Submariner, are they really worth it?
Discussion
Im sure this has been asked before but as title says, are rolex submariners really worth the asking price. Due to recent inheritance I am in a position to own one as its always been a dream watch. Out of curiosity I recently bought a steinhart ocean 1 with a cermic bezel as I had heard these were pretty close to the sub. Its a very good quality homage and I cant help thinking, apart from the name on the face, how much more do you get for your money?
It's like comparing something like an Elise to perhaps a Ferrari 458.
Lotus/Steinhart has bought in mechanicals, rough around the edges, cottage industry etc. but when all is said and done, it's does pretty much the same job and does it well.
The Ferrari/Rolex has the 'in-house' movement as it were and so on. It just is what it is; an icon.
The Rolex is in a different league, primarily because it's what the Steinhart is trying to be. Metallurgy, engineering, quality, warranty, longevity, resale, everything really.
I'll be honest with you; if you didn't get that yourself, then you'd be wasting your money buying one; don't bother as you won't notice the difference.
I own Steinhart and Rolex, both great but the Rolex is special. The Steinhart is merely a decent mechanical watch at a great price.
Lotus/Steinhart has bought in mechanicals, rough around the edges, cottage industry etc. but when all is said and done, it's does pretty much the same job and does it well.
The Ferrari/Rolex has the 'in-house' movement as it were and so on. It just is what it is; an icon.
The Rolex is in a different league, primarily because it's what the Steinhart is trying to be. Metallurgy, engineering, quality, warranty, longevity, resale, everything really.
I'll be honest with you; if you didn't get that yourself, then you'd be wasting your money buying one; don't bother as you won't notice the difference.
I own Steinhart and Rolex, both great but the Rolex is special. The Steinhart is merely a decent mechanical watch at a great price.
Iconic watch, I have owned mine for 24years , I spent most of my first months salary when I worked in Bahrain buying it. I had always wanted one ever since seeing the adverts in the National Geographic magazines in geography lessons at school! Also a great investment , not that I would ever sell it!
yeti said:
It's like comparing something like an Elise to perhaps a Ferrari 458.
Lotus/Steinhart has bought in mechanicals, rough around the edges, cottage industry etc. but when all is said and done, it's does pretty much the same job and does it well.
The Ferrari/Rolex has the 'in-house' movement as it were and so on. It just is what it is; an icon.
The Rolex is in a different league, primarily because it's what the Steinhart is trying to be. Metallurgy, engineering, quality, warranty, longevity, resale, everything really.
I'll be honest with you; if you didn't get that yourself, then you'd be wasting your money buying one; don't bother as you won't notice the difference.
I own Steinhart and Rolex, both great but the Rolex is special. The Steinhart is merely a decent mechanical watch at a great price.
Lotus/Steinhart has bought in mechanicals, rough around the edges, cottage industry etc. but when all is said and done, it's does pretty much the same job and does it well.
The Ferrari/Rolex has the 'in-house' movement as it were and so on. It just is what it is; an icon.
The Rolex is in a different league, primarily because it's what the Steinhart is trying to be. Metallurgy, engineering, quality, warranty, longevity, resale, everything really.
I'll be honest with you; if you didn't get that yourself, then you'd be wasting your money buying one; don't bother as you won't notice the difference.
I own Steinhart and Rolex, both great but the Rolex is special. The Steinhart is merely a decent mechanical watch at a great price.
Well summed up. Now how am I going to get £5k on a watch past the wife.
grumbledoak said:
No. Fundamentally no luxury-goods-level watch is "worth it" in the absolute sense.
You might be able to justify the purchase to yourself, but don't kid yourself - that is "Man Maths".
Not much more to be said than......^This^You might be able to justify the purchase to yourself, but don't kid yourself - that is "Man Maths".
If you fancy being one of the many hundreds of thousands of Rolex Sub wearers/owners, then have at it – but if residual value/what the office bods will say isn't of paramount concern, then there's many other brands all equally deserving of your consideration.*
Personally, if I had to have the whole Rolex cachet, I'd just buy a Tudor Black Bay Blue or Pelagos, and something else with the rest of the money.
- And no, I'm not referring to Omega, Breitling, Tag Heuer, IWC, who also churn out hundreds of thousands each, every year.
( its apparently 'self filling' 
TimLambert7 said:
Factor in £500 every 5 years for a service though.
My SD hasn't been serviced in, er, ever. Still keeps reasonably good time (gains less than 10s per day) after 15 years. It looks terrible, but then I wear it 75% of the time, and I rather like the lived-in appearance. When should I bother getting it serviced? Or just wait until it starts gaining/losing time?
As others have said, over time you shouldn't lose money and may see the value grow. Buy one a couple of years old and you're likely to even better off.
My first 16600 Sea Dweller (bought pre-owned via a dealer) doubled its value in 5 years, making it the cheapest watch I've ever bought.
My first 16600 Sea Dweller (bought pre-owned via a dealer) doubled its value in 5 years, making it the cheapest watch I've ever bought.
Edited by andy tims on Monday 15th September 22:23
longblackcoat said:
My SD hasn't been serviced in, er, ever. Still keeps reasonably good time (gains less than 10s per day) after 15 years. It looks terrible, but then I wear it 75% of the time, and I rather like the lived-in appearance.
When should I bother getting it serviced? Or just wait until it starts gaining/losing time?
Get it serviced soon - in any case to replace the seals & keep it watertight. The elastomer (rubber) seals do degrade with time and will eventually lose their seal - I have a 1953 day-date I inherited from my Father which he ruined swimming once in the sea. After never servicing the watch in 25 years, the seals failed... His next mistake was not opening it up & rinsing it out... When should I bother getting it serviced? Or just wait until it starts gaining/losing time?
OP, if you're asking the question, the answer is "No, not to you".
The Sub is the watchies darling, but I must admit they leave me utterly unmoved.
They're nice enough, but nothing special, imo. I'd never buy one.
Others feel very differently (just look around and you'll find people with 5 or 6 with tiny differences between them...) and they obviously feel they are 'really worth it', but don't feel you have to follow the herd 'just because...'.
M.
PS Watch servicing is a bit over-hyped imo. I've got a 30 year old watch that's NEVER been serviced and keeps excellent time...
The Sub is the watchies darling, but I must admit they leave me utterly unmoved.
They're nice enough, but nothing special, imo. I'd never buy one.
Others feel very differently (just look around and you'll find people with 5 or 6 with tiny differences between them...) and they obviously feel they are 'really worth it', but don't feel you have to follow the herd 'just because...'.
M.
PS Watch servicing is a bit over-hyped imo. I've got a 30 year old watch that's NEVER been serviced and keeps excellent time...
bod27 said:
Man maths, bought Mine in 1990 for £920 , twenty four years later it's now worth £3-£3.5k .
Man maths making things OK all the time!
Bought mine in Switzerland 14 years ago tax free and paid £1290 for it , I'm not interested what's it's worth now as I'll never sell it , it's worn every day and it's never been serviced but gets washed in the shower every now and again so it looks clean.Man maths making things OK all the time!
Part of my boy's inheritance , although he did get a SD for his 21st , he can still have my sub.
yeti said:
It's like comparing something like an Elise to perhaps a Ferrari 458.
Lotus/Steinhart has bought in mechanicals, rough around the edges, cottage industry etc. but when all is said and done, it's does pretty much the same job and does it well.
The Ferrari/Rolex has the 'in-house' movement as it were and so on. It just is what it is; an icon.
The Rolex is in a different league, primarily because it's what the Steinhart is trying to be. Metallurgy, engineering, quality, warranty, longevity, resale, everything really.
I'll be honest with you; if you didn't get that yourself, then you'd be wasting your money buying one; don't bother as you won't notice the difference.
I own Steinhart and Rolex, both great but the Rolex is special. The Steinhart is merely a decent mechanical watch at a great price.
Well put Yeti. Defined quite nicely. I would never sell mine as its destined for my grandsons wristLotus/Steinhart has bought in mechanicals, rough around the edges, cottage industry etc. but when all is said and done, it's does pretty much the same job and does it well.
The Ferrari/Rolex has the 'in-house' movement as it were and so on. It just is what it is; an icon.
The Rolex is in a different league, primarily because it's what the Steinhart is trying to be. Metallurgy, engineering, quality, warranty, longevity, resale, everything really.
I'll be honest with you; if you didn't get that yourself, then you'd be wasting your money buying one; don't bother as you won't notice the difference.
I own Steinhart and Rolex, both great but the Rolex is special. The Steinhart is merely a decent mechanical watch at a great price.
Edited by hilly10 on Tuesday 16th September 16:12
It's versatile and solid as a rock. I lusted after one for years and was treated to a 16610 by my wife for my 30th birthday a few years ago. Monday to Friday I wear a JLC Master Date and on the weekend I look forward to putting on the Sub.
As stated above: if you have to ask, no; it probably won't be "worth it" to you.
If you take the plunge I hope you're not disappointed.
As stated above: if you have to ask, no; it probably won't be "worth it" to you.
If you take the plunge I hope you're not disappointed.
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