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.
Rolex has been manufacturing watches with 34mm case diameters for the majority of their long and distinguished history; however, these “mid-size” models such as the Date and Air-King often get overlooked due to the multitude of options that exist in the more standard, 36mm Rolex Oyster Perpetual case size. However, Rolex has manufactured a number of excellent watches – both vintage and contemporary – that have 34mm case diameters, and their highly versatile size allows them to look at-home on wrists of virtually any gender or measurement.Although the Datejust collection has historically had a case diameter of 36mm for the standard full-size model, Rolex also manufactures a line of watches called the Date that offers many of the same design traits and features of the Datejust – even the same movement too – only in a slightly smaller overall package.One of the most “quintessentially Rolex” watches currently in production with a 34mm case diameter is the reference 115234 Date. With a Cyclops magnification lens, stainless steel Oyster bracelet, and 18k white gold fluted bezel, the reference 115234 Date checks all the same design boxes as the Datejust, just with a slightly reduced size. Additionally, since the 34mm Date and the 36mm Datejust share the same movement, the reference 115234 is in no way a “lesser” watch compared to the Datejust, just one that is 2mm smaller.Since consumer trends favored smaller wristwatches in past decades, a number of great vintage Rolex references exist with 34mm case diameters. One of the longest-running Rolex models of all time is the reference 5500 Air-King, which boasts a super clean and minimal dial design that perfectly complements its slightly reduced case size.The reference 5500 remained in production for thirty-seven years, during which time it was fitted with both Rolex’s Caliber 1520 and Caliber 1530 movements – neither of which were chronometer-certified. Due to their long production run, reference 5500 Air-King watches were manufactured in relatively large numbers and can still be purchased for very reasonable prices. Fitted with one of the cleanest and least text-heavy dials found inside any Rolex watch, the Air-King 5500 pre-dates the widespread implementation of chronometer-certified movements and represents one of the best entry points into vintage Rolex collecting.Although the Day-Date President is the classic all-gold Rolex watch, it has never been manufactured in a size smaller than 36mm. However, throughout its history, Rolex has produced a number of all-gold watches within their Date collection that have 34mm case diameters, and lack the additional complication for displaying the day of the week that is found on the flagship Day-Date line of watches.One of the more modern incarnations of the all-gold 34mm Date is the reference 15238, which stands out due to a number of characteristics that help separate it from previous iterations of Rolex’s all-gold 34mm Date watch. While earlier examples were made from 14k gold, there reference 15238 is craft from 18k – the same as what Rolex uses to manufacture their flagship Day-Date President watch. Additionally, the Date 15238 is fitted with Rolex’s Caliber 3135 movement and a synthetic sapphire crystal, which give it all the ingredients necessary to be a fairly modern watch.
On brown dial, each detail is very close to genuine, cream yellow Arabic hour markers are three-dimensional and plump. Blue steel hour and minute hands are wide, they are applied with luminous material, so are hour markers. The dial has a perfect lume effect at night. The Lume light is green and lasts for a long time. At 3 o’clock, date is displayed through a small square window, date font is white and has the correct thickness. More important, the date font is centered in the window, not too right or too left.Genuine IW327006 titanium watch is equipped with IW35111 in-house movement, which is actually developed from Swiss ETA 2892. The replica uses a Sea-Gull 2892, which has the same construction as ETA 2892, maybe the decoration on rotor and movement plate is different, but the watch has a solid case back, so I do not care the decoration, as long as it is stable. Absolutely if you do care about the subtle details, you can install one genuine ETA 2892 inside the replica by yourself, it is easy. The improved Sea-Gull 2892 movement of the replica has the same winding feel, its date adjusting direction is also correct.
However, rather than being fitted with the same style of bracelet that is found on other Date watches of the same circa, the reference 15238 Date is fitted with a rivet-link Oyster bracelet in 18k gold. The watch itself is fairly modern, both inside and out; however, this style of bracelet was most commonly seen throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and was phased out long before the reference 15238 ever made its first appearance. The unique combination of modern and vintage aesthetics provided by the unusual presence of the rivet-link bracelet, helps to set the reference 15238 apart and make it unique; however it also makes the watch an excellent option for those in the market for a slightly smaller alternative to the Day-Date that is also still crafted entirely from solid 18k gold.
The case is 40mm in diameter and made of 316L stainless steel, round bezel is very thin, so we can see a very big dial under the sapphire crystal. Whole case is brushed, including four lugs. The face of bezel is also brushed while polished on edge. Like genuine, you can operate the two pushers to start or stop chronograph. Case back is locked by four screws, there are vertical brushing on the center. When open the case back, the inside has beautiful geneva stripes and correct engravings like genuine watch.Dial is blue. There are two small dials at 6 and 12. The subdial at 6 o’clock is displaying small seconds, while the subdial at 12 o’clock is for 30-minute chronograph. The two small dials are sunken on the main blue dial, together with the beveled inner bezel, the whole dial shows a 3D visual effect. Besides, silver Arabic numeral hour markers are also three-dimensional.
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.
