Rolex

Mostel
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Thoughts on SD 16600 from a fairly ignorant Rolex guy

Well, guys. Having worn the 16600 for a short time now... I've had some thoughts about it and figured I'd share. First off, I really don't know much about Rolex history or the minutia of vintage Rolex collecting, and I have never owned a vintage Rolex. So I look at the 16600 with completely innocent and probably ignorant eyes, not knowing its 'place' in Rolex history, etc. I got this watch because it is the last new Rolex available without the RRR in the ring, which I just can't stand. I also got it because I wanted to own one version of the classic, pre-maxi dial. I love the Sub, but they are just too frequently seen. Not that any non-collector will know that the SD is any different! The non-collector will simply see a Rolex, and that's fine. Anyway! I say all this because my impressions of this SD may come from a really unschooled place. And apologies in advance for no pics. I just felt like writing about the watch today. First of all, the sweet slab of steel that is the SD case, is pure poetry. That thick curvaceous slab is at once starkly utilitarian and at the same time, as beautiful as a woman's hip. As I gazed at the case and the slab of steel, I thought, 'wow'. I have worn a Green Sub for two years and loved it. But here is a true classic Rolex. I didn't know what I was missing. I see what every watch brand has tried to appropriate. That combination of strength and beauty, the architchture that instantly makes sense, relaxes your mind, and beckons the eye to flow along the metal. The dial, being Classic and not Maxi, also pleases me instantly. I thought I would prefer the Maxi, but I love the way the smaller markers sink into the blackness with elegant sublimity. This watch has an elegance the Maxi can not compete with, but I love the Maxi for its boldness, great lume, and playful modernness. But the SD 16600, now a piece of history, feels like one of those watches that defined a whole industry, and indeed it was/is. I mentioned a while back that my Dufour Simplicity is the watch that asks no questions, and brings the mind much bliss. Well, the SD shares the perfect composition of dial to hands size. I find myself thinking a lot about the Simplicity when I wear the SD, and that is GOOD. I noticed when I first wore the SD that it appears an mm or so narrower than the Sub. In today's market trend, it is not desirable to wear smaller watches. A little nervous feeling played in my head. Hmmmm.... is it 'TOO SMALL!!??' But then, looking at it on my wrist, it sat perfectly. It enhanced the structure of my skin and bones, as you would wish for any watch to do, and it seemed to find a happy home there. It is the perfect size. Perfect. And all you have to do to get your 'big watch' Jones, is look at the profile of this gorgeous strong case. It is a beefy, strong slab of steel, formed out of deep purpose and utility. And this thing is good and hefty, it feels like a hunk of platinum. I know this watch has been worn by probably many hundred thousands of men, or more--yet it is so Definitive a design, with nothing superfluous,  no surrender to any trend or any fashion that I can detect, (my BS meter stays quiet) that it feels like a Discovery of something new and timeless. I love my Green Sub, but the SD is something deeper.
Cheers,
/M/