Overview of the Rolex Submariner
Rolex Submariner - Credit WatchGecko
Several very high-end dive watches are available today, but the Rolex Submariner did it first. It was, and still is, one of the few dive watches to use the term waterproof, so confident were Rolex about their quality of manufacture. When it first came out in 1953, it guaranteed waterproofing to 100 meters and set a bar that everyone else had to try and reach. Today, the Submariner offers that same guarantee to 300m.
The unidirectional time-elapse ratchet bezel, a screw-down crown, superb legibility, and luminescence really were groundbreaking in the 1950s, and it is testimony to that original design that the current Submariner has changed very little and is still the most instantly recognisable watch in the world.
Current Submariner Catalogue
Rolex Submariner on Simple Handmade Distressed Leather Watch Strap - Credit WatchGecko
There are currently eight Rolex submariners available. All have cases measuring 41mm. All offer 300m waterproof technology with screw-down triple lock crowns and adjustable dive oyster bracelets. Except for one model, reference 124060, all Submariners have date windows magnified by the famous Rolex Cyclops lens.
The non-date stainless steel model is powered by Calibre 3230, while the other seven date models are powered by Calibre 3235. Both have similar performance measures and shock resistance with 70 hours of power reserve. Externally, the case materials and colours significantly differ, with some models in stainless steel, some in dual steel and yellow gold, and a few in pure gold.
There are also specialist models with green and blue bezels, which are made in white gold. The entry-level 124060 costs £8050 whilst the top-of-the-range white gold, blue bezel, Submariner maxes out at £36,700. It is nice that Rolex has kept the non-date model because this is the one that is synonymous with James Bond and is arguably the best-looking Rolex of all time.
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