The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner is without doubt one of the most popular Rolex Watches, and among the most popular in the sports luxurious genre. It is characterized for being a watch targeted specifically to Divers due to its high resistance to water. The model was first seen in 1953 with the reference number 6204, a bidirectional Bezel, a thin case, and a small sized shoulder-less screw-down crown.

The model 6205 was also manufactured at the time and both watches are nearly identical. One interesting detail on these two models is that most of the time you would not see the word Submariner imprinted on the face. Sometimes you would see the brand Submariner, however it was not a consistent branding at the time. In 1954 Rolex presented its sequel, Ref 6538, also known as the James Bond model immortalized by Sean Connery. It used a caliber 1030 movement, and the first Rolex bidirectional rotor movement, and an oversized crown.

Rolex Submariner 6204

Rolex Submariner 6538

Rolex Submariner 5512

Rolex Submariner 1680

Rolex Submariner 16800

2010 Rolex Submariner

In 1959 and in 1962 the Submariner 5512 and 5513, respectively, were presented as the first models with shoulders to protect the crown. Those changes marked how the watch would look in the following years. In 1969 the Submariner Date Ref 1680, still with its acrylic crystal was first seen. In 1979 was presented for the first time The Rolex Submariner with Sapphire crystal and an outstanding waterproof rating of 300 meters.

The 16800 “Sub”, 40 mm, with movement caliber 3035 is the watch that we well know today. The “Sub”as we call it, revolutionized how a sports watch should look and feel. Moreover, apart from small changes in recent years such as the trip-lock system and Cerachrom disc, it is pretty much the same watch we saw in 1979 that we love so much for so many years.