Taking A Deep Dive Into 70 Years Of The Rolex Submariner

The first luxury watch model name ever known was the Rolex Submariner. From our formative years as watch enthusiasts till the present day, the Rolex Submariner has been an icon and a dream watch to not only want, but covet. For a watch that literally kickstarted the entire legacy of underwater exploration, and for that matter the broader sport watch genre, the Rolex Submariner from its practical origins to modern-day collectability status has been the true king in the portfolio of a self-crowned brand and tends to stand out in its stellar catalog.

The Rolex Submariner is a cultural phenomenon. It’s classy, sporty, elegant and practical. Whatever your weird obsessions with timepieces are, you’ll find something to adore in the Rolex Submariner and in doing so, you won’t be alone. In its simplistic form following the function element, the Submariner remains to be a watch against which every other dive watch is judged and when it comes to the attribute of being popular, it has the sway of a religious status in that aspect.

In collectability terms as well, almost all roads lead to one or the other iteration of the Rolex Submariner. And having been around since 1953 and occurring as a gamut of over a dozen distinct references, there obviously are plenty. With legibility of a table clock and diving competence of a, well, submariner, the Rolex Submariner in its 70-plus years of glorious existence has established the most impressive and the most important horological history.

The Origins: Rolex’s First Professional Watch

The 1950s was an era of “pioneering watches” from Rolex. A portfolio of professional watches with a utilitarian essence gave birth within the Manufacture and these served as tools intended for professional activities. The Rolex Submariner was the first divers’ watch waterproof to a depth of 100 metres. The modern Submariner has surpassed its original purpose and has become an instantly recognizable icon.

Emanating in the post-war economic boom, the Submariner marked the crown’s foray into the world of sports or speciality watches. Recreational diving was still in its infancy in the 1950s. Jacques Cousteau's groundbreaking underwater films not only popularized scuba diving but also inspired the design of the iconic Submariner. With an essence rooted in exploring the deep seas and also catering to the public’s growing interest in diving, the Rolex Submariner marked its debut in 1953. In a masterstroke of marketing, Rolex introduced the Submariner by affixing a bespoke “Deep Sea Special” to Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer Jacques Piccard's submarine, forever linking the watch to the depths of the ocean.

The inceptive Submariner was introduced as part of a trio of stainless-steel sport watches where the short-lived Turn-O-Graph Ref. 6202 and the Explorer were its siblings. The core elements of the early Submariner included a Tonneau-shaped case, a black dial with luminous markers, a bidirectional rotating bezel (governed by a Blancpain patent) with 60-minute gradations for dive timing and the characters SUBMARINER printed at six o’clock. After more than seven decades and a handful of variations, these original elements of the 1953 Submariner find themself intact in the modern iterations although with incremental improvements. Despite the addition of new materials, practical case variations and introduction of color versions as well, every dive watch ever produced by Rolex looks quintessentially and unapologetically like a Submariner. That’s a masterclass in consistency. This true-to-its-DNA model has generated lasting enthusiasm and has been on the wrist of the rich, the famous and even James Bond. It set innumerable auction records and aided in significant deep-sea explorations. And for all that, the Rolex Submariner entices new generations of dedicated fans, not only towards it, but the fantastic universe of watchmaking.

The First-Generation Submariner: Ref. 6204
1953 - 1960

The Ref. 6204 is the very first Rolex to feature the word “Submariner” on the dial. This reference was actually produced in 1953 but extensively marketed in 1954. The reference features non-Mercedes hour hands which have become popular as “pencil hands” and the seconds hand has a small lollipop at its tip. Its rotating bezel occurs without hash marks between twelve and three o’clock positions. The watch’s gilt dial however bears the signature elements which have become consistent with the modern evolution of the Submariners (no-date) including the upside-down triangle at 12 o’clock and rectangles at 3 and 6 o’clock.

The Ref. 6204 features the smallest crown ever on any iteration of the Submariner, measuring just 5.3mm in diameter. Some of the examples of the Ref. 6204 feature the lettering “Sub-Aqua” at 6 o’clock and these were exclusively produced for the British market. The early examples feature the words “Oyster” and “Perpetual” spaced further apart below the lettering “Rolex” and “Oyster Perpetual” at 12 o’clock. These have become popular as the “split logo” dials. Powering this reference was Rolex’s automatic winding caliber A.260 with built-in shock protection. It was borrowed from the earlier Oyster Perpetual models. The Ref. 6204 was aggressively marketed by Rolex as the “first divers’ wristwatch to be waterproof to 100 metres (330 feet).”

The Explorer Dial Submariner: Ref. 6200 (Series l and ll)

Quite popular as the “King Sub,” the Ref. 6200 Submariner is in numbering the earliest order Submariner but it came to the market a bit later in 1955. This reference is an outlier of sorts and features the 3-6-9 dial of the Rolex Explorer. Also produced in a series of two like the earlier Ref. 6205, the first series Ref. 6200 features a clean-dial while the second series reintroduces the Submariner designation above 6 o’clock. In terms of the dial and bezel, the other details are consistent with the Ref. 6205.

Although the 3-6-9 Arabic numeral configuration for the dial is the hallmark highlight for the Ref. 6200, its case construction marks a notable evolution. It features an 8mm diameter “Big Crown” with a much thicker and broader case. This reference doubles the water resistance to 200 meters and features an updated self-winding caliber A.296. This Explorer Dial Submariner remains a hot catch at auctions with original untampered examples becoming even rarer.

The Parallel Production Subs: Ref. 6536/1 and Ref. 6538

The early years of the Rolex Submariner highlight rapid aesthetic and technical evolutions. This is in stark contrast to the current state of the model and understandably so. For the years from 1956 to 1958, parallel manufacturing of references was observed at the crown and this was the case for the Ref. 6536/1 and the Ref. 6538. The early variation of the Ref. 6536/1 retains the small 6mm crown and thin case of the Ref. 6205. This results in a water resistance of only 100 meters. This is the first reference of the Submariner to feature a “four-line” dial. The added water resistance rating of “100m = 330ft” above the lettering “Submariner” at six o'clock makes it the first iteration to highlight its dive competence. Slight variations occur for the hands as well while the no-hash bezel is carried forward. This reference introduced a slimmer movement in the form of the self-winding caliber 1030.

The following two versions of the Ref. 6536/1 brought further tweaks, most notably to the bezel design with an introduction of the upside-down triangle in red. The intermediate version Ref. 6536/1 features subtle variations for the seconds hand with the lumed lollipop now in a restricted diameter. The final version of the Ref. 6536/1 introduces a significant bezel upgrade in the form of hash marks between the 12 and 3 o’clock positions. Quite unconventionally, examples of the final iteration of the Ref. 6536/1 occur both with and without the upside-down red triangle.

In parallel production to the Ref. 6536/1, Rolex started manufacturing the Ref. 6538. This “Big Crown” reference is the original James Bond watch worn by Sean Connery in Dr. No in 1962. The Ref. 6538 occurs in a couple of variations notably differentiated by their dial literature. The early Ref. 6538 examples were the first Submariners to mention the chronometer certification on the dial. These are popular as the “four-line” versions where the text “Officially Certified Chronometer” appears above the 6 o’clock space. The bezel however occurs in a no-hash configuration. The case is paired with an 8mm Brevet crown.

The End of The Big Crown Era: Ref. 5510 and Ref. 5508
1960-1970

The Ref. 5508 borrowed the slimmer profile of the Ref. 6536/1 and features a smaller crown, meaning water resistance of only 100 meters. It however evolves on the layout of the predecessor with the upside-down triangle on the bezel in a non-red silver color. It is also the very last of the Submariners without the crown guards on the case as post 1962, all the references of the Submariner feature the protection for the crown. This is also the first reference to feature tritium as opposed to radium as lume on the dial.

The Second-Generation Submariner: Ref. 5512
1970-1980

This reference gave us the blueprint for the modern Submariner which we know today. With case proportions occurring in a more contemporary 40mm diameter and with square crown guards, the Ref. 5512 possesses the signature traits of a modern Submariner. Its expansive production period also marks the retention attribute of the model, although variations do exist.

The Experimental Submariner: Ref. 5513

The Ref. 5513 is a non-chronometer certified version of the Ref. 5512. This resulted in an upscaled positioning of the Ref. 5512 with the superior mechanical movement. The Ref. 5513 used the caliber 1530, the non-certified movement from the early Ref. 5512. A very famed execution of the Ref. 5513 is the “Milsub,” a Submariner developed specially for the use of British Armed Forces. It occurs in a trio of variations with all-round increments for the bezel in one-minute units, larger “sword” hands and the letter “T” encircled above the text at 6 o’clock denoting the use of tritium for luminescence. The watch uses fixed lugs instead of the common spring vars found on the civilian intended references.

With production drawing close to the farewell of the Ref. 5513, the appearance of the modern Submariner traits became more pronounced. The last generation Ref. 5513 is a transitional Rolex that sits somewhat in-between the vintage examples and the modern five-digit reference versions.

The Submariner Date: Ref. 1680

Over a decade and a half after the Submariner made its debut, Rolex gave the Submariner a date complication. This was exhibited via a magnifying glass, popular as the “cyclops” at 3 o’clock. The Ref. 1680 borrows the movement of its beefier sibling, the caliber 1575. The introduction of the dated Ref. 1680 marked a split in the market for the Submariner with the calendar version becoming popular by a margin. The dated version began to be referred to as the Submariner whereas the non-date reference was relegated among audiences as a no-date Submariner.

The early examples of the Ref. 1680 are popular as the “Red Sub” iterations as the four-line 6 o’clock text layout features the lettering for Submariner in red.  Another notable introduction for the Submariner line-up was realized in the Ref. 1680 when Rolex debuted the Submariner in a precious metal. The 18K yellow-gold Ref. 1680 caused a stir-up among Rolex aficionados with crowds perceiving the model with mixed reactions. The yellow-gold black dial iteration of the Ref. 1680 was sharply followed by its blue dial variation matched with a blue bezel. This version was an instant hit and its perpetuity is justified by its availability in the current Rolex Submariner watch portfolio.

The Third-Generation Submariner: Ref. 16800
1980-1990

Rolex’s patented Triplock crown system was introduced in this reference to aid in maximum water tightness. This increased the depth rating from 200 meters to 300 meters or 1000 ft which is a feature of the current-gen models as well. A couple of years later, post the introduction of the Ref. 16800, Rolex upgraded the bezel of the Submariner for the first time with a unidirectional rotating mechanism. The examples within the Ref. 16800 were upgraded with the Rolex high-beat caliber 3035. It also marked the debut of the quick-set date function in the Submariner line-up. The later variants carry many of the attributes which are notably present in the Rolex Submariner of today.

The Precious Metal Examples: Ref. 16808 and Ref. 16803

The 18K yellow-gold Ref. 1680 was monumental for Rolex in terms of its approach towards the Submariner. The Ref. 16808 marks a logical follow-up to the inceptive solid gold Sub and was introduced in 1979 in a duo of iterations, like its precious metal predecessor. Available in black dial-black bezel and blue dial-blue bezel variations, the Ref. 16808 is also a transitional reference just like the Ref. 16800. Following the Ref. 16808, Rolex gave us the Ref. 16803 in 1984. This is the first Submariner made available in Rolex’s proprietary two-tone configuration of steel and gold, known as “Rolesor.” It was also made available in a duo of blue and black dial-bezel configurations. 

The “Kermit” Submariner: Ref. 16610LV
2003 - 2010

For its 50th Year in production, the Rolex Submariner got a very special treatment. The birth of the Ref. 16610LV marked the genesis of one of the most popular modern-era Rolexes. This example with a vivid green bezel insert became popular among collectors as the “Kermit.” Apart from the colored bezel, the reference featured thicker lume plots as upgrades on the aesthetic front.

The Modern Ceramic Submariner: Ref. 116618 & Ref. 116619
2010-2020

The year 2008 marked the introduction of three new solid gold Submariner references, the Ref. 116618LN in solid yellow gold with black dial and bezel, the Ref. 116618LB in solid yellow gold with blue dial and bezel and the Ref. 116619LB in solid white gold with blue dial and bezel. The white gold example was the first of its kind Submariner and it is popular as the “Smurf” among collector communities. These models paved the way for the Cerachrom scratch-resistant bezel into the Submariner line-up. It was also the debut for the “Super-Case”. This case transformation resulted from thicker lugs and an overall heftier profile. The references retain the caliber 3135 from the predecessor generations. In the later era of Submariner’s evolution, upgrades debuted in the date versions. So, Rolex made the non-date Submariner wait a few years before it got the Cerachrom bezel treatment along with the Super Case construction.

The 41mm Submariners: Ref. 124060 and Ref. 126610
2020 - Present

Rolex’s subtle model tweaks get us as excited as any Swiss brand dropping its sub-$1000 Tourbillon. So, when news of the new upsized Rolex Submariner watch for men, now in 41mm case diameter broke, it caught everyone’s attention. With the Ref. 124060 and Ref. 126610, the stainless steel 41mm versions of the non-date and the dated Submariner respectively, Rolex introduced a new case size, a bigger bracelet and the new calibers 3230 and the 3235 for the non-date and dated iterations amongst others.

Quite Simply the Undisputed Sports Watch

While the later-era Submariners feature only subtle incremental evolutions rather than introducing major revolutions for the model, their prestige is perpetually sealed. These subtle tweaks add further refinements to the already iconic model which remains as versatile as it was when introduced in 1953. This amalgam of a simple and sophisticated sports watch has been the most recognizable across generations and is constantly setting new benchmarks in terms of collectability.

While the term “icon” is frequently overused, the Rolex Submariner undeniably merits this designation.