When we all buy things on the internet from major brands it makes everything so easy. For example yesterday I bought  a new iPod Touch from Apple. I know exactly what I’m going to get, and I know for certain that I won’t get a “bad” product, and that in the odd case where an iPod doesn’t work Apple will replace it straight away.

I think this means we have lost the ability to search for a product and buy from a lesser company. Recently I had to be some trace heating equipment and was shocked when I suddenly realise that no “big” brands that I’d heard of in the past manufactured it. That meant I had to look around at all these companies I’d never heard of and work out which was the best.

In the end I took the plunge and have been very happy with my purchase. I’m sure most of the companies I looked at could have done the job, but you really have to be careful ordering products from companies you’ve never heard of. Especially if they are such a small company that it’s difficult to find any online reviews or even people talking about the brand. This is often the case with companies that mainly sell to the industry rather than directly to consumers – so not having many reviews on the internet does not automatically mean that a company isn’t trustworthy (I made the mistake of thinking this in the past to my own detriment).

In a perfect world, I’d have the money to afford my dream watch. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that it’s the Rolex Submariner 2010, which, by the way, costs far more money than I could ever afford! Even so, here are a few facts about the Submariner 2010, mainly to satisfy my own personal curiosity.

• The watch is the latest in a long generation of Submariner timepieces, and, although it’s not a shock release, there are a few differences that people didn’t expect.
• The main surprise is that the watch comes with a green dial as standard. I think this looks great, although you can obviously opt for a different choice if you prefer. The people at ABlogToRead seem to think this choice is to signify that the release of a new Submariner is no ordinary occasion, but something to be celebrated.
• Submariner 2010 comes with the Glide Lock clasp that allows you to fit it perfectly. It also means you can adjust it for when you want it looser.
• The watch contains the 3135 automatic movement, which is, of course, chronometer certified.
• The case of the watch is around 40mm in diameter, and it comes with a unidirectional bezel. The hour marks are luminescent.

What do you think of the new Submariner? Compared to other Submariner watches, such as the ones you can see at Vintage Watch Brands, I don’t think there is a HUGE difference. There certainly isn’t enough of a change to warrant upgrading if you already have one. Even so, it would definitely be my watch of choice if I was to buy one and I had unlimited funds! For now, I’ll have to settle for my very attractive, but not quite as special, Tag Heuer.