The men’s Rolex Submariner was developed in 1953 and made its official debut during Basel Watch Fair the following year. One of the first dive watches to offer a 100-meter depth rating, the Submariner essentially paved the way for the modern dive watch as we know it today. Over the years, the Submariner has seen many notable upgrades, including the addition of a date display in the 1960s, the switch from acrylic to sapphire crystals in the late 1970s, and the change from radioactive tritium to photoluminescent lume in the 1990s. The Submariner was initially only available in stainless steel; a two-tone variant didn’t become available until 1984 via the ref. 16803.That brings us to the two examples that are featured here in today’s comparison video. The Rolex 16613 made its debut in 1988 and was the final aluminum bezel Submariner. The ref. 116613 was introduced in 2009 and features a completely redesigned feature set that swapped the aluminum bezel out for a tougher Cerachrom ceramic insert and features an all-new case and bracelet design. While both references are similar, they each bring a different aesthetic to the table.The Rolex Submariner 16613 was produced for over twenty years. During that time, it became available in many variations, including either a black or blue dial and bezel set, stunning champagne or silver “Serti” dials adorned with gems, lug holes on the case or no holes, and different luminous material on the dial. Two features that remain consistent among the reference variations are the two-tone steel and gold finish of the case and the aluminum insert on the bezel.With the unveiling of the modern 116613 Submariner in Yellow Rolesor (aka two-tone stainless steel and 18k yellow gold) came a newer-style “Super Case” which, despite offering the same 40mm diameter as the ref. 16613, appears slightly larger. The lugs and crown guard are wider, and the bezel received a new mounting design, giving the case a slightly more robust appearance and refined bezel action.
One of the hottest and most sought-after releases in recent years was the reference 116500 Daytona in stainless steel with black Cerachrom bezel. With the exception of its bezel, the new Daytona 116500 was virtually identical to almost any other modern, stainless steel Daytona. However, the aesthetic impact of the black Cerachrom bezel is significant, and the presence of a solid black ring around the face of the watch completely changes the overall appearance of the new ref. 116500 Daytona.Additionally, the new black Cerachrom bezel is more than a little reminiscent of the black acrylic bezels that were fitted to several vintage Daytona chronograph references manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s, such as the reference 6241 and the reference 6263. Although the two materials are significantly different in a multitude of different ways, the black Cerachrom bezel on the new 116500 Daytona is very much the contemporary equivalent of the black acrylic bezel that can be found on a number of highly-desirable, vintage Rolex Daytona references.For the most part, Rolex only moves forward with their designs as they continuously work to refine and improve their watches. However, they have been known to occasionally borrow small design elements from some of their early watches, and implement them into the latest incarnations of their ever-evolving timepieces. Sometimes these design elements get re-imagined or modernized to reflect advancements and improvements in available materials and technologies (like the Cerachrom bezel on the Daytona). Other times, like in the instance of the 24-hour hand on the new Explorer II, these vintage-inspired, design traits get pulled right off a page from a 1970s Rolex catalog and get placed on a watch currently in production.
No, I’m not talking about the Submariner and Explorer II’s famously good looks – we’ll get there in a minute. Both timepieces have a pretty long history with Rolex, and over the years, they have been worn and beloved by many famous faces.The Submariner is famous for its James Bond appearances, author Ian Flemming writing, “He could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex.” Over the years, Sean Connery’s 007 wore a Submariner ref. 6538 and Roger Moore sported a ref. 5513. And as one of the most popular Rolex models ever, we often see the Submariner sported today on the wrists of celebrities and dignitaries alike – whether they’re scuba divers or not.The Rolex Explorer II has graced its fair share of celebrities and famous explorers too. Hollywood actor, Jason Statham can frequently be spotted at red carpet events sporting a vintage ref. 1655 – the very first Explorer II reference. Meanwhile, Prince Harry prefers the modern version of the watch, and owns the 42mm Explorer II ref. 216570 with a white “Polar” dial.This is where the differences between the Submariner and the Explorer II become very apparent. First up, the Submariner has a colored unidirectional timing bezel that today is available in black, blue or green. And before Rolex started using modern, scratch-resistant Cerachrom (aka ceramic) bezels on the Submariner in 2007, it featured an aluminum bezel. The bezel is really one of the main selling points of this watch, as its color really adds some great personality to the wrist, and is one of the defining characteristics of the Rolex Submariner collection.The waterproof Oyster case on the Submariner clocks in at 40mm, and along with the bracelet, can be either constructed from Oystersteel (904L stainless steel), solid 18k yellow gold, or Rolesor (two-tone steel and gold). This is another big selling point for a lot of collectors, as the combinations of alloys and bezels really allow for a lot of style and creativity. And before I forget: the Submariner has always featured an Oyster bracelet, but in recent years was updated with the improved Glidelock clasp, which allows for tool-free adjustment for a perfect fit.
Just at the beginning of December, AR published five models of replica Rolex Oyster Perpetual 114300, please read the detailed review and appreciate their photos in the following.Among these five models, the most popular belongs to the grey watch. So, let’s take it for example. The replica watch is made 1:1 with a genuine Rolex 114300 as reference, the case is not only made of real 904L stainless steel, it also inherits the quality workmanship which J12 has been persisting for several years. The bezel is round and feels very smooth, the polishing on the bezel makes it look like a mirror.The dial is in grey color and has radioactive textures like sun-ray patterns. The dial has a very simple design, there are only hour markers and three hands, but I can find one distinctive feature that only belongs to this Oyster Perpetual 114300, that’s the blue square markers in every five minute. This symbol highlights the whole grey dial. Besides, the stick hour markers at 3, 6 and 9 are much wider than other hour markers, this is also the difference between it and Air King. The 3, 6 and 9 hour markers are filled with lume material in the center.The Rolex Oyster Perpetual 114300 replica is equipped with a super clone 3132, which is modified from a Chinese automatic movement. The movement plates and auto rotor are platinum plated and decorated to look of genuine Rolex Cal. 3132. Actually the 3132 has already been installed in some Rolex models by J12 since 2016, so after two years of improvement, the accuracy and stability of this clone movement have reached a very high level.The Oyster-style bracelet is made of 904L stainless steel, it is fully brushed. Oyster Perpetual 39mm 114300 has a Rolex Crown Logo that is deeply engraved on the buckle, the engravings on clasp is blackened. Overall, the replica has a perfectly made bracelet with the same construction as genuine Rolex 114300. By the way, the replica is water resistant to 50 meters.Maybe Oyster Perpetual 114300 is not your best choice when choosing your first Rolex watch, most people will consider to purchase a Submariner, however, every man should own more than one watch, so, as an entry-level model, Oyster Perpetual 114300 is a good choice to wear as a dress watch in any formal occasions.In the following, I posted photos of other four 114300 models, if you are interested in any one of these five Rolex, please contact me, the stocks last.Top quality watches are always pursued by a lot of people, they like to buy watches from the most famous brands such as Rolex, IWC, Panerai, etc.
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