Choosing my Daily D(r)iver in the Vein of a Rolex Sub

If it can make you feel better, I don't find this Titoni to look like a Sub at all.

My suggestion : Tuseno Shellback

Serica 5303

I'm sorry I'm not a dive watch guy so only few that comes to mind right now. The Traska is beautiful too, really enjoy their design and build quality seems great

Thanks Guyllheaume,

it helps quite a lot indeed. I forgot to put Tuseno on the list. I had the shellback in the shopping cart once but didn’t purchase it in the end.

It’s probably going to be either the Traska or the Titoni.

I have had a black sub for 25 years. Back in the day (early 2000s) I wanted something similar in blue. And this watch was a rage back then - Marcello C Nettuno. Never hear about them now, but they are still around. I bought one and I have always been pleased with it. Fantastic build quality. Have always received as many compliments on it as my sub. Take a look. The mercedes handset might be too much for you - but I have never felt I was wearing a cheap clomage - but then again I got it in blue :)

Thanks, Bill.

Never heard of that watch before. Ticks many if not all of my boxes. And even in 40mm diameter.

The least I could do for a fellow architect 🙂 And hey its a German watch as well.

Also see where you can get a version without the mercedes handset - more of a sword type - that looks really nice.

I’d get whatever you want.

The Titoni is nice because it’s not your usual, and the brand has been around for donkeys years

I don't know much about Titoni and I they don't make it obvious on the website what movement they're using, which is interesting for a watch that retails for $1750.

Of the ones you've posted I would personally go for the SPB. It is half the price of the Titoni, has its own identity apart from standard sub clones, has nice build quality for the price and is going to be rock solid for years to come. Just my $.02

It’s a Sellita SW 200-1 COSC certified. For their Seascoper 600 Series they are using an in-house movement.

Yup, exactly what I thought.

How about the new Tissot T-Sport Seastar 1000 in 40mm? No ceramic bezel but the quartz movement is good for +/-10 seconds a year with a 5 year battery life!

I figured from your profile name that you could be a fellow architect. So it does seem to be true that we all have the same taste. 🫠

I‘ll try to find one with sword hands. That would be indeed a big point to win me over.

The price range is quite difficult as many watch brands try to avoid t go into the 1K to 2.5 or 3K section to be not to close and compareable to the affordable brands.

Anyway there are few to find within or even under your price range but also little over.

Montblanc Iced Sea

Retail price slightly over 3K. I think one of the most unique and beautiful alternatives.

Union Belisar Datum (Date) Sport for aroun 2.5K

Wempe Zeitmeister Sport Tide

Unfortunately since 2 or 3 Weeks not offered anymore on the Wempe website but I think it was around 2.5K. Wempe produces high quality watches. This modell is a unique tool watch to mesure the tide.

Now to the watches within your price range:

Tutima from Glashütte in Germany makes grwat vallue for money watches. Definatly something to consider. The Model M2 seven seas fits to your requirements.

You mentioned allready Certina.

I guess the DS Action Diver is the best alternative for less than 1K. For little more you can even get the Titanium model.

Maybe one of the Sinn divers?

Honestly, I think you should just keep saving for your dream watch. I made the mistake of buying a bunch of watches that ticked boxes and were placeholders, nothing ever matched the actual thing. Especially with how hard Subs are to get now, hopefully when you're ready to buy that's not the case, but we don't know what the future holds.

Even though clomages don't tend to scratch your itch, I'm leaving this nicely done Milsub variation by San Martin here. Somewhat exotic references tend to work better with homages in my experience.

I would go for the Titoni , IMHO it is a slight "homage" in that it takes design cues from the Sub but adds enough differences. Looks like a solid watch to me 👌

So many times I had them (San Martins, Cronos etc.) in my Cart and yet I never ordered them.

I think I’m having a problem with the lack of originality. And I made the experiment with a Pagani before and regretted it because it endet up in the watch box never worn again after one week.

It’s not so much what others think or if someone mistakenly thinks it’s the real deal (although this would be indeed a main issue for me).

I came to the very same conclusion.

Sinn watches are great and I considered buying the 104 for a very long time. Not sure why I finally didn’t.

Wow quite a few I hadn’t seen before. Thanks for your recommendations. I’ll definitely take a look at them.

I don’t seem to find the exact model you’re showing. Could you please post the model number as well? I was not aware there is a newer model.

The only thing that bugs me about the Tissot divers is the the dial to bezel ratio.

Thank you all so much for your great recommendations and opinions. It really helps out a lot.

By the way, Traska started a reservation for all their models this weekend. If you’re interested you should try to save one for yourself as they tend so sell out fast.

T120.410.11.051.00

btw

Here's a review about tge Tutima.

Looks great in my opinion.

https://youtu.be/1DE7YuSVWO4

Peters Review is really great. I’ve watched it a few weeks ago. If it wasn’t for the bracelet however. Can’t quite get over its design tbh.

One can get it on a rubber strap as well though. 🤔

How about a Yema Superman? They're nice in 39mm

How about an Edox Skydiver 70S Date Automatic. 42mm by 11.5mm, 300m water resistance. Looks like a sub on a presidential bracelet. I hope to get one myself soon.

Hello. I understand your unwillingness to go after a submariner do to cost and Originality however the watches that you’ve displayed look a lot like a Sub. From a distance anyway. Have you ever tried a Sub on. I admit I’m a ROLEXAHOLIC but with the money that you have spent (I don’t know how much) would it be close to the cost of a Sub??? Aren’t most dive watches try to look like a Rolex? As far as originality of it feels good to you who cares what other people think. My picture is my Datejust but my daily is a Sub and I I’ve every minute of wearing it. I am new at this and just my opinion so good luck in your quest for that perfect piece that makes you feel the best. Take care. T

Hey Todd, thanks for your feedback.

you’re right: The Submariner is my absolute grail watch. For me the fifty fathoms and even more so the submariner define the ideal „dressy“ divers. Almost like a platonic ideal of a watch.

However, I don’t ever see myself spending almost 10 grand on a watch.

And yes a few examples shown here take indeed a lot of inspiration from the sub. But others were pretty much exactly what I was looking for. And it’s also a bit tricky to say that most divers are copies of the sub when the literary the only thing they have in common are the black bezel and black dial.

But again I admit that it’s tricky: A watch in the vein of a submariner/fifty fathoms but not a clone/clommage/Hommage.

Hey Lars. For most of my career I used to say that I wouldn’t get a Rolex as they stood taller than the watches I was wearing at the time. An Acutron ultra slim as well as I have a few made by my jeweler that were only a couple hundred so no major expense, I think the Bulova was the most at the time. When I quit working I had some obvious extra time and stated to look into the Rolex o decided to buy a late 80s date just. At first I was so uneducated that I thought jubilee was a color lol. My mediocre research made me look at all kinds of watches for similar reasons that you have talked about. Ten thousand is alot and I get it. After my first one I saw another Datejust that was newer with an oyster bracelet. The wife botched a little until I showed her the matching one I got for her (20th wedding anniversary) I found a Sub online and fell in love with it as I still am. I wish it was 10 grand as this one got me for 13,500 as well as the wife one too. So we now own 5 watches combined and she has become a Rolex fan as well. I’m not good at making king stories short but with the research I found that with a little maintenance these will last our lifetime and am now looking at a Hulk (but just looking so far). So go for what you know and start putting some Pennie’s away, A lot of pennies for the one you’ve been looking at. As I said and you agreed Rolex is king!!! Have a great Sunday!!! T.

My “Avatar” is my sub just fyi.