Ok, I wasn't going to buy a new Sub... or write a review of a new Sub. God knows there are enough of them. But this was for sale in the member sales section for a very nice price. The old "TW Best" classic. I was "Subless" again, so I couldn't resist (being the geek that I am).
Special thanks to member ***erwinner*** for the flawless transaction.
I'm not going to bore members with the endless info about rehauts and such. If you want to know the differences between the "Taiwan model" and the standard Chinese Subs, visit bklm1234's excellent Submariner 16610 buying guide HERE. It contains pretty much everything you need to know.
I also recommend my friend Stephane's great reviews of different Rolex models.
Originally, I was never a fan of the "TW models", because they have certain inaccuracies. But then I got a "TW Best" GMT Master for a review. Although not very accurate rep, it was really nice watch, and I became a "believer". You can see the review HERE.
The main rival of the MBW/TW models is the Chinese "Noobmariner" which I have reviewed HERE. It's available with ETA and Asian 21J movements. Different dealers just have different names for it (Beginmariner, "perfect Sub"), etc.
I'm not going to lie to you: I don't have much enthusiasm to write about this old rep model. This watch has been debated to death, and numerous members (like Chietang, Tribal and Ubiquitous) have all used this as a "base" watch for their great modifications. But since I always make some kind of writeup/pictorial of my purchases, I decided to "squeeze" out something about this (undoubtedly a nice and classic rep) as well.
My watch is a "TW best" model in good and bad. The dial isn't perfect. M and m don't align, the print is not as good as on the Noobmariner, and the hour markers are "pimplish". However these aren't apparent, except in the zoomed pictures.
The bracelet has solid middle links, and the case has lug holes (which are positioned a bit too close to the edge). The rehaut is metallic, and deep as a fish tank. Personally, I think it was good and deep enough on the Asian Nooby, but many people swear by this one... so who am I to say they're wrong?
The cyclops and datewheel are also placed correctly. While the winding crown isn't visually perfect, it's much better than most. It also operates smoothly and nicely. But you all knew this already, didn't you?
I really like this TW model. The main reasons are the weight, case, crystal and the general "feel", which is (imho) superior to the Chinese. But I still think "Nooby", the Chinese super-Rolex beats unmodded TW and MBW models in visual accuracy. Of course it depends what you consider important.
The TW model is more expensive and probably quite difficult to source these days. It's also the only option if you want to build a "perfect" 16610 rep. You buy what you like the best, debating about the "best Sub" is a dead horse.
I just end this "mini review" with two pics I took of the watch today. Hope you enjoyed this quick writeup.
