Rolex Submariner is one of the world’s finest and most sought-after diver watches. In production for over 65 years, the Submariner now has a special place in the hearts of watch collectors and enthusiasts alike. Even with dozens of revisions taking place, the watch has stayed close to its original and timeless design.
Submariner
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Rolex Submariner has been in production for more than 65 years. The Swiss watch manufacturer had already proved itself with the Oyster case patented back in 1926. Rolex Oyster watches could somewhat resist water damage. But, Hans Wilsdorf wanted to dive deeper into waterproofing mechanical watches.
The Submariner launched as three different variants in 1954. The first three references, 6200, 6204 and 6205, were rated to either 100 meters or 200 meters of water resistance. The design of these three watches laid the groundwork for all the upcoming Rolex divers watches. While the watches appeared at the Baselworld show in 1954, there was a series of laboratory tests a year prior.
In September 1953, a specially designed Rolex dive watch was attached to the outside of a bathyscaphe, which dived to a depth of 3131.8 meters. The timepiece returned from the test in perfect running condition, and there was no sign of water ingress.
Over the course of the next five months, there were over 132 tests that took place, ranging from 12 to 60 meters in depth. Many of those dives were even taken with the crown pulled out to the time-setting position, and there were still no signs of water ingress. Notably, most of the watches submitted by other brands for testing all ended up failing the test.
Rolex developed a twin lock crown for the Submariner, which allowed it to achieve water resistance of 100 meters and beyond. For this, a pair of gaskets were positioned in the crown itself and the crown tube. This provided a level of water tightness that had never been seen before. This, combined with the Rolex Oyster case, was the recipe for the Submariner of the time.
Rolex Submariner made many headlines with its achievements in terms of water resistance. In 1962, Ian Fleming’s first Bond film, Dr. No, was released featuring Sean Connery sporting a Submariner 6538. This brought the timepiece back into the limelight. It is speculated that it was his personal Submariner that he wore to the movie sets.
Interestingly, Submariner 6538 appeared in further installments of the Bond franchise. After its appearance in Dr. No, The watch was seen in the movies “From Russia with love,” “Goldfinger,” and “Thunderball.”
In 1959, Rolex released the reference 5512, followed by the launch of the 5513 in 1962. These watches were not much different from each other. But they brought significant changes over their predecessors. The two references got a larger case size of 40mm, and they also got crown guards.
Rolex released the Submariner reference 1680 in the year 1966. It is noteworthy as it was the first Submariner to feature a date complication along with the magnifying Cyclops on the crystal. From this point on, there were only minor tweaks to the Submariner’s design.
In 1979, Rolex introduced significant changes to the Submariner with the release of the reference 16800. The timepiece finally brought a durable sapphire crystal instead of the acrylic one of the past. The watch’s water resistance was also increased to 300 meters from the previous 200 meters.
In 1981, reference 16800 received another significant improvement, including a unidirectional rotating bezel. With this generation, Rolex also released the first two-tone Submariner with the reference 16803, released in 1984.
Since the launch of the reference 1680, Rolex has offered many variations for the Rolex Submariner Date. As for the No-Date models, they have pretty much remained exclusively stainless steel timepieces with a black dial and a black bezel.
On the other hand, Rolex Submariner Date has received variations with other metals and different colorways for the bezel and the dial. One of the most popular Submariner Date models has to be the LV references. In 2003, the company released the ref. 16610LV, where ‘LV’ stands for Lunette Verte, which means “green bezel” in French. There have been many iterations of the green bezel Submariners; the popular ones have been the Submariner Hulk and Kermit.
Rolex Submariner is available in a variety of combinations. From stainless steel models to two-tone watches, you can find everything under the Submariner lineup. With this comes a range of price points the watch is available in. Also, Rolex submariner price in Dubai is higher in the secondary market as it is an immensely popular timepiece. Here’s a look at the prices of the Submariner watches.
| Model | Retail Price | Secondary market price |
|---|---|---|
| Rolex Submariner – Steel | AED 36,500 | AED 47,000 |
| Rolex Submariner Date Black – Steel | AED 41,100 | AED 56,000 |
| Rolex Submariner Green – Steel | AED 43,200 | AED 64,000 |
| Rolex Submariner Date – Two Tone | AED 62,600 | AED 68,000 |
| Rolex Submariner Date – Yellow Gold | AED 156,300 | AED 152,000 |
| Rolex Submariner Date – White Gold | AED 168,000 | AED 149,000 |
As seen in the table above, the Rolex Submariner price in Dubai for the steel models are higher in the secondary market. But that is not the case for the yellow gold and white gold Submariner models. This is because there is more demand for steel Submariner models than the gold ones.
Rolex Submariner is a watch that aims to serve every type of person. A way to do that is to offer different color and material combinations. While the most popular ones are the Rolex Submariner black and Rolex Submariner green models, there are other options on the table as well.
One of the most common Submariner models you will see is the black Submariner. It features a black cerachrom bezel and a black dial. The combination is available under two references, 126610LN and 124060. While the 126610LN features the date complication, the 124060 comes without the date window.
Rolex Submariner Smurf and Bluesy are two popular Rolex Submariner models that feature blue bezels. As a part of Rolex’s 100th-year celebration in 2008, the Swiss watchmaker released a brand new Submariner in solid 18k white gold. The exquisite grey-gold finish was contemplated with an all-blue Cerachrom bezel and lacquered blue dial. With such a color scheme, Rolex fans quickly named the watch after the cartoon character.
The all-new Rolex Submariner white-gold comes with a blue bezel but gets a black dial instead. This is rather more appreciated as many people felt the blue dial and blue bezel combination was overwhelming.
Rolex Bluesy is a nickname referring to a two-tone Rolex Submariner watch with a blue dial and bezel. But mostly, the name is used to call out the Oystersteel and yellow gold Submariners with blue dial and bezel.
Rolex Submariner green models are some of the most popular models of all time. The only green Submariner available now is the Submariner 126610LV, popularly known as Starbucks. But the first Submariner model to feature a green bezel was the Submariner 16610LV. Known as the Rolex Kermit, the watch was launched in 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Submariner.
The design of the Submariner 16610LV looked quite striking with the bright green bezel. Since then, the Rolex Submariner green has become one of the most popular Submariners. It is now a collectible since it was discontinued in 2010 to pave the way for the Submariner 116610LV.
It goes without being said that the Submariner Hulk is one of the most popular Submariner watches launched to date. The timepiece features a green ceramic bezel and a matching dial.
Rolex Submariner is available in yellow gold and white gold variants as well. Most people look at Submariner as an entry-level sports Rolex watch. Hence, not many people choose to go in for the yellow gold or white gold Submariner models. But for the enthusiasts, those are available as options.
Rolex Submariner has an iconic design and an equally iconic history attached to it. If you have been impressed after reading everything about the Submariner and now want to own one, you can buy one from us and that too at an unbeatable price.
WatchMaestro has a great collection of Rolex and other high-end premium watches. This means whether it be the Submariner Hulk or the Kermit, you can get your favorite Submariner watch from us. In case the timepiece you are looking for is not available in our catalog, you can always request it, and we will source one for you.
We deal in both brand-new as well as pre-owned watches. Most of the watches available at our store come with their original box and paperwork. In case any of those are missing, we will let you know, and you will notice a significant price difference.
While the waiting period depends on the exact model you are looking for, it can be anywhere from 1 to 3 years.
You can buy a Rolex Submariner in Dubai from WatchMaestro. We have a lot of luxury watches available in our collection. If the exact Submariner reference you are looking for is not available in our catalog, we can still source it for you.
Yes, you can sell your Rolex Submariner for a great price at WatchMaestro.
Absolutely. If you are looking to get your Submariner watch serviced, you can bring the watch to WatchMaestro and we will service it. From repair to customization, we offer all kinds of services for high-end premium watches.
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