Rolex

The first was the DSSD. As we know, the new 136660 has a slightly larger date window, AR-coated crystal (one side), slimmer bezel, visibly chamfered crystal, and some other features (and omissions) that are different from the 126660. I had seen the 136660 once before, but I didn't have a 126660 present at that time, to compare. This time I did.

The two models do look nearly identical to me. The slightly larger date window on the 136660 was the second-most noticeable difference to me. A nice touch.

But the most noticeable feature was something I was not really expecting: The dial color. I'm not sure if what I observed was due to differences in the dial itself, or the AR coating on the 136660, or both. But I really liked the newer 136660 dial. The blue was deeper and sharper, more pronounced. Also, there was a clear difference in the gradation from blue to black on the dial. On the 136660 that I saw, the transition from blue to black happened higher on the dial and was a "faster" transition. The dial color at the level of the date window of the 136660 was black, whereas it was still blue there on the older 126660, which expressed a more gradual transition from blue to black. You can see this a bit in the photo below (126660 on the left, 136660 on the right).

This was the most noticeable difference to me, and it's what led me to prefer the 136660 (but not enough to sell the 126660 and buy it). Otherwise, the difference appeared negligible to me.

[Note: The green hang tag in the far left is not attached to my 126660 even though it looks like it is. That hang tag is attached to a different watch sitting on far left of the watch tray, outside the photo. It's visually confusing -- confused me when I first saw the pic!]

The second comparison I wanted to make involved the platinum DD40 -- older smooth bezel (228206) vs. newer fluted bezel (228236).

I bought a (preowned) 228206 a few years ago and really liked the smooth bezel. I was grateful that it was smooth because I thought a fluted bezel might look too blingy. But of course, no fluted bezel existed on the platinum model, so this was pure speculation.

Then, when Rolex introduced the 228236 and I saw photos of the fluted bezel, I thought it looked great in the pictures. I was convinced that I'd prefer the new fluted bezel.

This is why I was so surprised when I saw the fluted bezel in person. The fluted bezel on the 228236 looked too strong and a bit distracting to me. At first I thought it was just the artificial lighting in the store, so I took the watch over to the window, to see it in natural light. No change in my opinion, though. Still strongly preferred the older smooth bezel because I thought it had a more balanced, harmonious appearance.

So here I'd stick with the older smooth bezel, personally.

BUT the watches I was comparing had two different dials, so that might make a difference too. My 228206 had the "diagonal motif" dial with plain markers, which looks quite different from the blue dial with baguette markers.

The photos below do not present a fair comparison because the bottom pic (228206) was taken at a different time in different lighting. I couldn't get good pics in the store.

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