Why dont I like the Rolex Submariner - and other questions you asked answered.
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- Опубліковано 26 лип 2024
- A pretty straightforward Q and A episode. I was really glad there wasn't much about Rolex, nothing about Tudor but their was something about Longines - a brand I fear I overlook a bit.
One thing Im really curious about. I was asked why I don't like the Rolex Submariner so I answered as best I could. I'll be fascinated by how many people try and "defend" the Sub by attacking watches I've said I like in other videos. There will be some comment about big overpolished flashy Breitlings etc as if that says anything about the Rolex. It always makes me laugh when people do that (but they pretty much always do it).
For your awareness some things about me and the channel.
I'm an engineer who's into human behavior, loves the ideas behind art and sees watches as a mix of science, craft, art, business, history, technology, philosophy, and psychology. As a result, my videos cover all that ground. (Oh, and I overthink everything).
In my opinion a $15 Casio or a $50 G-Shock are probably the only real tool watches and pretty much everything else is jewelry. So as we are talking about jewelry I think style is substance and I tend to believe history, brand, style, design, execution, and aesthetics are more important than specs. A dull design with a good movement is a dull watch, and an exciting design with an average movement is an exciting watch.
To be clear, I hate the expression "it's just a watch". If you got this far, watches matter to you and represent a bridge between us - dismissing them as unimportant seems wrong and disrespectful. That doesn't mean we can't and don't have fun, it just means we should not be totally mindless of others.
I'm a watch collector and curator - I like my collections to have a theme. My collection has several themes:
1. Vintage Alpina watches
2. Travel watches (GMT. UTC, world timers, home times, dual times)
3. Seiko Prospex dive watches
4. Breitling chronographs
5. Stuff I just really like.
I don't do wrist checks so if you want to see what I'm wearing, my collection, and other random bits of my life check out my Instagram:
@not.so.obvious.watches / not.so.obvious.watches
You can email me at not.so.obvious.watches@gmail.com
virtually all the music you'll hear on my channel I get from BenSound - www.bensound.com/
also, my stock images and videos tend to come from either snappa (snappa.com/app) or pexels (www.pexels.com/) - Навчання та стиль
Still a fan of the Sub, fallen out of love with the Rolex brand but the Sub is still such an iconic piece of horological history it’s hard to totally ignore.
Totally agree - if you really love something (or someone) the finer details of how they look tend to fade away.
rather a Tudor BB58
Thanks Pete for shedding some light on the whole Elephant/Chicken controversy 😆!
Best regards
I know - but you know me, always willing to tackle the controversial questions others wont touch. 🤔. I think we should be asking what others have to hide - are they being secretly sponsored by "big chicken"?
(or am I? - oh riddles inside riddles)
Great Q&A video Pete. I knew that you loved vintage Alpina’s but, it was great to see that you are buying one of your favourite brands (I’m guessing it’s Breitling?) Chronograph’s. They really are a Chronograph brand at heart and I bet that they made some great pieces in the past. Keep the enthusiasm going! Thank you for answering my questions. ✊
Thanks for answering my question, Pete! I think it also sheds a little light on your tactical and philosophical style of collecting.
Oh wow that RAAF IWC is incredible. The red tipped seconds hand is a super nice touch.
Just on the Chinese showing us watches are overpriced question. You said they have shown us that manufacturing is cheap but you could have gone further and said manufacturing is cheap so long as you aren’t bothered about paying your employees a fair wage, don’t take health and safety seriously and have a cavalier attitude to intellectual property theft.
Also accepting lower QA rejection. The tighter the tolerances are, the higher the rejection ratio and therefore higher end cost.
The issues around chinese manufacture, wages, quality etc are really complex and go beyond a quick Q and A. I dont disgree with you though.
Don't forget trashing the environment. Yu Hua's "China in Ten Words" is a good, easy read on how China will make 100 million dollars worth of goods while causing a billion dollars worth of site destruction (e.g.polluted soil at facilities)
Great vid Pete, I like these very much. Thank you for answering my question. I will try to articulate my future questions clearer.
Have a great weekend.
Regards
Starlight
Fantastic!
This is the most considered Q&A I think I've ever heard. I came here with the expectation of vehement disagreement, based on many of your past opinions but I'm pleasantly surprised and relieved that wasn't the case. BTW working for the NTSB would be one of my dream jobs. I find nothing more fascinating than finding a flaw or weakness in a destroyed vehicle/ aircraft and then taking steps to ensure it never happens again. Its a profound line of work.
Can I throw in the IWC Mark XVI into the mix? This is for a quality and good value proposition .. hear me out....
I picked mine up last month on Chrono (original strap, box and warranty card) for just over half the price of the current new model XX...
It is superb... its 11 years old now but looks just stunning. Crisp super legible dial, feels on par with my old omega aqua terra.... light weight on a leather strap (70 grams) , non shiny surfaces on the dial. Black date wheel which is nice, no arabics at 3,6 9,12 which is a little funky and creates a symmetry that really works for my OCD... they are also made of 3d blocks of lume i think... they look wonderful.... great case brushing and general finishing, which has done well in 1q years of its life. Still looks good, despite scratches and a few tiny bumps... only losing 3 seconds per day. So I'll take the modified ETA movement any day..Only 11mm thick. Beautiful case back which is plain and simple but so solid and of a high quality.. its just a perfect watch (for me)... for 2.5x the price of a Sinn equivalent I still think it gives great value and its a classic
P.s. JLC is one of my grail watches...master ultra thin or similar. They are superb
And I'm pretty much over MOST of what Rolex have to offer at this stage. There's so much fantastic watch making out there without waiting in a long line and fighting for one .... or paying double..("dead behind the eyes corporate psychopath!" ... amazing)
Omega, some Tudor, JLC, some IWC , Nomos, Doxa, Breitling.... the list goes on
That was superb and very enjoyable Pete thank you so much
Poor elephant 🐘 😢
Great video, questions and answers Pete 🐓🤣
There’s obvious answers to the questions, but Pete goes ahead and gives you a not so obvious take for each and every answer … love it! The description of what Pete thinks of when thinking of Rolex is just tragic. Pete has been traumatized… we need to dig deeper on this issue
No digging required I know precisely where my attitudes come from. I formed most of my core ideas of the world and how its works in the 80's and 90's and Im a child of exactly the same histories, ideas, feelings as the writers of Glengarry Glen Ross and American Psycho. The reasons Brett Easton Ellis puts a rolex on Patrick Bateman's wrist in his book are the same that stop me embracing the brand.
Rolex makes me laugh with the introduction of the two tone Explorer. I can't see the point unless you are hanging out at a luxury hotel pool and decide to climb the waterfall rock feature before lunch. That might look cool on Tik Tok.
😂😂😂
I have an exp ll but would never go caving.. luckily you never see a guy wearing a submariner in a restaurant 🤔
I dont think the two tone explorer is a problem in itself - rather its the wider messaging - "we havent introduced a new steel watch (the explorer 2) since 1971 - but look you can now get everything (almost) in gold". I think the two tone explorer was (for many/some) the straw that broke the camels back.
Best video yet. As always, I don’t always agree with your views but thought this was super engaging and was wanting more. Thanks.
thanks
I was actually wondering if you were going to make a response video to Christian's Breitling content. Good response here
That was so entertaining!
New subscriber
Great video Pete. In relation to Rolex and the Sub - I don’t feel the same but I get where you are coming from.
Thanks for answering my question Pete !
I really like the Zulu time, especially on the strap. 👌❤️
Thanks Pete, really enjoyed this. Appreciate your service too in the RAAF.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you for answering my question ☺️👍🏻👍🏻
No problem 😊
Not the best questions by me, surely though one of your best vids mate, something real in it, from start to finnsh. Cheers!
Always refreshing and illuminating. I’m not sure the dead behind the eyes corporate types are watching here, and the Rolex owners who are will appreciate the thoughtful response to the question. Plus, like the RAAF background story, thank you. Yep, that Dornbluth is beautiful 👍
Quick edit: what dive watch would you pick as best resolving those issues you identify in the Sub?
Really quickly on your last thats easy - the modern Tudors. The blackbay is a lovely, coherent and integrated design that starts with a clean sheet of paper and then draws a single cohensive whole taking what they want from history. The Sub on the other hand looks like what it is, a single design pushed and pulled, nipped and tucked, topped and tailled over and over again.
The Tudor isnt for me but I wont deny its a very pretty watch.
Saving up for a breitling avenger 43mm black first luxery watch , what do you think about grand seiko , I do like them but do you think they are riding 9ff the back of success with thier nature collection, what do you think they should come up with aside from thier changing seasons collection.
Excellent video. How many watches do you actually own? Last question was so bizarre.
In my "collection" Id say about 50 - at a guess.
Great to hear some appreciation for Muhle Glashutte - hugely underrated.
It really is!
1) fully agree on the affordable German watches being a great option. Writing this with my trusty Sinn556 on the wrist
2) 🇫🇷 your « je ne sais quoi » was pretty good.
3) Rolex Submariner. I did somewhat relate to the first part of your answer, ie people, but thinking about Richard Mille. They are ugly as sin but since I won’t see many IRL, I don’t really care ; but the worst part is the kind of people (ok, except Raphael Nadal but he does not buy them) waving their Amex to buy one. Who apparently also buy Tiffany dial 5711 🤦🏼. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind having a no date Sub in the sock drawer.
Thanks - I really do try and get the pronunciation right - Im just bad at it (its like when I try to 'act' - I feel performative and out of place).
The Ranger isn’t an homage. It’s a traditional Tudor line and a continuation of it.
I love that you answered the chicken question this carefully :D
I think that the Longines are an amazing bang for buck brand. For example, the Spirit Zulu GMT and Spirit titanium 40mm (no date) watches are amazing for the price..and you can often get them for 20% of MSRP... having specialised movements with great specs and accuracy. My friends' spirit 40mm titanium runs +1 seconds a day.
Totally agree, Longines have been killing it recently, they have an incredible back catalog and listen to consumers, all at a very fair price. Would be my first choice for many types watches.
I'm not a fan of the Mercedes hands not
I think my problem is they feel a little half hearted - the hour hand is a bit thin and short, the mercedes "bulb?" isnt big, it isnt small but sort of middling. I know Im certain to the wrong but it feels like rolex hand designer and dial designers dont get along and only communicate via post it note.
Who would work on ships when you can work on aeroplanes. Greatest answer ever.
I’m wondering about the Breitling Ironman watch… Pete, did you finish an Ironman race? If so, that’s a huge accomplishment and I could see how that watch is a reminder of when you were in peak physical condition and represents a proud moment that reflects the best of who you are
Hey Scott. Done three, it was actually failing to finish an ironman that led to me finding a had a medical condition. Five years since then I finally feel like Im getting on top of it and I'm aiming to do another in 2024.
@@PeteMcConvill I’m impressed because I have done a marathon, and could not imagine swimming and cycling on top of that
Running a marathon and doing an ironman are very different and equally difficult (depending on your attitude I guess) compared to an ironman a straight up marathon is really intense and crossing the line I've felt similarly fatigued - will say though that a few hours - days later the IM hurts a lot more.
I have owned two Rolexes (still have one) but I find them to be like the Evil Empire in the old Starwars movies. They do nothing to humanize the brand.
Use 3,501 chickens. You wanna make sure, right? 😂
If I wanted to be really sure, I'd used the standard aviation margin of safety (load X3) and insist on 10,500!
You got a sotc mate?
JLC is the best looking sector dial 'IMO'
agree - its stunning
Ah, chicken elephant, worth watching the whole vid just for that bit, chapeau
laughed out loud at your Submariner comments! I agree!
I've got an few Rolex watches. Just sold my 126610LN. It's boring. Found myself wearing my Seamasters more, especially my Ploprof.
Agreed
@@davidr2802 Not the criteria I use. Lost money on the Sub and my Seamasters are worth what I paid for them.
The elephant chokes on the chicken. Feed it a hundred chickens and you then have a better chance of it choking.
first :)
Great response to Chinese watches
Having watched a couple of your videos, I don’t think you like any Divers at all.
I guess this would be a right conclusion?
No - in fact my last purchase was a dive watch - my JLC Master Compressor Diver GMT. Im wearing one as I type this, an Edox Hydrosub. I spent 5 years searching for and finally getting to buy an original 1968 Alpina Seastrong. I think the Seiko 62 MAS recreations are (from a design/looks POV) almost perfect.
With regards Chinese watches, very easy to build them cheap when you have slave labour.
Curiously, I'd say labour is about a third of the issue, the consolidation of the industry into essentially 4 factories is another third and the final third is essentially free finance from the government.
Brilliant as always
subs are subs, what can i say? 🤷♂
thats the bedrock of rolex marketing for 50 years and it works a treat
@@PeteMcConvill if ain’t broke… 😉
So you don’t like the Rolex not Submariner specifically? 😊
really surprised you rate Rolex so highly in terms of price-quality ratio. especially given that you have said you would never buy one. personally I think they cost too much for what you get, even at retail. And don't be @-ing me to prove this, I'm giving a personal opinion!
Pete, totally understand your Brietling’s, on the surface, excessive wrist time.
I think the more watches you have the more your exotic, unique watches have a chance to stand out and earn more wrist time.
For me, versatility is the most overrated watch characteristic. I crave variety so I need a watch that, when it’s turn comes, pops.
I have two different, albeit just negative Rolex Submariner takes.
1. As I’ve said ad nausium I now at least 15 Rolex owners and none of them are even remotely successful, rich, nothing. When I see Rolex I associate it with non-watch fans trying to flex and show wealth they don’t have.
2. I dislike the Sub even more than you. For me it’s easily the ugliest Rolex - the cyclops, the Mercedes’ hands, the small dial, the paragraphs of print, the round indices, the lack of color.
Hey Jeremy:
1. I used to say versatility is overrated - but Im slowly changing - perhaps its not "versatility" as such, but rather peoples inability to see that interesting watches can be worn all the time and that the problem with a watch that packs some visual interest isnt that it isnt versatile, rather you are flexible enough for it.
2. I should be clear - my aversion to Rolex has nothing to do with any person I (currently) know. My feeling in the brand were really created back in the 80's (when books like Glengarry Glenn Ross and American Psycho were being written). I guess I absorbed the same zeigeist as Mamot and Easton Ellis.