Rolex Submariner 16610 (4 watch comparison)

[RVD 0]

I have always wanted a Rolex Submariner 16610. Unfortunately I have never been able to afford a gen so over the years I have gathered a few high quality replicas. While I probably could have come close to buying a gen with all of the money that I have spent on various reps over the years, reps have provided many years of enjoyment for me so I don't regret my spending at all.

 

Anyway, with that said, I thought that I would share some of the reps that I have purchased. I have 4 reps here of which I believe 2 are of exceptional quality, 1 is very good, and just for comparison, 1 is pretty bad. But please feel free to critique if you'd like as all 4 may be crap in your opinion and I won't be offended.

 

Although I do have a decent macro lens, the lighting isn't so great and I apologize in advance for that. I also apologize for the lint in some of these pictures. I am not really new to photography but I am new to macro photography.

 

Submariner #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submariner #2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submariner #3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submariner #4

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hnic 1]

thank you

 

could you let us know which one is favorite and where it came from?!

[Mystery Shopper 5,887]

Great first post.

2 & 3 look great to me, 1 looks good & the #4 doesn't look right (wrong angle of rehaut?)

Is there no ROLEXROLEX etc on the rehaut or is that the pic?

[scorpion 0]

G'day Mate, Huan Ying, Velkommen, Welkom, Bienvenue, Willkommen, Benvenuto, Dzieñ Dobry, Dobrodošao, Vítejte, Bonvenon, Tervetuloa, Accueil, Fogadtatás, Velkomin, Selamat Datang, Powitanie, Bem-vindo, Välkommen and Welcome.

 

My advice is to leave here right now, dont look back just go away and forget you ever found this site.................

Or get your wallet ready for a serious spending spree!!!!!!

 

Great post - quality stuff look forward to your next one if you stick around!

[jeffw69 0]

Looks like 4 of the same watch.

[Crusader 0]

Looks like 4 of the same watch.

 

You knew?

 

My guess is:

 

1. Unknown source, probably 21j?

2. Maybe TC, pearl looks good

3. Regmariner?

4. No idea, looks quite good

[RVD 0]

#1 is a BK modded TW submariner. my most recent purchase (a few weeks ago).

 

#2 is my favorite. It's pretty old (bought it about 8 years ago) but it has a genuine crown and genuine pearl. the lume on the hands and dial isn't that great though and the bracelet is a little sharp (like most reps). The bezel is nice and smooth but doesn't quick click as well as a gen. paid around $600 or so back in the day.

 

#3 was purchased a few years ago as a high quality rep straight with no mods. i don't remember where i got it or how much i paid though but it wasn't much (maybe in the $300 range.

 

#1-#3 all have swiss ETA movement.

 

#4 is a cheap rep with asian movement. the bezel pearl is obviously fake. the font on the dial is thick unlike the other 3. ironically enough, this bezel movement (twisting the bezel) is best.

 

None of these watches have the ROLEXROLEX on the rehaut. all 4 have the rolex etching at 6 but is not noticeable unless you really squint hard and put it at an angle of light (which is great).

 

i never wear watch #4 but maybe i'll take it one one of these days.

 

#2 is what i wear 90% of the time.

[PAB 0]

Partial to a sub then?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome!

Edited September 30, 2012 by PAB

[solkryssare 109]

You Can never have to many subs yours look great.

[rsh 0]

I believe #2 may be an old MBW, #3 is a noob sub, #4 is probably a cheaper mainland china rep (has date in the eta position)

[Flaguyinetown 0]

Hm,

 

1. Obviously looks very nice. Nice CGs though look a little long, nice recessed bezel insert, very good SEL fitment. Pearl is too protuberant and looks wrong. Mostly the pearl is off, could use a gen insert.

 

2. Thought the pearl looked gen. Doesn't protrude like most reps. CG look like someone hand filed them with a nail file.

 

3. Nice Ceramic Sub C.

 

4. POJ. Agree the rehaut angle is wrong.

[Flaguyinetown 0]

How does the TW BK compare to the TC?

[rsh 0]

#3 is not a sub c (116610)......its a 16610

If you look at the 2 subs, the BK TW and the TC , each has a distinct advantage.

 

Let me elaborate some.

 

　

The BK subs uses a 2836 movement, its crown guards come fat and BK mods them. Its crown is good but not as good as the TC crown. The bracelet is solid center links, while this is not correct, many prefer it as it does feel more substantial. The SEL fit is consistently very very good. BKs dial is better, it looks more gen IMHO. BKs datewheel overlay looks much better IMHO. BKs inserts are better hands down. BK uses a clark crystal and I think it is better than any other crystal short of gen. The 2836 is more installer friendly, much easier to center the dwo on it versus the 2824. Bezel assembly is more gen in appearance even if it does not accept the gen insert.

The TC sub had its advantages. Its CGs are nice from ther factory. The case is a tad skinner in side profile. Looks more gen. The latest case has a wider SEL area and unless you use the tc v3 strap, there is gap in the SEL fit. It is the better more accurate case. I don’t like the TC crystal, it distorts and overmanifies the date. The datewheel overlay is not as good. Numbers are a bit left justified. Inserts are bad, I think the bezel assembly is more gen like in construction and can accommodate the gen insert with less modding but the overall appearance is not quite as good as TW.

If you want a sub that looks great from the side, correct crown position, takes a gen movement, a better base for modding, TC is the way to go.

If you want one that will look better head on, looking directly at it from the front, in all honesty, the BK is the way to go.

For us modders, it is a no brainer, get a TC sub and mod it to your hearts content.

Ultimate recipe….

Take a TC sub, add a gen insert, add BKs dial and datewheel overlay, swap a clark crystal or gen crystal….

Edited October 3, 2012 by rsh

[BigBuys 0]

 

Take a TC sub, add a gen insert, add BKs dial and datewheel overlay, swap a clark crystal or gen crystal….

 

That recipe sounds like the one I'm working on at this time! GEN insert and crystal sourced, crystal to install. Now must study the BK dial/DW and determine if I see the benefit.

[Flaguyinetown 0]

For me personally, it's all about the feel of the watch and finish quality.

 

I.e. if I hand one of the experts here a rep, they'll notice things like crown guard size and position, whether the pearl is too big or doesn't look gen, height of the crystal over the bezel, position of the crown, hollow middle links (though Rolex itself went to solid links for the 116610) etc....

 

However, if you hand it to a non-watch person, they'll probably without being conscious of it look first for the weight of the watch, misaligned date wheel, sharp edges, poor finishing, poor sel fit, pearl not centered...

 

I guess my preference is more the forest for the trees. I'd rather a rep that felt 1:1 over one that looked1:1 in terms of details but felt like a rep.

 

I recently ordered a bk 116610 sub c which for the purists for ultimate 1:1 or the classic 16610 look isn't the watch. Curious to see how it feels.

 

 

[Flaguyinetown 0]

As an example of what I hope to find...

 

Like most here, I paid 2x or more too much for a poor quality rep before I found this site.

 

Almost anyone could tell it's a rep just by holding the watch. It's way too light and makes a cheap sound when you shake it. There were the usual sharp edges on the clasp which itself weighs almost nothing and feels likes something from Canal street.

 

A rolex guy would notice that it has the wrong date wheel font (open six and nine), wrong hole pattern on clasp, the pearl is positioned at the bottom of the triangle, 60 click bezel, the bezel insert has no recess and the crystal sticks out too far etc...

 

A normal Joe wouldn't have to know a thing about Rolex... They'd wonder how Rolex made a watch with a pearl off center, used stamp process on clasp, crooked cyclops, bezel has tons of play 1.5 sec, date wheel font poor legibility and off center, and that the watch weighs next to nothing... Lol.

 

Ideally, I just buy a gen, but that will have to wait lol.

 

Until then I hope to find a rep that feels close to a Rolex accepting some minor discrepancies even a pearl that's not quite right size provided it's at least positioned centered in the triangle..

 

We'll see!

[myaz 3]

Great to see hairs being split: we all learn stuff.

Keep in mind that the person most bothered by minute flaws is the owner of the rep.

That's because the average Rolex owner doesn't get to shake your rep, examine the hole pattern in the clasp or evaluate the play in the bezel. I'll bet the "average" Rolex owner, the one who doesn't belong to a Rolex forum, Which is 99% of them, has no clue about open 6 & 9 on DW or shape of the 4 on the bezel.

 

BTW, all 4 of these reps would look great on the wrist, a few points off for the wrong rehaut on #4.

[Flaguyinetown 0]

"keep in mind that the person most bothered by minute flaws is the owner of the rep."

 

Well yeah, we're all obsessive here, aren't we?

 

Basically, my point boils down to this.

 

A few months ago, I bought a "Swiss Made" Bulova Accutron Curacao in Rose Gold.

 

 

Now it's legally labelled "Swiss Made" but it's obviously probably mostly made in China like all reps. :P

 

It retails for about $1000-$1100 depending on where you buy it.

 

To be honest with you, I picked it up on Ebay brand new for $300 + shipping. If you looked now, you might even grab one for $250.

 

It has a sellita SW 200 movement and is water resistant to 300 m. No sharp edges. Bezel has zero play and clicks very solid.

 

If I could find a Rolex rep with a comparable level of build quality as my $300 Bulova Accutron, I'd be over the moon as the Brits say

 

When I wear my crappy sub rep (not from any TD here--pre rwg for me), I don't care if it looked 1:1 (it doesn't) because I feel like I'm wearing a piece of garbage. When I wear my Bulova, it at least feels like I'm wearing a decent watch.

 

That being said, I'm just stating my opinion and other people will differ.

Edited October 3, 2012 by Flaguyinetown

[Electron17 0]

Welcome to RWG, great post and thanks for sharing your 4 Subs.

Regards,

Jan

[Boods 0]

nice compassions thanks for sharing

[RVD 0]

Actually #2 has been updated with BK's datewheel as well.

 

Just another non-scientific data point...

 

I recently (like this past weekend) just bought a brand new Rolex 116610. It's my first Rolex gen and yes, I love it. I know that the sub c is a different watch but #1 and #2 are both excellent and the overall "feel" of the watch is really not very different from my gen.

 

I've been wearing my gen almost every day since I got it but there was one day when I wore #1 and I almost forgot that it was a BK modded watch.

[Dendo 93]

This is a very nice thread guys - very educational on subs, particularly the nit-picking. I totally agree with the point about 99% of Rolex wearers would have no clue about what to look for to detect a rep - weight would be the biggest clue for them.

 

@RVD Thanks for the posts, congrats on your gen (side by side comparisons coming I am sure) and welcome to the forum!