One of the greatest company rivalries in horology is between Rolex and Omega. Both are well respected Swiss manufacturers of impeccable timepieces which are steeped in long histories and tradition. Each company also has their respective legion of loyal followers. So, naturally the question is often asked, "who makes the better dive watch?" Rolex? Omega?

Some would say that it's a fool's errand to compare two different watches - each has its own merits and should be judged accordingly. However, Rolex's Submariner and Omega's Seamaster lend themselves well for direct comparison in both form and function In particular, the Rolex 16610 Y Series, and the Omega 2254.50.00 are models that are easily and logically compared. I will attempt to compare each watch in both relative and objective terms.

Firstly, a word about the methods by which I'm using to evaluate these two watches, and my own personal biases. Firstly, I'm not weighting the categories in any way. Each category (bracelet, clasp, case, price, etc.) are an equal component of the final overall score. For some people, price, for example, is much more an important of a category than, say the clasp. Feel free to weight each of these categories with your own values to arrive at your own conclusions. Secondly, let me disclose that the Seamaster used in this article is my own, while the Submariner belongs to my good friend John Rigano. John and I hang out so much and talk watches, I practically feel like the Submariner's mine.. although he might not quite see it that way (NOTE: I do own one Rolex - a 1970 Oyster Precision). Let me also say that both of these watches are incredible timepieces - for me to rate one higher than the other doesn't at all mean that one or the other of these Swiss masterpieces is bad. On to the shootout!

Given that I purchased the Seamaster and not the Submariner, I recognize a degree of inherit bias on my part in evaluating these two watches. No one was more surprised than me at how closely these two scored. Only a point and a half separate the Seamaster from the Submariner, with the SMP getting the highest overall score.

Interestingly enough, in my research for this article, I learned that WatchTime Magazine did a very similar comparison of a titanium Omega Seamaster with a Rolex Submariner in their May/June 2000 issue. The results were very similar - a marginal win, but for the Submariner (solace for those who will undoubtedly be outraged at the notion that anyone would rate Omega higher than Rolex) with a score of 80 to 76.

This experience in doing this article was valuable beyond words. Researching the two companies and these two particular models (each with their own great history and tradition) was truly enriching. My appreciation for both the Seamaster and the Submariner has only grown. Hopefully, yours has as well.