Rolex Submariner
Shares rank 3 of 4 mechanical watches by recommenders
Praised for its iconic, well-made design and long-proven purpose. Critics call it blocky and uncomfortable, and say the name misleads.
Praised for its iconic, well-made design and long-proven purpose. Critics call it blocky and uncomfortable, and say the name misleads.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 63%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Iconic, well-made design
“There is nothing wrong with the Submariner - quite the contrary, it is an iconic design and exceedingly well made.”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “I also filed the corners off my MacBook” Design suited to original purpose
“it's still an excellent product with many years of design to suit its original purpose.”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Name misleading for a wet watch
“if I have to worry about getting an expensive watch that calls it "Submariner" wet of all things, at the very least, it's badly named”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “I also filed the corners off my MacBook” Blocky and uncomfortable to wear
“They are blocky and unrefined and like they're uncomfortable to wear.”
Comment from 5 Mar 2026 in “The Brand Age” Seen as a status good
“It's a textbook Veblen good.”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales”
Other mechanical watches people recommend
The three most recommended other mechanical watches, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seiko 5 | 9 | 1 | 90% | 3 | — | — |
| Grand Seiko | 7 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Rolex SubmarinerThis page | 5 | 3 | 63% | 4 | — | — |
| Seiko mechanical watch | 5 | 3 | 63% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“There is nothing wrong with the Submariner - quite the contrary, it is an iconic design and exceedingly well made.”
“if I have to worry about getting an expensive watch that calls it "Submariner" wet of all things, at the very least, it's badly named”
“"Restoring a Vintage Rolex Submariner with the Original Box, Paperwork... Even the Receipt!"”
“They are blocky and unrefined and like they're uncomfortable to wear.”
“It's a textbook Veblen good.”
“it's still an excellent product with many years of design to suit its original purpose.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.