Eurotimez "Ultimate Upgrade" DSSD has arrived

[panerai153]

I finally picked up my DSSD from the PO this morning. I have to admit I opened the package with some fear and trepidation. After seeing some of the DSSD watch photos that have been posted recently, I frankly was almost afraid to open the package.

First off, it was well packed in a well sealed soft envelope, but inside was a styrofoam box and inside that the watch wrapped in bubble wrap. My first impressions have been very positive. I'm at work, so photos will have to wait until I get home this afternoon. Not having any loupe or magnifier to magnify the face, there may be some slight defects but if they are, I can't see them. The bezel pearl looks great, the bezel/insert lines up nicely and the lettering looks good. From what i can see, the dial lettering appears to be straight and correct.However it will be easier to see with some magnification and good sharp photos. The Glidelock clasp adjuster looks like a really neat and fast method for micro adjustments.

Have to say this is definitely a substantial watch, weight looks to be about comparable with my Ocean7 ProPlof.

OK folks here are the photos and a brief commentary about the watch. First of all as everyone who is interested in the Deep Sea knows, it is a massive watch.Not for the faint of heart!

Overall, I am impressed with the quality of the watch, however there are a few things that I'm a little unhappy about, but they will be explained as we go through the photos. The plusses far outweigh the minuses I will say.

I just returned to the forum after a pretty long hiatus, so I am not very familiar with the previous versions V1-V5. I have seen photos and some comparisons but never had one in my hand to compare.

The Watch

Here is a photo of the dial face on. As you can see from the photo, everything looks straight, the 12 marker lines up with the crown.The bezel pearl is very nice it is translucent, amd really has a very different appearance from previous pearls, actually changes in different lighting similar to a real pearl.The dial printing is crisp,with no print bleeds that I can see. the Gas Escape Ring printing is good and well filled with black paint. The only flaw that I can see is the 6 marker is either a tiny bit crooked (leans to the right) OR the printing is crooked. I can't tell which is which. The funny looking double print around the top of the Gas Escape Printing is a reflection off the crystal.

In this second photo, you can see the reflection is not so obvious and has moved.The bezel clicks correctly and smoothly,with no slack.Insert is uniformly inserted, with no high or low spots, "10" is correct paint is OK, and the correct off white color.

Here is a close up of the date window. It has the correct bevel, but it does not have the 2 layer "sandwich" appearance of the DSSD Lani reviewed from another dealer. Honestly, the date window is so small, you would never notice this difference without magnification.

Here is a side view of the HEV (Sorry, didn't remove the Blue stuff before the shots) It is recessed as it should be, although I'm not certain it is as recessed as the genuine.

Crown side view, crown screws in very smoothly, no roughness or catches, sits very level on the watch,and is almost in the correct orientation with the crown up. Case guards look good.

Back view looks as it should, the outer ring printing is very crisp,The second E in Dweller had a little extra paint on it which shows in the photo, but I removed it with my fingernail, so that isn't a flaw. The paint used on the inner case is a little light compared to the genuine, I would expect that this is a problem area with all of these DSSD's with the "Fake" titanium inner case. I can see this eventually wearing off with lots of use. Possibly in the future someone will offer a real titanium caseback for these watches.

The Bracelet/Clasp

The clasp is very elegant on this watch, and as Lani mentioned it harkens back to the old Doxa subs with the rachet adjustment on the clasp. the clasp is longer than most fliplock clasps and offers quite a bit of adjustment with the ratchet adjuster.

And finally The LUME !

As you can see the lume glows brightly and is the correct blue color, unfortunately, the lume disappears in a few minutes. The Rep manufacturers obviously skimp on the amount of Superluminova they use on the dial and hands. This was after a 15-20 second exposure to a halogen light. I took the photo and within no more than 5-7 minutes I went back into a completely dark room with the watch and ..... nothing!

This one will be going up to The Zigmeister for a correct lume job very shortly.

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with this watch. Right out the box it's wearable and very accurate to the genuine. After years of buying Rolex Reps and then spending more that the cost of the watch on modifications to make them close to the "real thing" it's nice to be able to unpack one, set the time and date, and wear it right out the box. It isn't perfect, The dial still needs some attention with the lettering and 6 marker the caseback although correct in form will not be correct until they make it out of titanium. The Lume, like almost every rep leaves a lot to be desired.

However remember if you want the perfect DSSD, you can pick one up for a mere 6-7k. If your budget won't allow that, then I would certainly recommend this one as a very suitable alternative.

there you have it folks, The Ultimate Upgraded Eurotimez V5 DSSD

Arthur

[wheaton26]

good for you. we look forward to the pics!

[PeteM]

I am pleased for you mate. Look forward to pics

[steen]

Please pictures. I am getting closer to a buy :-)

[ThinkBachs]

I agree that the GlideLock system is very nice to have- on any watch. A little tricky at first to figure out how to work it if you're unfamiliar, but something fun to play with once you're past that.

[jmb]

Your dial looks pretty much like mine. One of these days when I get real brave I'm going to remove and reinstall the 6:00 marker ant that should be a very big improvement. Interesting about the lume, after charging mine about 20 seconds with an LED flashlight I can still see it in the morning 6-7 hours later. It's dim but I can still tell the time.

[ThinkBachs]

I really hate to be the one to post this, but I feel it wouldn't be fair not to bring these things to your attention. Whew, here goes. In my opinion, the watch is a wreck. The end link above the 12 looks mis-aligned, and not flush with the case as it should be. The HEV is wrong on the watch, and the ring lock is not only in the wrong position, but even if it were adjusted so the the O is right of the 10 marker with the E right of the 12 marker, but doing so would throw off the K way far left of the 6. You've pointed out the 6 marker, but besides that I like the dial on this, even the DW. It gives me absolutely no pleasure pointing these things out, and the only consolation might be that you didn't spend very much on this. If you did, I would return it for a better version. My only intention is to make sure you get your money's worth, and I hope I've helped and not offended...

[asciwhite]

I am in the process of getting a refund form ETZ. I am not satisfied with the new QC pics. Things that they was going to fix have not been done, and I am sick of the whole deal.

Unfortunately I think refund is frowned upon at ETZ. So we will have too see what happens.

Asked them to fix the ringlock alignment. They have not touched it.

I do not want to hijack this thread, But I think it is important to show the same flaws on other watches.

[panerai153]

@ thinkBachs,

I'm not offended, and certainly I defer to those of you who are Rolex experts. I realize that this one has soome issues. My only problem with this is Eurotimez DSSD's are all over the place with quality control. I'm not sure how they will correct the problem, short of just sending the watch back and getting a refund.

I noticed after you brought it to my attention the SEL on the top is very loose. I played around with it, and in the process I discovered that the springbar was not seated in the hole on one side. I replaced it properly and it looks fine now. this is just another example of their non-existant QC. Anyone looking at the SEL's from the bottom would see the problem, I was in a hurry to take the photos last night, and I missed it, but they shouldn't have.

As to the Gas Escape valve Ring Lock I don't know how that can be corrected, as it is obviously a font spacing problem. looking at several photos of genuines it's easy to see that the E in" Escape" lines up perfectly with the 12 marker, and on the bottom, the K in Lock" lines up with the 6 marker. this version as you explained is off by almost a full "Tick". I think that it would look better if it were rotated back to where the E was lined up. as you said, this would put the K off about half a tick, but it wouldn't be as apparent. This would also bring the O in line with the 10 marker, which looking at a genuine photo as I type this isn't correct either because in the photo of the genuine, the O is between the 50 and 51 tick. Not fixable correctly unless they respace their lettering on the reps.

HEV:I just looked at the genuine on the Rolex website, and I can see one glaring problem. the HEV on the genuine is centered. mine is not centered. this would be a dead giveaway that this is a rep. Anyone who knows the watch could see that from 10 feet away. This is a BIG flaw!Anything else wrong with it, besides it's not the correct "open from inside" configuration" this one depresses from outside, so a warning to all who have this watch. Seal off the HEV from inside.

Certainly this watch illustrates what we have been saying about reps from the beginning of these forums, One step forward, one back, two sideways.

Also I want to correct what I said about the lume. It wasn't charged with a bright enough light. I went back and charged it for about 20 seconds with a super bright LED headlight, and it was still readable in a dark room for several hours. Still not up to genuine or The Zigmeisters lume jobs, but better than I reported. Sorry for the misinformation.

There are never going to be perfect reps, lets face it. as long as the dealers keep coming up with slight upgrades every few weeks or months, they have us hooked! If they corrected all the problems in one fell swoop, we would all buy one and never need to "upgrade"

Obnviously, Eurotimez needs to either do one of two things, either really face up to the problem and have real quality control, or abandon that concept and just let everyone take their chances on what they get, like some dealers in the past have done. You just can't keep saying we are doing better and our QC is working when in actuality it isn't.

Arthur

[robertk]

Great review. and of course it has it's flaws. Does anyone expect a rep to be perfect? That's what the Gen is for (at $1000's more). I take the view that this version represents a very close "replica" of the original. Very few Rolex experts could find the flaws we do. You can wear it without the usual "GLARING flaws.

I love the fact that we obsess over the flaws. Kudo's to the manufacturers for at least trying to get it sooo close.

Wear it well. It's a beauty

[jmb]

I think straightening out the 6:00 marker would make a 100% difference in the dial. I think yours is about like mine, text that is slanted only perceptible in a macro photo but the marker is crooked as all hell! As far as the gas ring, I think it's more of a centering between the opposing marks than having a particular letter centered on the 12:00 or 6:00. The "bottom" text looks to be centered but the top is off a bit. You might be able to slightly adjust the ring to get a compromise that looks a bit less noticeable. As far as your He valve, I don't think any of the reps have one that operates correctly - if you want one that works as designed you need to get a Sea Dweller! Looking at the pics of gens I have your valve looks to be positioned correctly. Heres a good review by someone on TRF with tons of pics...

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=81374&highlight=dssd

[Demsey]

Good review p153,

I'm with Robert, the minutia of detail we are starting to view as unacceptable, or at least regrettable is getting a little unrealistic. As compared to PeteM's SDDS from ETz I think you got a 'good one' by comparison. I have no qualms with the ETz wares, only their claims toward QC. I think they should just let that bird go and just be amenable with regard to after sales service. I would rather have an apology and a remedy for a bad piece than to be taken advantage of with bogus claims. I think we all would.

I especially feel good about your bezel '10' being aligned between the ticks. After 'lanikai' 's review of Joshua's piece, which I think may be a better (but more expensive?) watch, that bezel ( the misaligned '10' one) could be a deal breaker. A bigger 'tell' than the HEV or any of the 'RING LOCK' alignment issues you have here. It's a good replica.

Anyhoo, this watch is more correct to genuine than any Rolex rep I own and am perfectly comfortable wearing around. I think I may bite on one from Joshua after the New Year.

ps Happy Birthday!

[jmb]

I think Demsey and Robert nailed it pretty good and that's why I decided (starting with last watch) to not post any more "review" type threads with macro photos unless there is some particular detail that is of interest. It's getting to the point where the obsession with perfection is causing people to not have any fun anymore and I think that's sad... On the other hand if something is advertised as 1:1, can't be distinguished from the gen, blah, blah, then crank up those macro-zoom lenses and destroy 'em!

Oh, if you look closely at the gen pics I posted the link to you'll see that the"Ring Lock..." text does not align perfectly centered either...

[P4GTR]

I like the watch. Im glad the SEL seated properly for you, that would've bothered me.. Its too bad the inner case back isnt real titanium, I didnt know that.

If you were going in expecting imperfections, I think this is an acceptable watch. Sometimes we expect way too much, but that is the exception, the rule is that we are promised way more than what we receive all too often.

But its a killer watch in general and I hope you enjoy it!

Edit: And last but certainly not least, THANK YOU for posting a review and pictures. Thats the best part of the forum is seeing these watches up close and personal. Thanks again man, great pics and review on a watch thats all the rage around here right now.

..and I agree with demsey and jmb, that over scrutinizing would ruin any watch, including ANY rep I own and wear and am completely happy with. Such as my "perfect" submariner from 2 years ago. Remember those? The wok mariner? lol... and I wear it and love it.

[Guest techlogik]

Yeah, hate to been a thread pooper...this is another piece of garbage from ETZ....rehaut is turned counterclockwise.

The print is slanted STILL on ALL of them from right to left downward.

The 6 marker being turned won't help much if it is off at all. You think it is the 6, it is the print.

The bezel insert looks a little jagged, maybe the close up photos are exaggerating that though. Paint not even or well done.

HEV...well, nobody has that right since they moved from V3...so unless you get a V3 case, and put a good dial from Josh Ultimate in it with a good QC insert bezel, it won't look right.

To build the best DSSD will take:

1) V3 case and sapphire. Just take the movement/dial out. Some say the dial is better, but it isn't bevelled, so out it goes.

2) Put a Swiss movement in it, not this crappy 3135 piece of garbage asian decorated one.

3) Ultimate dial from Josh.

4) V5 bezel insert that is QC'd right.

Then you might have something.

At this point, I would recommend people buy the Josh Ultimate, get the Swiss, not that stupid 3135 movement, and source a ETZ bezel insert that is QC'd properly.

If you want to go crazy, find a V3 case/crystal to really finish it off. But the above will be a good one.

I give the factory for having lume as good as a modder would do. If you think a modders would be better, I doubt that. I've seen had 2 DSSDs from modders with aftermarket lume...nothing special IMO.

[jmb]

The printing is slightly slanted but the major thing is the marker. As with mine I think it would not be noticeable on the wrist if the marker was straight. The attached pic has some yellow reference lines added...

[panerai153]

Thanks very much to all who have posted.

I agree and disagree with some of the things that were posted. Firstly I do believe that we "pick the nits" here almost to the point of convincing ourselves that nothing short of perfection is acceptable. I believe to that when dealers promise something, they should deliver. I realize too that having virtually untrained people do your QC is probably a lesson in frustration. Remember the folks who are doing the assembling and QC, are not Swiss watchmakers with years of training and long apprenticeships . These are workers who are probably given minimal training and do an excellent job for their training and experience.

Remember too that genuine watches are not without the occasional

[lanikai]

Regarding the marker.. in the genuine pics.. the slightest angle of the camera lens will make the object in question "seemed" misaligned.. sometimes you have to trust the person with the actual watch in hand.. his/her observations.. I take pics of dials and have to double check after I view the pics.. the chrono hand always seem to be off center.. but 99.9% of the time it's the angle of the shot that makes objects appear misaligned.. it is really an illusion of the camera lens

Regardless congrats Arthur, I may be able to help out with some parts if they come through..

Pm you if they do..

R

[PeteM]

I am in the process of getting a refund form ETZ. I am not satisfied with the new QC pics. Things that they was going to fix have not been done, and I am sick of the whole deal.

Unfortunately I think refund is frowned upon at ETZ. So we will have too see what happens.

Asked them to fix the ringlock alignment. They have not touched it.

I do not want to hijack this thread, But I think it is important to show the same flaws on other watches.

Was your order 993A ?

I was just offered a replacement by ETz but it is tagged 993A instead of 892NEW.

I just wondered if I was getting another cast off!!!!

[Guest techlogik]

Hey, if ETZ doesn't give a refund...they need to be booted off this forum...plain and simple..this whole DSSD is enough of a fiasco to warrant it and their BS games.

[panerai153]

PeteM

Mine was 927

Arthur

[jmb]

Arthur, I think what you might be seeing as an "etched surround" is just the plastic protective strip on the case...

[ThinkBachs]

I'm glad to hear that the end link issue was an easy fix! Having given it a little more thought, I'm wondering if it would be possible just to order an HEV and have the current one replaced? If it's a good one, then there probably isn't any need to water proof it, though I would since it would give me peace of mind and I'll never need to use it at 30m. As far as the 6 marker goes, I'm thinking that I read a thread some place where these can be drilled a little from behind and re-glued into the correct position. As far as the ring lock goes, taking the watch apart and turning it slightly could put it into a much better position. It's hard to tell, but that might also be a good time to fill in the engraving with engine black enamel spray paint (nice an thin) and sand it down with 1000, 1500, 2000 sand paper. I'd ask them to send you a replacement bezel insert- the one I see doesn't look that great with the offset pearl. Seems to me they'd rather do that then take the watch back.

I agree that no rep will be perfect, but the process of getting it there is what makes this a great hobby!