Submariner: Hate & Love

[yesnaya]

Tastes change over time. I wouldn't sweat it. You didn't buy it for lack of imagination or to "show off"... You bought it because you saw something (or many things) in it that really resonated with you.

I also have a love/hate relationship with the submariner. Sometimes I just want 1 watch that goes with everything and is good for all occasions (sub obv)... and other times I look at it and have absolutely zero love for it... just boring and basic and not wow at all. Dont know if i'll ever buy one. But I do consider it often enough.

[Combine man]

Have had 2 Subs from middle 80's till 2020,now wear a SD 24/7,missing the old Sub so on list for a no date model.
An iconic piece worthy of the popularity it achieves,and a damn fine watch to own!
Buy it coz you like it and wear and enjoy it!

[GONZO2LR]

i love it when the World talks about the Rolex Submariner....good or bad...they just have to comment...

you dont hear us Rolex sub owners complaining or down-talkers other brands, we just smile n grin cuz we know we are wearing the best!

[Nikko1967]

Originally Posted by GONZO2LR

i love it when the World talks about the Rolex Submariner....good or bad...they just have to comment...

you dont hear us Rolex sub owners complaining or down-talkers other brands, we just smile n grin cuz we know we are wearing the best!

I hope you are joking ! Sub is a nice watch but not even close to the best. Its a pretty simple movement and is way overowned....and WAYYY overpriced especially in grey market.

[D007]

Originally Posted by Nikko1967

and is way overowned....

Interesting take. Would you suggest less people owned it? What do you have to gain by having less submariners out in the wild being enjoyed by people who love the watch?

[FTX I]

The Rolex Submariner is my favorite watch by far.

[FTX I]

Originally Posted by Krash

I have a Submariner and I agree that it’s the perfect watch. I never understood the “it’s too popular” argument. It’s a popular watch on Internet forums, but in real life, it’s a very special and unique watch. Less than 1% of the world population has one.


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Agree. However, the world population is 7.9 billion. One percent is 79 million. Unless we count fake and homage watches we're talking much less than that my friend.

https://www.worldometers.info/world-...20the%20world.

[baymax]

I never understood the argument it’s to popular or to common. I buy watches for myself and not for other people. I could care less if everyone has a a sub, I would still get it because i like it and it’s a great watch.

If you don’t buy the sub because you think it’s plain, dull or just not your taste it’s perfectly valid, but because it to popular or common is asinine.

[DCheeta]

In my youth I was also anti-Submariner, in fact I was anti-Rolex. I thought Omega and Breitling were superior watches without any of the d-bag image of Rolex. And then one day I saw a Sub in person and it was all over. I saved up for a year and bought myself a 14060 (that was the current iteration at the time). I've been wearing Subs nonstop ever since.

If you can cut through all of the BS - the general perception of the watch, your own perception of the watch, your view of the brand itself, etc - and just look at the essence of the watch itself as a thing, you can appreciate it (or not) for what it is. And that, for me, is that it is the perfect wrist watch.

It’s a shame there are no pics in a Submariner thread.

[Ringhio]

It’s nice, iconic... and so popular.
The only downside is that there are so many around.
Last week I was having dinner at a nice restaurant, the maitre had a sub data, the two guys sited close to my table had subs as well.
If you add the huge number produced to the enormous number of fakes... you realize that the reference is a bit inflated.
Does it matter?
To me, maybe yes.
To many other WIS, probably not.
There is no good answer. If you are happy and confident with what you are wearing, you will enjoy it very much. If you are interested in sporting a watch that doesn’t make you feel like one of the “bros” in the new investment firm in Wall Street... then the sub might not be a good choice.

A matter of what you are looking for.

[Mendota]

It is indeed probably the most replicated watch on the planet, and I bet for every 1 genuine sub there are probably another 10 or more that are convincing replicas, hobbled together Frankenstein pieces with genuine components, and plain old Canal Street crappy fakes.

[JRell]

Originally Posted by DCheeta

In my youth I was also anti-Submariner, in fact I was anti-Rolex. I thought Omega and Breitling were superior watches without any of the d-bag image of Rolex. And then one day I saw a Sub in person and it was all over. I saved up for a year and bought myself a 14060 (that was the current iteration at the time). I've been wearing Subs nonstop ever since.

If you can cut through all of the BS - the general perception of the watch, your own perception of the watch, your view of the brand itself, etc - and just look at the essence of the watch itself as a thing, you can appreciate it (or not) for what it is. And that, for me, is that it is the perfect wrist watch.

It’s a shame there are no pics in a Submariner thread.

Might be the best sub photo I have ever seen! Nothing beats the 124060 IMO.

[Gab27]

The Sub without a date seems to be a little less common, so in that sense you could say you took the path less followed I suppose or something something something.

Yeah, tons of people buy these (for all sorts of reasons) and there is a ton of hype surrounding them, but the Sub is fundamentally a great design. I mean...it is three quarters of a century old and its design cues are still fresh even by modern standards, the modern ones are using movements so accurate that with a small amount of self-regulation they can encroach on the accuracy of some quartz movements, half of all wrist watches seem to take design cues from it, it takes central stage to a secondary market worth so much my head cannot process it, and it has resulted in homages and outright forgeries that comprise another market likely worth billions. There's a reason for all that!

[dukie748]

How can anyone hate a Submariner?

[DrJ1976]

I was exactly the same. When I was in the market for my first Rolex in 2016, I avoided the Sub like the plague - too common and everyone and their brother had one. Funny to think back on it now, but every AD I visited tried to push it on me and I turned them away. I fell in love with the YM blue dial 116622 which I picked up back then. But over time as I have become more of a WIS, I have come to appreciate the perfection of the Sub. For me, the ceramic bezel makes the newer subs pop in such a way that it really is a very interesting combo of a tool watch and a luxury item. I finally added 116610 LN last week and love it!

[J_1964]

An Epiphany for you, that's all.... Welcome To The Club!

[MiamiGT4]

Originally Posted by RiRi

For years I have been opposed to getting a Submariner for the simple fact that it is too popular - and especially in the business school / consultant environment, I have always felt that it was the "go-to-watch" for people who want to a) show off or b) lack creativity.

Fast forward 6 years and I am holding a 114060 in my hands (traded against a Speedmaster) - and I must admit it is the most perfect watch I've ever owned; it is simple, symmetrical, easy to tell the time, super comfortable with the Glidelock clasp, robust and the chromalight is just gorgeous ... (btw, I also have the Batgirl and a few ROs).

But I can't really help but to feel some hypocrisy when I look at my No Date Sub - have I been ignorant all these years or am I becoming something I despised all these years ?


Just wondering if you also have some watches for which your feelings changed over time and how you found inner peace !

Patek Nautilus and AP Offshore. Wouldn’t have looked at them 20 years ago, now wish I hadn’t passed up an almost new 5711 for $7500.

[LA_LEC]

Originally Posted by Widows Son

I feel the same way about my 14000 Airking. It's my go anywhere, do anything watch. Dressy enough to wear with a sportcoat, and casual enough to wear with shorts and flip flops. Plus, I don't have to worry about someone driving by on a moped and trying to tear my arm off getting my watch.

I feel the same way with the Explorer. Low key under the radar from a distance unlike the well know profile of the Sub.

[zion_rasta]

Sub gets boring really fast…

[Nikko1967]

Originally Posted by zion_rasta

Sub gets boring really fast…

I agree. And I own one! Im off the Europe this summer travelling and taking a Casio diver that looks like a Sub. Put in a new saphire crystal and a nice nato strap...It actually looks great...all for less than 100 bucks and no risk of getting knocked on my head or knifed.

[Chester01]

Some things are just classics. Jeans and white t-shirt, good pair of boots, etc. The sub is and always will be an icon, not just a classic, but perhaps the single most copied watch on the planet.

Im uncomfortable with the popularity now however, and given mine was purchased at MSRP ($3250) and likely a discount off a more reasonable proposition. Now you have the MSRP and Hype fee. I do lament that Rolex is getting associated with this kind of hype and just seems to be more about making money and status now days.

[alphadweller]

Yes, I can somewhat relate to OP's feeling on his watch. It happened to me with another Sub, the two tone blue dial aka Bluesy.

Several years ago I didn't like it, found it too fancy and loud. Two years ago it started to catch my eye. Last year, I decided to try one on at the AD. Wow, I didn't expect to be blown away the way I was. Seeing it in picture is one thing, trying it on for real is a whole different story. This is true for other watches I bought, like the YM and SD43.

These days I tend to reserve judgement on a piece until I get to see it in the flesh.

[Nikko1967]

Originally Posted by Chester01

Some things are just classics. Jeans and white t-shirt, good pair of boots, etc. The sub is and always will be an icon, not just a classic, but perhaps the single most copied watch on the planet.

Im uncomfortable with the popularity now however, and given mine was purchased at MSRP ($3250) and likely a discount off a more reasonable proposition. Now you have the MSRP and Hype fee. I do lament that Rolex is getting associated with this kind of hype and just seems to be more about making money and status now days.

well said! I totally agree. I bought my Sub for 3800 CAD ( 10% below retail ) back in 2000. Its a great watch to be honest. I have been through a lot with it...but I really hate the hype of Rolex nowadays and the people associated with this hype. I bought it as I loved Sean Connery and James Bond...now he was a classy gent! Look at the douchebags wearing and wanting to wear only Rolex these days.
This is why I bought a Glashutte Seaq Panorama Date recently...not well known at all but I love it and its never recognized by the hipster and wannabees.

[macrowatch]

I hate that I love it so much. Only thing I love more is the 124060. Lol.

[Toms]

I recently purchased a Datejust, and never thought I would. I change my mind about things, and I'm ok with that.

[amh]

Originally Posted by zion_rasta

Sub gets boring really fast…

Originally Posted by Nikko1967

I agree. And I own one! Im off the Europe this summer travelling and taking a Casio diver that looks like a Sub. Put in a new saphire crystal and a nice nato strap...It actually looks great...all for less than 100 bucks and no risk of getting knocked on my head or knifed.

How can the sub be boring if there's a risk of being knocked or knifed?

A casio is the textbook definition of boring

[Nikko1967]

Originally Posted by amh

How can the sub be boring if there's a risk of being knocked or knifed?

A casio is the textbook definition of boring

Hate to tell you but it looks almost exactly like the Sub.
And being knifed or stabbed for wearing a Sub is a reality in many European cities these days.

[teabags001]

I was not a sub guy. I thought it was boring. Didn’t understand the hype. Now I own 3 and love the green ones because they are different.


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[OG1982]

Well, I like mine rather a lot!


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[sechsgang]

While extremely popular and not "creative"...it's one of the best watches ever made for daily use, and one of the few that (of any generation) needs to be in a collectors collection...