Men’s Pre-Owned Rolex Submariner Watches

EVOLUTION OF THE ROLEX SUBMARINER

In true Rolex fashion, the Submariner has only been slowly and gently revised since its launch nearly 70 years ago. Despite the decades-long gap between each generation, they can still be easily recognized as Rolex Submariners – a testament to its timeless design.

Rolex has made subtle but significant improvements in the Submariner’s materials and technology over the decades. Below, we trace the evolution of the Rolex Submariner and the introduction of key features to the collection:

37MM CASES WITHOUT CROWN GUARDS (1953 – 1962)
Reference Numbers: 6204, 6205, 6200, 6536, 6536/1, 6538, 5508 and 5510

The earliest Rolex Submariners were made of stainless steel cases measuring 37mm. In the first five years of the Submariner, Rolex was constantly improving on the design, resulting in a total of 8 models in a short span of time.

These models can have either 100 meter or 200-meter water resistance, pencil-style hands or the now standard Mercedes handset, and different crown sizes ranging from 5.3 to 7mm Small Crowns or the 8mm Brevet “Big Crown”. All these models feature gilt dials with golden texts, acrylic crystals, and bidirectional rotating aluminum bezels.

40MM CASES AND CROWN GUARDS (1959 – 1989)
Reference Numbers: 5512 and 5513

This generation of the Rolex Submariner embodies the design that we know today. The reference 5512 has the 40mm wide case, beveled lugs, crown guards, 7mm crown, demarcated dive bezel, text at 12 and six o’clock, the 200m depth rating, and the standard Mercedes hands. Rolex introduced the crown guards to keep the winding crown from going loose.

These two references were produced for a very long time (the ref 5512 until 1980, and the ref 5513 until 1989), which saw a number of design changes. Among them was the change from radium luminescence to tritium in the mid-1960s, and variations of matte dials with black text and gilt gloss dials. The main difference between the 5512 and 5513 references is that versions of the 5512 became COSC certified.

INTRODUCTION OF THE DATE APERTURE (1969 – 1979)
Reference Numbers: 1680

The Rolex Submariner ref 1680 marked the introduction of the date complication at 3 o’clock. In addition to the date, it also featured the magnifying Cyclops window on the case. The earliest iterations of the 1680 also featured red Submariner writing on the dial, earning it the nickname “Red Submariner”. By 1977, Rolex changed the Submariner writing to white.

INTRODUCTION OF PRECIOUS METALS (1969 – 1979)
Reference Numbers: 1680/8

The Rolex Submariner ref 1680/8 was the first Submariner to come in solid 18k gold. This signaled the Submariner’s evolution from a tool watch to a robust luxury watch. The first 1680/8 model came with a black aluminum bezel and dial, and eventually a blue version was also introduced. These feature ‘nipple’ dial markers with slightly protruding shapes.

INTRODUCTION OF SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL & UNIDIRECTIONAL BEZEL (1979 – 1999)
Reference Numbers: 16800, 16808, 16803, 14060 (1979-1988) and 14060 (1990-1999)

The Rolex Submariner 168xx references introduced three design elements that we still see in the collection today. First is the switch from acrylic crystal to scratch-resistant sapphire crystals. They also switched from bidirectional to unidirectional rotating bezels that can only rotate counter-clockwise, preventing any accidental manipulation underwater. Lastly, the Submariner’s water resistance was also improved to 300 meters (1,000 feet).

The 16803 was also the first Rolex Submariner to come in a Rolesor variant, or a combination of stainless steel and 18k yellow gold.

The no-date Rolex Submariner 14060 was the last reference to receive the sapphire crystal, unidirectional rotating bezel, and 300m water resistance when it was launched in 1990.

INTRODUCTION OF 904L STEEL (1988)
Reference Numbers: 168000

While it was only produced for a few months, the Rolex Submariner ref 168000 marked the introduction of 904L steel to the collection. Older Submariners were fashioned in industry standard 316L steel, but Rolex switched to 904L around 1985, because it takes a higher polish than other grades of steel and provides greater corrosion resistance.

INTRODUCTION OF CALIBRE 313X (1988 – 2012)
Reference Numbers: 16610, 16618, 16613, 14060

Rolex introduced the 3135 (date) and 3130 (no date) movements in 1988. These automatic movements are used in a large number of watches from Rolex and is now considered a base movement. They feature the Parachrom hairspring, which allows for greater resistance to shocks and temperature variations.

The 166xx series also marked the change from tritium markers to Luminova then Super-Luminova markers.

In 2003, Rolex also introduced the first green Submariner – the Rolex “Kermit”. This model commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Submariner model by introducing the first green aluminum bezel.

INTRODUCTION OF CERACHROM CERAMIC BEZEL & SUPER CASE (1988 – 2020)
Reference Numbers: 116610, 116613, 116618, 116619, 114060

The six-digit Rolex Submariner references signal the introduction of the “Super Case” and the Cerachrom ceramic bezel to the line. The case remained at 40mm but featured broader and squarer lugs, and wider crown guards that give it a beefier look. The bezel was also upgraded to Rolex’s patented Cerachrom ceramic insert, which offers greater resistance to scratching and fading.

In addition to these improvements, Rolex also introduced solid center links to reduce stretch, and a Glidelock extension system which allows the wearer to increase bracelet size up to 20mm without the use of tools.

In 2008, Rolex also introduced its first 18k white gold model. The grey-gold finish was paired with an all-blue Cerachrom bezel and glossy blue dial, earning it the nickname “Rolex Smurf” after the cartoon character.

INTRODUCTION OF 41MM OYSTER CASE & CALIBER 323X (2021)
Reference Numbers: 126610, 126613, 126618, 126619, 124060

In 2021, the Rolex Submariner line was updated all at once with a 41mm case. Despite the 1mm increase in case size, Rolex dropped the “Super Case” and instead featured longer and slimmer lugs, thinner crown guards, and an overall look that’s more similar to vintage Submariners.

They also feature the new generation in-house caliber 3230 (non-date) or 3235 (date). These movements result in increased power reserve of 70 hours (from 48 hours), and have been updated to a precision of -2/+2 seconds per day.