Feature: Buyer’s guide to the Rolex Submariner
Think of a classic dive watch and the Submariner almost certainly springs to mind—or at least something resembling it. Boasting a robust build quality, spartan good looks and impressive water resistance, Rolex's most popular tool watch has earned the respect of some of the world’s toughest naval units who have made it their official timekeeper. Need any more convincing? Then read on…
History
Rolex fans were left bewildered at the 2023 edition of Watches & Wonders when the brand failed to unveil a single new Submariner. Wasn’t it exactly 70 years since the birth of this brand favourite?
Why weren’t they celebrating one of their most iconic watches with the popping of champagne corks and a raft of updated models?
This is almost certainly because Rolex regards the launch year of the Submariner as 1954, not 1953. Yes, the first prototypes were tested in 1953 but it wasn’t officially unveiled to the public until the Basel watch fair in 1954. Therefore, we can surely expect Rolex to launch something exciting from the Submariner series in 2024, which will no doubt be accompanied by an avalanche of articles in the watch media about the history of this watch. For those who can’t wait until then, however, here’s the gist of it…
In the early 1950s, scuba diving was a growing sport and Rene-Paul Jeanneret, one of Rolex’s directors and a keen amateur diver himself, had the idea of making a watch that catered specifically for this sector.
By this time, Rolex had already proved its water-proof credentials with the Oyster series. But Jeanneret had something more advanced in mind—a dive watch capable of going much deeper under water and featuring a rotating bezel with five-minute indications that could be set to show elapsed time.
With Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf’s blessing, a prototype was developed and tested by the Institute of Submarine Research in Cannes whose divers wore the watch on 132 dives—some as deep as 60 metres—in the western Mediterranean Sea. Having performed admirably on these dives, the watch was also tied to a line and lowered to a depth of 120 metres for one hour. The Rolex surfaced intact.
Universally credited as the first dive watch water resistant to a depth of 100 metres, it still had stiff competition that very year from both Blancpain, whose bezel-equipped Fifty Fathoms is said to have influenced the Submariner, and Zodiac’s Seawolf. The latter actually offered 200 metres of water resistance, which the Submariner had matched by the mid-1950s.
Image courtesy of Bonhams
Less than a decade after its launch, the Submariner received a huge publicity boost when a reference 6538 appeared on the wrist of James Bond (played by Sean Connery) in the first ever Bond film, Dr. No.
Omega may have a monopoly on Bond’s wristwear these days but for many people the Submariner will always be the quintessential 007 watch, having been worn by every Bond actor from Connery to Timothy Dalton.
As a Royal Navy reserve commander as well as a spy, Bond’s choice of watch was apt. As early as the late 1950s the watch had been officially adopted by the British Royal Navy before being recognised for its qualities by other naval units around the world.
It was even selected in the 1970s by the NASA of the deep sea, the French diving agency COMEX.
Image courtesy of Bonhams
COMEX needed a watch that could go deeper than ever before so collaborated with a number of watchmakers, including Rolex, to make an even more resilient dive watch. The result was a Submariner with a helium escape valve in the case side to prevent destruction during decompression. These COMEX Submariners, most of which had the COMEX logo printed on the dial, now fetch up to $500,000.
Evolution of the model
Were Jeanneret to descend from horological heaven and walk into a Rolex AD today, he’d no doubt recognise the Submariner. Like, say, a Porsche 911, the differences between that inaugural model and the very latest 21st century version are not so big that you can’t instantly tell the lineage.
However, it has certainly evolved aesthetically and technically.
Early versions had small case sizes by today’s standards—36 to 38mm—and featured neither a date function nor a crown guard, the latter arriving with the introduction of references 5512 and 5513. The aluminium bezel was bi-directional, unlike the safer uni-directional one on more modern versions, and the luminescent substance used for the hands and hour indices was tritium.
Fast forward to the late 1960s and the Submariner acquired a date window beneath the now-signature Cyclops lens. This was the reference 1680 which was manufactured until 1980. These days, almost all Submariners have this feature.
Over the next few decades, improvements continued to be made. Bezel inserts switched from aluminium to fade-proof ceramic, the mildly radioactive tritium lume was replaced with SuperLuminova and, later, the brand’s own Chromalight, and sapphire crystals replaced the plexiglass versions.
Water resistance on all models is now 300 metres and Rolex’s own 904L steel, introduced in the 1980s and now used to make all its steel watches, is famously the most corrosion-resistant in the industry. This superior steel has also helped evolve the bracelets, which are a world away from the sometimes flimsy-feeling versions of yesteryear. Superbly finished and reassuringly solid, they now feature safety folding clasps and can even be micro-adjusted for the perfect fit.
As for movements, the Submariner, unlike the Daytona, has always been self-winding and has been fitted with a number of in-house calibres over the years. The very latest to be used is the 3235. This is a huge improvement on the previous workhorse 3135, increasing the power reserve from 48 hours to 70 and improving shock absorption, among other things. Rolex is likely to use this movement in its Submariners for many years to come.
Different Submariner models
There are eight Submariners in Rolex’s current catalogue (as of autumn 2023) and they vary in price from the entry-level no-date steel reference 124060 to the sought-after 18k white-gold 126619LB with a black dial and blue bezel (see section on prices below).
Between those are several versions in steel, two-tone and yellow gold, including the popular so-called “Starbucks”, whose nickname stems from its black dial and green bezel.
Speaking of nicknames, whether you like them or think they’re juvenile nonsense, the Submariner line is riddled with them, the most famous ones being the all-green “Hulk” (reference 116610LV) and the black and green “Kermit” with aluminium bezel (reference 126610)—both of which are now discontinued but still among the most easily available pre-owned Submariners.
There’s also the aforementioned reference 126619LB which has been dubbed the “Cookie Monster”. And if you think that’s silly, you’ll be nonplussed to hear that its all-blue predecessor, is called… “Smurf”.
Not all Rolex nicknames relate to the colour combinations, though. Take the “Serti” dial, for instance. This name is taken from the French word “sertir” meaning “to set”—which refers to watches whose dials feature small jewel hour markers.
If Serti dials aren’t dazzling enough for you, try the 116659 “SABR” model, which is set with sapphires and diamonds, including an extraordinary pavé dial.
These jewelled versions are just as water-resistant as the plainer models but we wouldn’t recommend wearing one when you’re spearfishing for sharks.
Notable vintage models
The Submariner is probably the most collectable Rolex series ever, with countless, subtle variations, especially where dial details are concerned. Just the word “Submariner” appearing on the dial in red text, for example, instead of the usual white can increase value and desirability. Likewise the rare versions boasting an Explorer-style dial with three-quarter Arabic numerals as opposed to the standard dots and batons found on 99 per cent of Submariners.
Image courtesy of Bonhams
The very earliest Submariner models in good condition are rarely seen outside auction houses and specialist dealers. These include references such as the 6538 and 6205, both of which appeared in James Bond films.
For fans of military-issue watches, check out the so-called “Milsubs”—these are hugely sought-after and can usually be identified by their lozenge-shaped (rather than Mercedes-style) hour hand, plus a circled letter ‘T’ on the dial, indicating the presence of Tritium luminescent paint. These were made for, among others, the British Special Boat Service and Royal Marines.
Image courtesy of Bonhams
With the original papers and an officially documented good story—let’s say the owner was an SAS soldier who wore his watch on various combat missions —these tough old Milsubs fetch serious sums at auction.
Two affordable vintage classics that are more easily attainable are the no-date 5513 and the 1680 with a cyclops date window. These two iterations of the Submariner had lengthy production runs, meaning they’re in good supply. You may find with older versions that the dial has faded to an attractive “Tropical” brown and the lume has darkened to a cream or light brown. Don’t be put off by this patina. It’s seen as a very good thing in the vintage Rolex world.
Submariner prices
New Submariners at retail vary in price from the no-date steel reference 124060, costing £7,700 RRP, to the 18k white-gold priced £35,300 RRP.
However, owing to the huge demand for all Rolexes, pre-owned Submariner models tend to cost more than they do brand-new and have done for a while. Thankfully you can still find steel Submariner models that aren’t hugely more expensive than the most basic model.
Try looking for the reference 14060, a no-date version with black dial and aluminium bezel that also had a long production run, meaning there are lots of them around. This model is significant as it’s the first no-date Submariner to feature a sapphire crystal rather than the scratch-prone plexiglass.
Once you start looking at coloured models, like the aforementioned Hulk and Starbucks, the price shoots up significantly. Expect to pay several thousand pounds more on the pre-owned market as brand-new models are virtually unobtainable due to waiting lists.
Once you do get your hands on your dream Submariner, though, it’s likely to be the watch you wear the most (assuming you own more than one).
It’s versatile, it’s cool and it’ll never let you down—James Bond can testify to that.
