Rolex Deepsea

[BigDD]

I am doing some research on the DeepSea.  Has any one dealt with Hont before?  I think he is one of the trusted dealer here.

 

I am considering one of the Noob factory Deepseas.

 

http://www.hontwatch.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=39&zenid=1sq8vn5knoog7enhm0a23jnnc6

 

There are 4 different models available. Is the only difference in the movement?  I recently started a thread about asian movements and seems like most members do not mind it.  I would love to save a bunch of monies in this case.  Would you buy one of the cheaper asian movement Deepseas?  Anyone can chime in on the quality of these Deep Sea?  Thank you in advance for your valuable opinion.

[Smab]

Hello BigDD. The item you are referring to, seems to be the previous Ultimate Version of DSSD (DeepSea Sea-Dweller) from Noob factory (N-maker). This one has a bezel and pearl not fully comparable to the GEN design. Also it has not superlume, even if it could appear as superlume on the dealers pictures. Since the description from the dealer say nothing about superlume, you must assume there is no superlume.

 

I will suggest you to take a look at the more recent "Ultimate Supreme Edition" from some TD, i.e. Trusty Time and Perfect Clones.

They have recently added a new edition with updated bezel, pearl, and it also has true blue superlume, as the GEN. Price is in the same range as the ones you have looked at from Hont, and they also come in various movements, Swiss, Asian 25j and Asian 21j. Asian 21j only has low beat rate (21,600), whereas the Swiss and the A2836 clone has high beat 28,800. I do not know which factory this new breed comes from, but some people talk about a Submariner that comes from the BP factory (I have not heard about any BP factory prior to this), so maybe it is the same factory.

 

Read the recent post I made regarding this new DSSD (from a few days ago). There are some opinions from other members there as well, some positive, some negative. One of the issues seems to be misaligned letters on the inner bezel ring ("Original Helium Escape Valve - Ring Lock System") and the triangle on the 12 o clock marker on the bezel (where the pearl sits), it should be more curved at the upper end, not straigth as it looks on the pictures. But all in all it seems to be a good one, and most of these issues must perhaps be regarded as only neetpicking.

[BigDD]

Smab, thank you for your input.  I will for sure check out your post about DSSD.  I am a bit new to this but so far I have really enjoyed the readings and research.  Its like a hunt for the perfect watch.  THe only other issue that I have is just funding, but that's another topic for another day.  Thank you.

[Smab]

Don't mention it, BigDD. Just happy to help anyone, since I have been doing a lot of digging after info my self, I am just happy to share whatever I know.

 

Also, I happen to own the swiss version of the DSSD noob like the one you posted from Hont webshop.

I did not buy it from Hont, tough, but from another TD.

The version I got has a Selita movement (swiss copy of ETA obsolete patent movements). Silk smooth in the winding, I cannot say the same about some of my other reps. Smooth winding is a sign that the movement is probably oiled or pre-serviced from the factory prior to assembly. Even if you should let the rotor autowind the watch, sometimes it is convenient or necessary to wind manually. I am not totally happy about the bezel and pearl, and the quality of the bracelet could have been way better. Also the lume applied on the hour markers are not very good, making the dial look to be of lesser quality, but only visible at close-ups. I am not talking about the actual lume strenght, that is quite good, but the application of the lume. It is uneven and poor.

But it is a very nice watch overall, even I would choose the new version, if I were to buy one now, from what I have learned.

If you're on a tight bugdet, go for the A2836. The A2813 (A 21jewel) can be good, but is sometimes crap, and usually attached to the case with a plastic movement holder, so it is not by far so rigid as the more expencive assemblies. Also it is usually less accurate and has a low beat 21,600.

 

Also it seems (anyone, please correct me if you are certain they do not) they do some kind of sorting on the factories, using the better examples for more expencive movements, whereas the not-so-good examples tend to be equipped with the cheaper movements, since the buyers of these variations tend to have lower quality demand and perhaps do not complain so often when they have reviewed the QC-pictures.

 

But regarding this particular model, I think the price difference from the A21j, through the A25j, to the Swiss is outrageous:

188USD

298 USD

398 USD

That is a difference from the A21j to the A25j at 110 USD, and to the Swiss, 210 USD! The A25j should not cost more than about 45-50 USD. And the price difference to the swiss should not be more than another 75-90 USD.

A new swiss Selita should cost not more than about 150 USD. So, there you go. If the only difference is the movement, and everything else is top quality like the most expencive version, I reckon the A21j is a bargain.

 

My example is from:

http://www.1-pc8838.com/rolex-dweller-c-55_125.html

Edited January 8, 2013 by Smab

[BigDD]

Wow... that is very insightful.  I agree with you that the price jump from one movement to another is pretty outrageous.  I am Ok with the asian to save some money, but I will keep an eye out to see if the makers do use lesser quality pieces for the cheaper asian movement.  

What do you think is the best Rolex rep thus far?  As I read through reviews after reviews, the experts all seem to be able to pick apart most reps.  So far, I think the white Exp 2 42mm seems to be pretty close.  Too bad, I am not interested in the Submariners, or else there are some pretty nice examples out there as well.

[Smab]

I hear they say the latest Explorer II white 42mm is quite good. It also has AR coated cyclops and superlume.

Because of the complication (GMT), it can turn out to be less rigid than the simplest (only time and date) ranges.

If you are looking for the Sport range, you can look at GMT-MASTER II Ceramic, I would also suggest the Sub, even you are not into it at the moment. The latest sub with correct case and crown guard shape looks quite good. Also with superlume.

Look out for the previous ceramic subs, most of them have wrong shaped crown guards (too small, since they used the case of GMT-Master II ceramic initially, to replicate both the GMT and the sub). Studies of the GENs show they are not exactly alike, even at first glimpse, one might get that idea.

 

Remember the DeepSea is quite a large watch, even it is only rated at 43mm. It has quite a thick case (height above the wrist is significant, some might think it is not so comfortable to wear, it does not easily slip under the cuffs of your shirt), and weighs in excess of 200 grams. Some also feel it is too top heavy, but since it has the slide lock clasp, it is easy to adjust perfectly to fit the wrist in any conditions, hot or cold weather, and adjusted just right, it will not wobble on top of your wrist. But it is not a watch you want to wear loose.

The ceramic sub is rated at only 40mm, but wears quite nice on most averidge wrists, but if you are into the Omega and Breitling sizes, the sub and GMT are maybe too small for you. The Explorer II 42mm has a rated size a little over, but the design of the case and the bezel probably make it look about the same size as the sub and GMT.

 

One thing to remember about sizes, the 40, 42 or 44mm (and above) can wear quite different that rated.

I have a PAM162F (44mm) that wears significantly larger than my GEN Breitling SuperOcean Steelfish, which is also 44mm. Both on a steel bracelet. Also the lug width of the watch will make it look smaller or larger. PAM has 24mm lugs, Breitling has 22mm. In comparison the sub and the GMT (also the Explorer) has quite narrow bracelets, with lugs only 20mm. The Deepsea has only 21mm, even it is a large watch.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Smab

[Smab]

Another thing about size of the Deepsea:

 

The size of the dial and crystal diameter also makes the size up or down.  When it comes to Deepsea, I feel a wide bezel makes the size look smaller, but if it is a black divers bezel, it looks larger, than say a ss bezel like the SuperOcean.

Regarding the bracelet of the Deepsea, which has only 21mm lugs, even tough it is a large watch - Some feels the Deepsea has an unbalanced size between case and bracelet because of that. I reckon Rolex has made it this way due to comfort reasons. They always stribe to make their designs so comfortable as possible. A larger bracelet would also make the Deepsea significantly heavyier. Because of the very robust case design (water resistant to 3900 meters) and thick crystal (some 5mm) it already has properties to make it heavy just within the case itself. It probably did not need a heavy bracelet as well.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Smab

[machete]

Great conversation guys! I've also learn so much! Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

[indywatchguy]

Good info thanks!

[PolonusTM]

I received that new version of DSSD with Swiss movement. Butter smooth winding and it is -0.5 sec after 5(!) days total ! So I think it was right decision.