New Sub Deep Sea Thoughts

[watchsak]

Just a thought as i read the various Rolex forums. It seems for sure that the new greeen sub is garnering a lot of interest from collectors and assuming Rolex does not overproduce them, I think that people will pay a premmieum for that watch. Conversly, I think the sales of the Deep Sea will take a hit. It is a watch that will only be a buy for a limited part of the Rolex collectors because many will find it to big and bulky. As an owner of the Deep Sea, I think if i had waited longer before purchasing it, I think there will be good deals on it as more people look at the subs. On the other hand, I look at this Deep Sea on my wrist everyday and i cant imagine a different watch as it a wonderful divers watch.

[jonathon555]

[The GMT Master]

Well, I think it's only to be expected that sales of the Deep Sea will drop back to levels similar to that of the SD 4000. It is a slightly more niche piece, and has certainly alienated areas of the classic Rolex fan base - however, it has been attracting new customers to the brand, as has the other revamped models. I expect it to remain a steady seller for the forseeable future

[Green Arrow]

Originally Posted by watchsak

Just a thought as i read the various Rolex forums. It seems for sure that the new greeen sub is garnering a lot of interest from collectors and assuming Rolex does not overproduce them, I think that people will pay a premmieum for that watch. Conversly, I think the sales of the Deep Sea will take a hit. It is a watch that will only be a buy for a limited part of the Rolex collectors because many will find it to big and bulky. As an owner of the Deep Sea, I think if i had waited longer before purchasing it, I think there will be good deals on it as more people look at the subs. On the other hand, I look at this Deep Sea on my wrist everyday and i cant imagine a different watch as it a wonderful divers watch.

I think they are different customers. I sold my Deepsea because the amount of watch outweighed the amount of dial, and I resented the fact that Rolex used up what could have been dial space to advertise ORIGINAL GAS VALVE and RINGLOCK SYSTEM on the face of the watch.

On the other hand, if that doesn't bother you, in my opinion there is no better clasp around than the Glidelock on the Deepsea, which is even better than the one on the new Subs (and yes I have compared them in real life). Plus if you like the sense of bank vault build in a watch, the Deepsea gives that to you more than the new Submariners.

I think used Deepsea prices will come down (I know I sold mine much too cheaply) just as any watch does after the novelty wears off, and that will eventually happen to the new Sub Cs as well.

But I don't think the buyers are the same. I think the Deepsea actually brought a lot of people back to Rolex who had left for 45.5 mm Omega Planet Ocean, Girard Perregaux Seahawk II Pro XL, and Panerais including the 24.

There will always be a place for a larger, rugged diver in the Rolex line, IMHO.

[rolexsubdate]

and all this green sub excitement is all it is ... excitement .... it is gonna die down and reach steady levels in coming months .... I doubt the SDDS will feel any impact ... those who like it will like it and buy it and those who don't won't....

THese new supercased subs look a little too disproportionate when compared to the Deepsea....

[acadianl79]

Originally Posted by watchsak

Just a thought as i read the various Rolex forums. It seems for sure that the new greeen sub is garnering a lot of interest from collectors and assuming Rolex does not overproduce them, I think that people will pay a premmieum for that watch. Conversly, I think the sales of the Deep Sea will take a hit. It is a watch that will only be a buy for a limited part of the Rolex collectors because many will find it to big and bulky. As an owner of the Deep Sea, I think if i had waited longer before purchasing it, I think there will be good deals on it as more people look at the subs. On the other hand, I look at this Deep Sea on my wrist everyday and i cant imagine a different watch as it a wonderful divers watch.

It ( the DSSD ) might take a hit on the initial release of the new ceramic sub, that is expected as the sub is VERY popular and is the bread and butter for Rolex + it was way overdue for some improvements. In the years to come, i do not expect that a preloved DSSD will sell for less than a preloved ceramic Sub. So value wise, no worries.

The Sub will be even more popular in the next couple of years due to aging baby boomers with diminishing eye sight that will need the help of the cyclop loupe to be able to read the date. I also suspect that the maxi dial and bigger hands were introduced as a fix for those aging baby boomers.

IMO i think it is a balancing act for Rolex. They just have to adjust production quantity of each models to better represents demand.

Or they can simply adjust demand by making sure more celebrities wear the DSSD in movies...

Personally i love my DSSD and would not trade it for anything else.
So what if they sell less of them ?

The rarer they are on the market, the more exclusive they tend to become and that is the way i like my Rolex.

[Green Arrow]

Originally Posted by acadianl79

The Sub will be even more popular in the next couple of years due to aging baby boomers with diminishing eye sight that will need the help of the cyclop loupe to be able to read the date. I also suspect that the maxi dial and bigger hands were introduced as a fix for those aging baby boomers.

.

Boy do I identify with this remark. Last night I wore my new Omega Aqua Terra and was surprised at how good the lume was, but I did notice that as a Baby Boomer (60) the lume area was so small that I had to struggle to see what time it was. Guess that's why I like the Maxi-dials so well on Rolex, and the HUGE lume areas on my Seiko Tuna. It is also why I ultimately sold off my Daytonas when I just couldn't see the sub-dials any longer.

Enjoy small sub-dials and small hands while you can!!

[Rogue884]

It will definitely die down, the GMT IIC and Deep Sea were the first of the new series with the supercases. A lot of hype, and a dragged out marketing scheme for releases. Once the full line of sports models are out and available, I would be willing to bet you will see a multitude of Sub's, GMT's, and Explorers in the cases of AD's with only one DSSD, just like the SD 4000's were.

I never did understand the whole, the SD 4000 was too big on my wrist, I guess with an 8" wrist its hard for me to comprehend. Though you can definitely make the argument with the DSSD.

[psv]

DSSD is a niche watch, always have been and always will be. As much as I love the beautiful matte dial in combo with the maxi hands/plots, it is one thick and heavy watch.

[al_bongo]

I would have thought the green sub is a niche product in its self. Drawing conclusions from watch forums has to be a risky business.

For all the posts saying they love the green sub someone has just purchased, there could well be ten other members thinking they wouldn't want one at any cost.

[jonathon555]

Rolex appear to know how to play the supply & demand game very well with all sports models.

Sub c is big demand at present as it new, 3 years on the playing field may flatten again. Rolex products seen to have long long life cycles unlike other manufacturers that update year on year.

[drtooth73]

Sub is for the masses.
DeepSea is for the masses with big wrists.

[malaplace]

As pure speculation, I don't think sales of the Deepsea will be affected much at all. As someone mentioned, the Deepsea brought new customers to the brand (including myself). If it weren't for the release of the Deepsea, I probably would not own a Rolex. It is the very reason I own the brand. I love the size and heft, and I gather there are a lot of folks (especially those into the big Panerai's and breitlings) just like myself.