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Rolex Sea Dweller 50th Anniversary.
My personal story with Rolex started back in year 2000 at an AD in Paris-Charles De Gaulle airport. I was there for a luxury watch, this time I wanted to make an upgrade from TAG and so I was looking at Cartier Pasha and a Rolex Sub “I have no idea which reference the Sub was back then” I remember that both watches had similar price tags, the pasha was all white with a blue stone on the crown, I found it more appealing and attractive than to Sub while the salesman had an opposite opinion but I bought the Cartier, enjoyed it for many years, then I got married and I passed it to my wife:-)
Fast forward 2018, it was time to leave my smart watch exclusively for when I’m exercising/sleeping and get back to the magical world of mechanical watches. This time however, it has to be a Rolex, since the only watches out there that I really liked were made by Rolex. It’s not the brand but for the history behind it and the design that drives me toward it this time same as the Cartier did before.
So I went to the only Rolex AD available in my country, a Rolex Boutique that in 2016 I had a bunch of Diamond Rolex watches brought in from for a high-end photoshoot. The GM of the Boutique and 2 bodyguards were present and when I was done with the shoot the GM gave me his business card and asked me to visit him at the Boutique whenever I’m in the area.
I had no idea how hard sports models are to get, I just went there, asked to try the models I've liked and learned about from Rolex.com, forums and YouTube. The salesgirl, who later became a friend, showed me those models, I tried them all "Sub date, GMT batman, DJ 41 and the Sd43" then she told me that those watches are for display purpose, not for sale at that moment and that there's a waiting time involved in acquiring any of them except for the DJ 41 blue dial on sticks which was available. I told her about the photoshoot I had done for the brand back in 2016 and I asked for the GM but unfortunately he was abroad. She said she'll contact him and get back to me. The day after I got an email from her telling me she talked to the GM, he approved 12% on the DJ41 and a relatively fast delivery on the BLNR or subs if I wanted one. Since that day, the door of heaven opened for me.
During the next 6 months I had calls from the boutique to ask if I’m interested in 3 hot models; BLNR, BLRO and a Sub date. I had already bought the Tudor GMT and so I skipped on the Rolex GMT range but instead I told her that it’s the SD43 that I want to be my forever Rolex.
A month or so later, I got the call, my SD43 is IN and ready for pickup.
Today, after 2 months on my wrist, I can confidently say I'm amazed.
There's nothing I don't like about this watch, but I can write pages about what I like. The main reason I picked this watch over the sub is size. At 43mm it beautifully fill my 7.5*» wrist. Lots of presence and punch.
Let's start from the top side, the Bezel. I love its liquid / wet anthracite appearance that shines and sparkles same way the sapphire crystal does, together they look like if they were made of one single material.
The Cyclops, it's like a jewel that it does not get in the way at all but whenever you look at the watch under a certain low angle the cyclops looks like a diamond or a water drop on top of that crystal. The magnifying power is so handy and I really can’t understand how or why some criticize Rolex for adding it. If it was not there on those deepsea models that was because Rolex was not technically able of doing it kit because it was a design language. The design language won’t exclude the cyclops in Rolex word, It’s in their DNA.
Dive a bit more, we get to the Dial. It's matte black but under sunlight it becomes lighter, a dark gray, it complement the silvery look of the steel case and bracelet. The Visibility is indisputable, the blue chromalight is mesmerizing and that red lettering is a small line that makes all the difference.
The Sea Dweller 126600 is a deep sea diver, so let's dive deeper, right into the Movement. After one week, the watch is almost as accurate as my Apple watch. I'm not a technical guy and my brain gets dazzled by the mere thinking of how these moments can track time so accurately, so I better leave that abyss and resurface, this time at the opposite side of the watch, the Back-Case. I've always wondered why Rolex leave the backcase of most of its models blank, The first time I looked at the back of one of these blank cases I thought it was a fake! Thankfully, with the Sea Dweller, Rolex decided to make it special again by adding a circular line of text on it. This Case back sinks into the wrist making the watch wears much lower, looks slimmer and more comfortable than a normal 14, 15 mm case height. I had it under sweaters, shirts and cuffling, it just goes with anything so so well.
Moving down north or south of that sexy case we get into the macho aspect of the watch, The 22mm Bracelet. The wide lugs / wide bracelet mix give the watch a great balance, feel, stance and comfort. One of the reason I prefer Rolex over the majority of watch brands is actually its bracelet design. I think that nothing out there beats the oyster or the jubilee design. I was afraid the brushed steel on the Sea Dweller and probably all Rolex divers could feel a bit dull or opaque compared to the polished center links counterpart but I was surprised that the matte shines in a very particular way.
To the oyster-lock now, what can I say about it, pure genius. The diving extension was taken upon delivery, I was still left with the amazing 20mm glide-lock. Together with the boutique's watchmaker we resized the watch in a way that the glide-lock now sits halfway the adjustable zone. My wrist can get fatter or slimmer as it wishes now, who cares, the glide-lock will get me covered.
Sorry for the long read.
Thanks for reading :-)
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