Comments:
Survivor Love
Ten years after its launch in 2008, I am still smitten with the Survivor. Once again, I am considering hunting down one of these beasts.
Any owners, or non-owners for that matter, who might share their thoughts on the Survivor after its first decade? Has the design and size held up? For the owners among you, how has the PVD case "survived" wear and general use? Does it get a lot of wrist time? All thoughts and opinions are welcome.
(Photo by MichaelC)
The Survivor remains the most compelling and exciting Offshore for me. Admittedly, it is not a watch that would typically be in my wheelhouse these days, and yet it still gets my heart racing every time I see it.
(Photo by MichaelC)
The Survivor remains the most compelling and exciting Offshore for me. Admittedly, it is not a watch that would typically be in my wheelhouse these days, and yet it still gets my heart racing every time I see it.
Come to me, you beautiful beast!
Cheers,
respo
I had the opportunity to see it in Paris when it was unveiled, yes, some ten years ago...
An impressive beast, to say the least, in the line and spirit of the End of Days.
Still, when it comes to ROO, the End Of Days is above this Survivor, for me, and two others are winning against this one, the JPM in titanium, and the Orchard Road.
The PVD? For the End of Days, AP can " repair " it. So, I tjink it should be the same for the Survivor.
A beast, a strong beast, that's for sure.
It's all up to you, my friend.
Best,
Nicolas
You are no doubt right...
...in your assessment of the Survivor v. the EoD and others you mentioned. But for me, the Survivor and the Diver are the only two Offshores about which I feel passionately. The passion for the latter has waned somewhat over the years, but not so for the Survivor. On a personal level, that tells me something.
Thanks for your thoughts, as ALWAYS, Nicolas.
respo
Thanks for your thoughts, as ALWAYS, Nicolas.
respo
Nice looking watch but impossible to wear in comfort.
I bought it and eventually sold it in just a couple of month - those pusher protective guards are totally nonsense for comfortable wearing. AP failed.
I will reply ASAP. I never had any comfort issues, so don't despair about that :-) [nt]
No message body
Thanks for allaying my fears on that.
Actually, I did not really have any fears about comfort. Would love to hear more of your thoughts, however, whenever yo have a chance, Michael.
Best,
respo
Best,
respo
To me its more about proportions...APROO can get bit cumbersome to wear on avg sz wrists. Larger frame sports icons and Governator himself are choice select for these pieces. If you have..
...an envious wrist nothing better than these rare sporty offshoots 
)
)
I agree
But I think this is the case for any watch: it must be assessed in terms of the specific wrist it will be adorning. I have tried on the Survivor and felt that it fit my wrist comfortably.
Thanks,
respo
Thanks,
respo
OK Respo, I'm all in favor of you getting this monster.
I am privileged to have some great APs, and have owned a handful of various Offshores over the years. I ultimately decided that the Rubens Barrichello II in titanium was the single greatest limited edition piece AP made for my personal tastes. The irony is I am not a car guy, I could care less about racing and those events.
But I am a weapons guy, big time. So my initial appeal to the Survivor was in this regard. The details on the watch are outrageous, it is a super aggressively designed piece. I have always been drawn to polarizing watches and things in general. The more the "masses" hate something, the more I tend to like it.
Comfort - a completely overblown issue IMO. The crown is large, same as the RB2 and many other Offshores. If you purposely bend your left hand upward while the watch is on, the first thing it hits is the crown. Not the pusher guards. On my wrist, they floated up above my wrist, and never were a comfort issue with normal movements of the hand and wrist while wearing. The wide strap and tang buckle were awesome. Mine never became scratched or faded, so durability was also not an issue for me.
Do I regret selling mine? No, because it was along the path to get the RBII. But without question, I miss it. You might know I now have an all black Freak, and while the 2 watches are quite different, the overall color scheme is identical. These days, the only AP that gets The Freak off my wrist is the 15202, not even my other Offshores.
But the Survivor is a Legend for me, and when the timing is right, I will circle back to it. A few shots from the past, I have others on another machine I will work on digging up.
Thank you!!!!!
I really appreciate your thoughts and additional photos.
The size and comfort of the Survivor do not worry me. How well the PVD coating holds up does, but I am glad to hear your experience in this regard was positive. PVD-coated watches always make me nervous. Perhaps the Survivor is a watch that would endure a few marks and scratches as befitting its theme and design? I wonder if I could tolerate it.
The RBII is also one of the most beautiful Offshores I can think of, so I understand your history with the Survivor now. The Survivor is apparently the one "I can't live without."
I can understand why the Freak seems to command your wrist. It is powerful!
Thank you for the encouragement in hunting a Survivor. It will, as always, be a matter of finding the right one at the right time and for the right price.
I appreciate the help, Michael.
Cheers,
Robert