V3 DSSD Just arrived- a brief review

[wombat247]

I ordered a DeepSea Sea-Dweller from Josh on Sunday and the watch arrived here (in NYC) yesterday (Wednesday). I think that might be a new record.

Many of you know this is not my first rep. http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=87818&hl= So consider the source of these comments.

I'm not posting pics cuz as you can see from that other post, they come out crappy anyway. I'm a professional photographer but I've never been able to muster any interest in photographing watches so all I do are snapshots. Shoot me.

Anyway, there are plenty of pics of this rep out there so you can get a good idea of what it looks like. Lanikai did an EXCELLENT review here: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=88625

Lanikai did an excellent review and after studying the watch I received, I can say with authority that his review is accurate. I'd like to provide some additional thoughts. First of all, I bought this watch because I felt the need for a micro-adjustable bracelet. I was considering a few options- Glashutte Original diver (too expensive and too ugly), Seiko MarineMaster (still can't bring myself to spend $2k on a seiko but maybe one day), Seiko spring drive diver (I'd have to sell my sea-dweller to get this one and again, I'm not ready to trade something with proven value for something that may or may not be worth anything in a year or two). I also wanted a nice, hefty dive watch... I was considering a Seiko "Sumo" for around $400 or $500 but it doesn't have the micro-adjustable bracelet.

I really didn't want to buy yet another rep but I realized that it was the obvious answer to get the deep sea. I broke down and ordered it this weekend and I couldn't be happier. The quality of the bracelet and case is outstanding. There are no sharp edges or unnecessary gaps or really anything wrong at all. Everything operates smoothly with no indication of scraping or "sandiness" I always seem to find to some level on every rep I've had (although it's getting rarer and rarer). Anyway, this watch has none of those characteristics- it's better than I would expect from a rep.

By the way, this is the "best" asian ETA version which Josh sells for $258 at the time of this post. You can get the swiss ETA version for a bit more but I'm one of those people who thinks they're actually the same movement.

Now, here's the best part for me. I've been on a quest for a watch with excellent night visibility. I've been actively searching for at least 5 years for a mechanical watch which can EASILY be read during the hours of 2am and 5am. For whatever reason, I wake up frequently during these hours and want to know the time. This was much more of an issue before I had Lasik surgery on my eyes because although I can now see the time on the cable box across the room, there was a time when the only time I could see was the time on my wrist.

Out of the dozens of watches I've owned, there was only one mechanical watch which served this purpose- my IWC Doppelchronograph with tritium lumination. Everything I've had with luminova stopped glowing after a few hours. I was mostly disappointed by the gen Rolexes- maybe my expectations were too high- either way, none of them were worth a GD for this purpose. I found the best to be Seiko and Casio dive watches but for something really acceptable, I had a Smith and Wesson black quartz watch with tritium tubes or an Omega X-33 with both luminova and an indiglo-like backlight. Of all my "good" watches, the X-33 is by FAR the most legible and most useful watch I own and there's no close second place.

Having said all that, this DSSD from Josh really surprised me this morning at 2:14am... I looked down at its dial to see the time, and there it was- plain as day. I don't know if it was actual glow or if it's just that the indices and hands are so big (if I were a betting man, I'd say it was the glow), but it was perfectly clear to read.

I've typed way too much already but I have to express my feeling that this is the best rep ever for anyone who wants a good, functional watch.

By the way and in other news, it's ugly as all hell. If it didn't function so well, it'd be gathering dust as we speak.

[tenacious_b]

cool; getting mine tomorrow. Every review gets me more excited.

[Shundi]

Nice...and great to hear that the lume seems to be of good quality! Wear it well!!

[Toadtorrent]

Nice write up...and definitely from someone with the experience to back it up.

[coolfire]

It always feels great to know that yet another member is satisfied with his purchase. Nothing beats the satisfaction of owning a watch which meets one's expectations... great writeup you have on here, mate. Enjoy your watch & like everybody here always says, "Wear it in great health!"