About this two tone Submariner 116613LN, there are basically four factories that are making it. BP, GM, AR and Noob. Among four of them, BP is the factory makes the cheapest one. GM is a new factory, I do not know their quality. So, the last two factories AR and Noob are worth your consideration. Based on the V1 edition, this time AR factory update the bezel and dial, the thickness of yellow gold coating on case and bracelet is also improved. First, the 18K yellow gold coating, which the factory claims, is updated to be 8 mils thick. Second, the black ceramic bezel insert is also updated, the golden markers on the bezel are improved to have the same engraving depth. Thrid, about dial improvement, the golden edge of hour markers is narrowed, while the central lume part is wider, so there will be more lume coating on each hour marker to guarantee stronger and longer lume light in dark conditions.So, instead of spending $50 USD more on the 116613LN from Noob, it is better to choose this one from AR factory.I love vintage watches very much. Especially Rolex and Panerai are my most favorite.This generation’s Paul Newman Daytonas are currently flying under the radar. Yes, the Rolex GMT-Master II has already doubled in value, and is likely going to appreciate further due to Rolex carefully managing the supply of that model to the ravenous public, but only by 200%, 300%, 500%. Now, that’s not too bad at all, but the really crazy money is likely hiding somewhere in the far corner of the industry and we won’t know what it is until it’s too late to rush out, cash in hand, and “collect” it.So what should we do in the meantime? I told my little friend, desperate to see a return on his money that he should be patient. He should wait to fall in love. He should truly get to know himself before he pulls the trigger. And then, when he’s good and ready, he should buy a Rolex anyway.
Titanium is the material of choice for the inner caseback on the Deepsea due to its strong corrosion-resistant properties and its ability to repeatedly flex under stress without developing the same degree of metal fatigue as steel. Since the crystal on the Deepsea will be subjected to the same extreme pressures as the caseback, its scratch-resistant sapphire crystal has been beefed up to be a massive 5.5mm thick, and it is crafted in a domed shape (without a Cyclops magnification lens) to better distribute the pressures being exerted on the face of the watch.Like both the Submariner and the normal Sea-Dweller, the Deepsea is equipped with Rolex’s Triplock winding crown that screws down and uses a system of gaskets to create three sealed zones to protect against moisture intrusion. Additionally, since the Deepsea is a variation of Rolex’s Sea-Dweller collection, its case is equipped with a helium gas escape valve, which allows the watch to safely be used for saturation diving applications.One of the hallmark characteristics of modern dive watches is the degree of the over-engineering present in their designs and the almost-ludicrously excessive performance-statistics that manufacturers are able to achieve. Although the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller is easily the most capable and robust dive watch available in Rolex’s current catalog, only a very slim percentage of its owners will ever require even a small fraction of its incredible underwater functionality. Regardless, the Ringlock system and the case of the Deepsea are the perfect embodiment of form following function, as the watch was specifically designed from the ground-up to be the ultimate deep-sea diving timepiece.
Black dial has a micro-sand finish, there are two small dials, like the two eyes of owl. Small second hand is running on the subdial at 9 o’clock. The subdial at 3 o’clock now works the same way as genuine watch, there are two hands on that subdial, the longer hand is displaying minutes chronograph, while the shorter hand is hour-chronograph pointer. The movement has been modified by OM factory, so the minute and hour chronograph could be completely achieved on this replica watch.Black nylon strap may be the best match for this watch. The texture of the black nylon band is exactly in line with the black matt finish of the watch. On the back side of the band, the side that touches your skin, is made of genuine leather. I tried this type of band on my hand, it maintains the soft wearing comfort of full genuine leather band, but also looks very cool due to its black nylon material on outside.
Then there’s the much more subdued fixed stainless bezel of the Explorer II which matches the case and features a 24-hour marked scale. This feature was specifically built for explorers who need to distinguish day from night – think cave explorers or polar explorers in the height of summer when the sun never sets.For decades, the durable and waterproof Oyster case on the Explorer II measured 40mm, but upon its redesign for the 40th anniversary of the collection in 2011, it was enlarged to 42mm. However, while Rolex produces a precious metal version of the Submariner, the Explorer II is exclusively offered in 904L stainless steel, and there have never been any solid gold or two-tone models ever produced. The current Explorer II is only offered on a steel Oyster bracelet with a Oysterlock clasp, but to be honest, when it comes to the Explorer II, collectors are much more concerned with what really makes this watch: the face.The dial of the Explorer II is iconic for a few reasons. The most notable being the colored 24-hour hand which circles the face. First there’s the iconic orange 24-hour hand, originally designed to help polar and cave explorers distinguish night from day, that gained its cult-status from the original “Steve McQueen” reference. Rolex eventually brought back the bright orange hand with much fanfare. Then there’s the red 24-hour hand which graced the dial for decades – it’s distinctly different than the orange hand with a skinnier body and smaller luminous triangle at the tip. The dials with a red 24-hour hand are far less punchy than their orange counterparts, but still make the Explorer II standout from the rest of the Rolex lineup.Then there are the dial colors – available in effortlessly-cool black and the coveted ‘polar’ white. The polar dial is totally cool and clean, the white face outfitted with white lume plots and Mercedes hands outlined in black. The black face on the other hand has a totally different appeal. While it boasts the same features, the darker face really highlights the stainless steel bezel, lume hour plots and lume-filled Mercedes hands (this time in white gold rather than finished black). It’s a punchier look, and the colored 24-hour hand – especially the orange one – shines against the black a little brighter.
The dial has a lot things worthy of talking. First it is about the high readability. White dial has thick black Arabic numeral hour markers, the minute markers are also in black color, it is very convenient for the wearer to catch time from the dial. The big triangle marker at 12 and hour markers at 3, 6 and 9 are applied with Swiss Superlume material, so in dark condition, you will find these four markers will emit a strong green light, this improves the dial readability. There are three working subdials, they are sunken from the main dial. Each small dial works well and features a blue hand. Among them, small seconds subdial is at 9 o’clock, 30-minute chronograph counter and 12-hour chronograph counter are positioned at 12 and 6 o’clock repectively. At 3 o’clock, next to the hour marker, there are two square windows, the left window is displaying current day, while the right window is showing date, both have black font. All hands on the white dial use blue color, not only eye-catching, but also give your eyes fresh outlook.
Before introducing this replica watch, I want to tell you guys a bad news, I think that most of you have heard this in some forums, that is Noob factory has been down for more than twenty days. Some people told me that they are on holiday, but it seems this is not true, the truth is that their workshop was raided months ago. So, if you guys still have orders in Noob factory, you need to wait, they are not able to be back and can not make your watches currently. I also do not know when they will be back.
