The Professional Submariner is a watch with a perfect blend of enduring style and functionality. It was the maiden diver’s waterproof timepiece capable of 330 feet or 100 meters of water resistance. Still, today, the latest version of the watch is capable of 1000 feet or 300 meters of water resistance. It represents a Rolex breakthrough in watertight technology. Rolex Submariner stands as the gold standard for dive timepieces, available in various colors and materials with a remarkable waterproof case, luminous dial, robust steel construction, and timing bezel.
History Of Rolex Submariner
When the interests in the natural world grew in the 1950s due to the wanton destruction of human lives during World War II, Rolex Director, Rene Jeanneret, pushed his company towards research in ocean worlds. When the watch debuted, water-resistant automated timepieces were yet to mature. Rolex released its Oyster Perpetual model in 1931. The debuted Oyster watch featured self-winding advancement to the 1926 Oyster case release. Over the years, Rolex Submariner has maintained a strong reputation since its debut, so much so that it became one of the desired collections in the brand’s catalog. While the original version was entirely stainless steel with no date window or bezel/dial options, the model has since evolved to integrate different models from flat-out luxurious to practical models. Submariner isn’t the only diver watch ever made, yet it has set the standard for functioning. The brand refers to Submariner as the archetype of contemporary diver timepiece.
Rolex Submariner Price
The price of Submariner as of 2021 ranged from $8100 to $39650. Yet, the growing demand for the dive watch suggests a different price in the secondary market. The stainless steel version is popular and drives the value of the timepiece. The green models have higher values than others and have often been priced higher than black bezel, but one is expected to have a price difference in the secondary market. In the pre-owned market, the price ranges from $14,995 to $19,495.
Waterproof Oyster Case
The oyster case dated back to 1926 and has served as the foundation of the brand’s waterproof watches. The Submariner integrates a screw-down case-back and screw-down Triplock winding crown that prevents water/moisture entry into the device. The advancement has made it possible for the device to withstand water resistance up to 300 meters since the last quarter of the 1970s. The watch is steel, yellow gold, yellow gold, and white gold.
Rolex Submariner Bezel
The Rolex Submariner Ref. 6204 debuted in 1953; it came with a bi-directional rotating bezel. It is made of aluminum, and the bezel insert featured 60-minutes graduations with a clear arrow marker sitting at 12. Subsequently, the brand enhanced its earlier designs from improving bezel material to switching from aluminum insert to Cerachrom ceramic. From its 50th birthday, Rolex upgraded the timepiece with a green bezel on steel Submariner date.
Rolex Submariner Dial
Rolex Submariner provides an option to read its time underwater due to the luminous dials, the best in the market. Over time, the brand has evolved Submariner lume to enhance legibility. In 1960, the brand replaced tritium with Radium. Further enhancements were from Luminova to SuperLuminova and finally to Chromalight lume.
Oyster Bracelet
Rolex often fits Submariner with three-link Oyster bracelets without regard to material or reference. From the debut of the 11661x series, the brand’s bracelets were upgraded with a clasp integrated with the Glidelock extension system, which increased bracelet length by 2mm.
Rolex Submariner Movement
The Rolex Submariner did not come with a variety of movements. At the soul of the watch’s performance is reference 116610 Submariner with a date that outshined the Rolex 3135 campaign. Debuted in 1988, the Cal 3135 has controlled varying date-displaying automatic timepieces for close to a decade. Cal 3135 enjoyed some upgrades to enhance its reliability and performance, a subtle caliber. The watch’s mainspring could squeeze tight to a 48-power reserve.
It’s noteworthy that they upgraded the radium-plated brass Calibre 3135 to Parachrom hairspring for more excellent resistance to variations in temperature and varying degrees of shock. Radium has extreme corrosion resistance as well as moisture resistance. The caliber that controls Ref. 114060 Submariner is a COSC-rated automatic movement with 48-hours of power reserve capacity.
The reputation of Rolex lies in its ability to retain the value of its watches. While there is nothing like foolproof investment, Rolex Submariner remains one of the brand’s best investment options. For decades, Rolex Submariner has been one of the brand’s popular models. Some vintage models have proven to appreciate steadily.
