in rotation. But alas, I’m a 1-Rolex diver kind of guy…I just can’t justify tying up so much $$$ in multiple similar watches. So for me, considering my 12+ years of multiple diver models and all the criteria, when it comes down to a single watch winner, it has to be the SubC. The SD43 was recently sold, and I have no regrets.

In the end the look on my wrist was almost identical (again, chock it up to those crazy fat lugs of the SubC)…yet the comfort level isn’t close…the SubC simply dominates. And because of this, I can FINALLY embrace this final SubC purchase and stop looking for others. At least until Rolex drops the 3235 movement in the next Sub…then the madness will continue! Thanks for reading…hopefully this helps 1 or 2 people that might be on the fence which is best for them. Good luck!

SD43 vs SubC


SD43 on wrist


SubC on wrist