Real-life pics have underwhelmed me as I expected - I doubt I'd wear it more than my old 16600 which was why it was sold. I'll stick with my 1665 and DSSD for all the Sea-Dwelling kicks. For now at least ;)
"Endlink Gate", love it!!! Nice watch and a shame it's unfinished
Nice one, BigD! Superb looking watch.
I've just tried one out, so it seems there are stocks of the SDc EVERYWHERE right now.
I was completely and utterly underwhelmed. It's like an older Sub/SD with a nicer bracelet for a crazy £7k. Bonkers.
My AD had one in the window which was spoken for. They reckon it would not be too long before that had another. As nice as it was I actually prefer the fatter lugs of my SubC. It seemed a bit small and I wasn't taken with the minute markers and extra height. As an aside they have been a rolex AD for 18 months and had sold 19 steel daytonas!
These seem to be popping up quite a lot here. I checked but my local AD (Netherlands) didn't have one yet. Can someone please check if the sides of the end links (the little bit that sticks out) have been finished in some way and if this is the exact subc bracelet?
Lovely piece, I'll get one for sure.
The SEL is a non-issue, really... You won't notice it.
I must be one of the lucky few! Had a call today to see if I'm interested in the new SDc that I put my name down for. I was second on the list but the first guy said it had arrived too soon for him to buy. Going in tomorrow to try, just a bit concerned that with having a sub c LV and a gmt blnr already that it will be to similar a watch.
Seems strange that the dealer did not expect a delivery until at least July but now they have one along with the rest of the AD around the country.
Don't suppose it will be discounted either.
Nice collection. Tried on today, was not totally blown away by it. Lovely watch by any means but it didn't have the instant wow factor that I got with the subc or GMTc. I couldn't convince myself straight away that I loved it, so my parting shot was to see if I could get any sort of discount. I won't know the answer to this until Tuesday, but I have been I good customer over the past few years and just bought a fair few items today from them. Really is a hard one but maybe I do need the all black look in my collection! Tried on the DSSD whilst I was thinking. That is a good piece of watch but just not for me as it was a little to large for my current tastes, reminded me of my breitling super avenger that I just don't seem to wear anymore.
Anyway, see what I decide on Tuesday.
I am with you Murph, it makes it look like a poor mans Submariner which it clearly is not, the matt contrast with the ceramic shine does not do it any favours too
That seems spot on Ally. As much as i appreciate the new model in the line up it's always amusing when a company as large and successful as Rolex takes short cuts with something as simple as redesigning an end link to fit the stumpy lugs of the new model. Similar situ with the new Explorer1 hands and it's just unnecessary with the bigger picture in mind.
Had a look at one yesterday I don't think it's going to make it into my collection because of the DSSD Sub & my BLNR.
My thoughts exactly. And why make the case lugs shorter than the Sub and GMT. Thinner and tapered as they've done but i don't understand the need to shorten the length of lug. With longer lugs there would have been no need to change the end links at all. JC180 pic above with the dweller alongside the LV & GMT illustrate this. Oh,and the addition of a gloss dial would have made this model the strongest in the line up.
I went to pick one up today, but left it at the shop. It's undoubtedly a nice watch but I just wasn't blown away. I found the dial a little underwhelming and the bezel markers a little busy.
I was wearing my 16600 and got my wife to wear my 114060 so that I could compare and I just couldn't break out the debit card.
Having said that I've done this before with the 42mm Explorer 2 and the SubC and ended up getting both at a later date. I wouldn't bet against it happening again.
Last edited by IVK; 11th May 2014 at 16:49.
Lol, me too. That was a DSSD in my case.
Interesting to read on this forum, and others, that quiet a few people are declining the opportunity to buy the new SDc. Is it more to do with the not insubstantial price of £6,900, with little to no chance of a discount, which people are baulking at but would happily buy one pre-owned for a more palatable price rather than anything to do with the watch itself?
Dont think so, there are a few who only buy if its cheap but they are buying for all the wrong reasons, if someone truly wants it for the right reasons the price is irrelevant. I have purchased a few new models and never batted an eyelid over the price if it was what I wanted. The new SD is nice but it does not make me reach for the wallet
It's a combination of both I think. £6900 for a pretty standard 3 handed diver in steel is a lot, it would need something 'special' for me to go for it. I was completely underwhelmed by it even though on paper it's something I would consider. The DSSD is a bit different and more of a stand out for my tastes - I wish I'd bought one when they were a lot cheaper!
It's really not surprising that people who already have a Sub, a SD and/or a DSSD are turning down the opportunity to but a SDc as well. They are after all very similar looking watches and very expensive so difficult to justify owning the whole range.
As a single Rolex example however, the SDc is a standout model.
Tried one on in my local AD on Thursday and although very nice just not big enough and this was more so because i was wearing my 42mm Explorer prior to trying it on.
I know many will disagree but this watch should have been 42mm and at the moment i think the Sub either date or non date looks better IMHO.
I don't own a Rolex either! I wouldn't buy the DSSD as it's just too thick to fit under a shirt cuff, plus the ring lock wording detracts from the classic look for me. I don't like the square case look of the Subc or a date bubble so in fact the only model that tempts me is the SDc.
I echo these thoughts.
I own a few, and own the sub too albeit the green LV C. The DSSD is a wonderful engineering showcase but as a watch for me it's just awful. Too big, too thick, case and bracelet out of proportion etc. The writing in the chapter ring is gaudy and I could never live with that staring at me. Each to their own, but I think the sea dweller is perfectly proportioned not too thick, not too thin, weighty but comfortable for a smaller wrist, and offers a different dimension to my collection.
I thought the 60 min markings would bother me but they don't and the end links are similarly a non-issue.
Yes pushing £7k is a hell of a lot for a 3 hander but so are other high end divers from the larger brands. It's also 'only' £850 more than my sub c LV for example. What's he list price in an AP diver for example or a BP FF? At least with Rolex you know you will recoup the vast proportion if not all of your outlay if you keep it long enough.
And lets not forget that we are all spoilt watch enthusiasts that will micro analyse all aspects of a watch, you suggest to a normal human or even the average watch liker that the case is different to regular subs and they will think you are a mental patient. If you can afford it, like it, and want it then theres nothing to lose but sadly a few will buy for bragging rights or gain and never be happy with it!
I for one would not even bother trying it on if it was cased at 42mm, the Explorers sit too flat and large on my wrist. I can understand the larger wristed folk wanting the bigger case size, but I would suggest the safest case size for Rolex would be 40mm given particularly the demand from the middle and far east.
Look at JLC for example who have gone down from 40mm to 39mm for their new master range, the trend is certainly to keep the more mass produced ranged to a size that suit the majority of the target demographic. I think the DSSD was an experiment that was always going to appeal to a far smaller market than the original SD, this newer model is seeking to claw back these lost sales and those holding on to their 16600's.
Let me be the second to disagree - much of the seadwellers' appeal to many has always been that it manages such an impressive depth rating without succumbing to the easy-way-out option of a larger case.
Given that rolex had previously, for a good few years, produced a 40mm watch with exactly the same depth rating and name, it would have been rather a backward step to make the new SD, after basically, it would seem, raiding the old parts bin for seals and a valve, too much larger without any significant technical advance other than a ceramic bezel that's already present on pretty much every current "sports" model in the range.
If the SD isn't big enough for you then theres always the DSSD.
Last edited by JC180; 11th May 2014 at 20:42.
[QUOTE=Oh dear,another confused one that sees fit to wear watches with stickers still attached...LOL.[/QUOTE]
Good spot !!
I have an SD and see no need to replace it or add the SDc. Especially at the price they want for it now.
My SD should serve me well for another 3 or 4 decades.
...for a watch at any (>£2k) price point, let alone £7k. Very sloppy and lazy of Rolex.
Early adopters of this new model will no doubt maintain that 'it's fine' and you can't really tell 'on the wrist', but it's these kind of details that 'make' a luxury watch and separate the men from the boys (and I'm a bit of a Rolex fanboy, so it gives me no pleasure to say this). :(
Shoddy.
Similar perhaps, but not the same; the larger Explorer's hands are different to those of the smaller one, and aren't just taken from the same parts bin. They have upgraded lume, for starters. It was a design decision to use proportionally shorter hands.
I don't know whether these oversized endlinks are the same as the Submariner's. Saving construction/inventory costs is not necessary because the buyer will always pay... besides, the lugs appear to be about the same length as the Submariner's, only thinner (which is whatever everyone wanted?).
The protruding endlinks just make the case look chunkier in another way, although it would be a genuine criticism (given the extreme price) if they didn't finish the exposed part of the surface.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
I'm fairly certain the lugs are far shorter than those on the Sub & Gmt. Have a glance at the pic from JC180 with it alongside the LV and Gmt.
Come to think of it the endlinks on the new dweller must be deeper to accomodate the depth of the new case,so with newly manufactured enlarged endlinks why make the case lugs shorter which will only serve to exaggerate the size and depth of the new end links in comparison to the new shorter lugged case. Only Rolex know the answers to that one.
Noted it is a rubbish pic, rubbish light, rubbish photographer ;)
But it was just bought an I was in Starbucks :)
Better, but still poor, pics
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?298865-SDc-Comparison-Pics&highlight=Pelagos+comparison&p=3128037#post31 28037
For me the original 4000 doesn't get a look in anymore. The thin hands, were always a bit of an annoyance. Matte dial looks better to me and new bracelet like all new ones improves the feel of quality on the wrist.
Last edited by BigD; 12th May 2014 at 17:00. Reason: Linky
Tried one on today and.... it was surprisingly lovely; I really didn't think it would be my sort of thing, but I was actually quite taken.
Didn't look at the end links, but I do agree with a previous poster, that the dial is more not-so-glossy, rather than matt.
Whether or not it's worth £7k, I'm not sure... That could buy an awful lot at JLC, GO etc. and I can't help but think that would be a more interesting and 'better' piece.
I've also decided a new 42mm ExpII is just too big for me, my old 40mm one felt perfect back on the wrist.