A new black pearl from Project X
A new 'Double Red' from Project X. This DLC coated 16610 Submariner with removed crown guards has been made in a series of only 24 pieces. It's a nice one, well done Project X!
The Rolex Submariner - The Diver's Watch
The Oyster Perpetual Submariner is the ultimate reference chosen by professionals with a taste for style and the deep. Launched in 1953, it hailed a new era in diving tradition. With its remarkable Triplock winding crown - a feature that seals the Oyster case as tight as the hatch of a submarine - it is technically superior. The Submariner is water resistant to 300 metres. It is not only an essential art of diving equipment, but gives anyone the opportunity to taste adventure to the full.
More SBS - Project X Submariner
The Project X Submariner with a recurring influence from the legendary Royal Marines' SBS. Limited to just 28 numbered examples per design, each case back of the ‘STEALTH’ series will feature a variation on the SBS ‘Frog, Paddle and Parachute’ Insignia and the motto ‘By Strength & Guile’. Better than the Pro-Hunter MILSUB version in my opinion. The one and only SBS 5517 stays unbeatable of course.
Rarest of the rare
This 5517 was sold at Christie's in Hong Kong for 185,238 pounds. A perfect example with the original dial, hands and bezel.
The Pro-Hunter Military Stealth Submariner Date
One of the latest Pro-Hunter beauties, the Military Stealth Submariner Date, with matt coating and NATO strap. Limited to 100 pieces, £11950.00.
Rolex Submariner 116610
Rolex has the reputation of being slow at releasing products. It isn't just about releasing new watches, it has to do with keeping up with the latest and improving on existing models. One can say that the giant watchmaker is simply being careful. Most of their designs are more than 50 years old. It's hard to mess with a great design and feel comfy about it. But finally it 's here: The new updated Rolex Submariner with ceramic bezel.
Brothers in Arms
Submariner 5513 and 5517. The 5517 is my favorite because it was exclusively made for the Special Boat Service.
Submariner 5513
Somewhere in Maastricht. A civilian 5513 with NATO 'Bond' strap. Almost as cool as the military 5517 for a tenth of the price.
Submariner versus Sea-Dweller
Submariner Date or Sea-Dweller, which one do you prefer? When I just owned one watch, the Sub was definitely my number 1. But after a few years I started doubting. This doubt immediately disappeared when the Sea-Dweller Pro-Hunter was released. I wear it almost every day now. Unfortunately the new Sea-Dweller Deep Sea took the place of the classic Sea-Dweller 16600 in today's Rolex range. They manufactured the last in 2009. And to be honest now I prefer the Sea-Dweller 16600 above the Sub, although the differences are very subtle. In short:
- The Submariner has a cyclops, the Sea-Dweller doesn't;
- The Sea-Dweller has a helium-valve, the Submariner doesn't,
- The Sea-Dweller is around 2mm higher that the Submariner, due to the thicker crystal, case and caseback;
- The Sea-Dweller depth rate is 1220 meters, the Submariner's 300 meters;
- The dial from the Sea-Dweller is 1mm smaller than the one on the Submariner;
- The Sea-Dweller has engravings on the caseback, the Submariner hasn't;
And there are a few other minor differences. I think if we would vote among Rolex enthusiasts, it will be around 50/50.
Engraved case backs
Most Rolexes, including the Submariner, do have a caseback without engravings. But the Sea-Dweller does. On the picture you see a caseback from a 'Double Red" Sea-Dweller produced between 1971 and 1977. The engraving says "Oyster Gas Escape Valve" which changed to "Original Gas Escape Valve" on later models.
Submariner 16610 LV
The Submariner 16610 LV, or "Lunette Verde" was issued in 2003 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Submariner, arguably the greatest diver watch ever created, and certainly the most famous. While initially thought to be a limited edition model, the LV has remained in production since its introduction. There are only cosmetic differences between this special edition, and the regular black bezel counterpart - the bezel color, markers, and hands are the only difference. The Submariner LV uses the Rolex "Maxi Dial" large size hands and markers, first introduced on the Yacht-Master.
NATO straps
NATO straps are getting more and more popular. Some people hate them, I love their comfort and different look. Some even say they are not Rolex worthy. They probably don't know that the Submariner 5517 (designed for the Royal Marines' Special Boat Squadron in the seventies) was issued with Nato-strap only. Quite a contradiction, a 12 euro strap on a watch which is not a real bargain today. Even James Bond was wearing a NATO strap on his Sub in Goldfinger. However I prefer a black strap which fits exactly between the lugs. It looks great on a Submariner as well as on the Dweller.
Sea-Dweller Deepsea 116660
I have to be honest, I don’t like the new Rolex Sea-Dweller Deep Sea very much. Its way too big and the bracelet is too small. I'll prefer the classic 16600.
Submariner 5512
The submariner has certainly seen many different models and while the 5512 is really a "refined collectors" watch. The 5512 was made between the early sixties to the late seventies.
Sea-Dweller 1665
Collectors call this watch the "Single Red" Sea-Dweller due to the fact that the "Sea-Dweller" name is printed in red. In contrast, the "Double Red" Sea-Dwellers have both "Sea-Dweller" and "Submariner 2000" printed in red letters. Underneath the red "Sea-Dweller" text on the "Single Red" is "Submariner 500 M - 1650 FT". Beneath that you read "Superlative Chronometer" and then "Officially Certified". The top of the dial has the Rolex coronet, "ROLEX" and "Oyster Perpetual DATE". The watch is a case reference 1665 with the outside of the caseback stamped "Oyster Gas Escape Valve" and "(Patent Pending)" around the outer rim. The inside caseback is stamped "1665" and "IV 67", the first year the "Sea-Dweller" was produced.
Connoisseur's Guide
This comprehensive and detailed reference guide to Rolex sports model watches is an indispensable asset to watch collectors and dealers. The only work of its kind, it covers the history of the Submariner, Sea-Dweller, Explorer, GMT-Master, Turn-O-Graph, Milgauss, and Cosmograph watches, from 1952 to 1990. The history of more than a hundred and forty vintage models is described in detail, with the watches shown in chronological order. Color photographs illustrate every watch model, with hundreds of diagrams providing clear and useful information about the development of each model. Twenty-two rare Rolex brochures from private collections are shown along with numerous catalog photographs and the associated sale prices of sports models sold at Christie's and Sotheby's worldwide from 1997 to 2007. Also included is a current price guide for every model shown in the book. Rolex watches continue to dominate the collecting market and this authoritative volume, now in its revised and expanded third edition, is an essential and timely addition to the library of the Rolex collector and dealer.
Submariner 6204
The Rolex Submariner was introduced at the 1954 Basel Fair. It was the first truly water resistant watch. That first production model (reference 6204) was water resistant to 200 meters, and immediately became the ultimate diver's watch. Not surprisingly, the 1955 Basel Fair saw Submariner clones from leading brands, a trend which has not abated after all these years. The Submariner is the most copied watch extant (not to mention outright counterfeits). It has evolved over the years, with many interim model reference numbers, dial variations, and other aspects which make collecting Submariners fun and interesting. Today, vintage Rolex Submariners are not only popular, they are also attractive investments. Vintage Rolex Submariners pay historical witness to the evolution of not only dive watches, but to the evolution of Rolex itself and to diving in general. The Rolex Submariner is a special watch, and the popularity of the modern models is overshadowed only by the fascinating world of vintage Submariners.
Movement 3135
Originally introduced around 1988 Rolex’s 3135 has been their workhorse movement since then. Of course things haven’t remained static these past 20 years and it has seen numerous improvements and upgrades in order to both refine and improve its performance and reliability. Like most Swiss watch companies Rolex doesn’t make a big deal of these upgrades, so most of the time even their own watchmakers are not aware of them, unless of course they are specifically instructed to upgrade the parts and movements when they come in for repair. Some of the improvements, like their new Parachrom hairspring, they choose to anchor to new marketing campaigns, in which case potential buyers now want to make sure that their new purchase has all the latest and greatest upgrades. But others, like subtle refinements to pivot and teeth shapes, improvements in the alloys of the metals used etc, often go unheralded.
Basic technical info for the 3135 Rolex movement:
Diameter = 28.5mm
Casing diameter = 28.1mm
Height = 6mm
Jewels = 31
Power Reserve = Approximately 50 hours
Submariner 1680
The Red Submariner, model number 1680, was one of the first Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariners that incorporated a date function. I say one of the first Submariners as the 1680 Submariner was produced in two guises. The earlier models had the word Submariner written in red and the later in white. Up to this point the Submariner, having been produced for over 10 years with differing model numbers, never had a date function.
Sea-Dweller 16600 COMEX
COMEX is a French diving company founded in 1961 to explore the depths of the oceans (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise). From 1970 to 1997 COMEX worked closely with Rolex and many of their deep sea divers were issued Rolex Sea-Dwellers as a tool to do their work. Rolex used this as a way to test some of their new watches and to resolve some with issues from COMEX such as decompression divers and their watches not being able to withstand depths. The Helium Escape Valve was deleloped and tested on 5513 and 5514 (reference for COMEX only) for COMEX before being commercially available in the original SeaDweller in 1967. COMEX watches have also been associated with records and experiments such as the max depth of 701 meters or the Hydra experiments and its common to see those watches engraved with specifics about the experiments etc.
What makes them very collectible is that they were never sold by stores and only issued to divers or officials and that they were made in extremely low quantities even after all those years with COMEX. They also have special characteristics and unique COMEX serial numbers and engravings in the casebacks which make them very interesting for collectors. The Sea-Dweller 16600 COMEX was produced between 1992 and 1997.
Anchors
In 2005, a long standing Rolex tradition came to an end. Rolex stopped shipping the famous Rolex Anchor with the Submariner and Sea-Dweller. For many years, Rolex included a small key-ring like, miniature anchor. Much has been written about these anchors over the years - no one is sure exactly what these little trinkets are good for. Some collectors use them as Christmas tree ornaments, while others hang them from necklaces or car rear view mirrors. They don't seem to serve any useful purpose, which is perhaps why Rolex after decades is no longer producing them. Who knows? Maybe in the next 10-20 years they'll be a coveted Rolex collectors item. The water resistance rating is shown in meters on one side, and in feet on the other.
Sea-Dweller 16600 Pro-Hunter
My love. PVD case, fixed lugs, Nato-strap, awesome looking and a modern alternative for the 5517.
Submariner 5517
Especially made for the SBS (Special Boat Squadron) in the seventies and also known as MILSUB. An extra reason for joining the Royal Marines in that time. The case back has the Military broad arrow and the appropiate Military markings. Rolex Military submariners came from Geneva with the fixed bars and the special hands and dials but the Ministry Of Defense did the case back engraving. The spring bars were not fitted, the holes were drilled out and solid bars then hammered into place. The ends of the bars were then filled and polished so that they become almost invisible. When it became apparent that the MOD were going to order more of these watches, Rolex chose to give the new watches a distinct model number 5517. The MILSUB is highly treasured by the serious Rolex collector.
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