Rolex Submariner

The Rolex Submariner is a line of sports diving wristwatches manufactured by Rolex as part of the brand's Professional collection. Designed to withstand water and corrosion, the model commenced production in 1953 and was presented to the public at the 1954 Basel Watch Fair. It was the first watch certified waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet). The earliest iterations, assigned case reference numbers 6204 and 6205, featured 37.0-millimetre cases, A260 movements, rotating timing bezels, and straight pencil-style hands.

Reference 6200 introduced Mercedes hands and an oversized winding crown, while the case diameter across the line was enlarged to 40.0 millimetres in 1959. References 5512 and 5513 incorporated protective crown guards, which transitioned from pointed shoulders to rounded forms by 1964. During this era, luminous dial markings shifted from radium to tritium paint, and gilt printing gave way to white text. The line also added a date complication with the introduction of reference 1680 in the late 1960s.

Modern iterations include both no-date and Submariner Date executions, powered respectively by Rolex Calibres 3230 and 3235, with depth ratings extended to 300 metres (1,000 feet). Standard features include luminescent hour markers composed of an inverted triangle at 12 o'clock, batons at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, and circular dots for the remaining hours. Later models also incorporate unidirectional rotatable bezels with Cerachrom ceramic inserts, solid-link Oyster bracelets, and broadened hands and hour markers.