The Rolex Submariner Watch
Oyster Perpetual Submariner with Sapphire Crystal and Brushed Finish

There are many watches on the market that feature water resistance at great depths, but there are few watches that let you dive with the kind of elegance and style like the Rolex Submariner. Originally introduced in 1953 at the beginning of the skin diving sport and worn by such luminaries as Jacques Cousteau, the Oyster Perpetual Submariner quickly became popular with landlubbers as well.

While you might not want to risk such an expensive watch to the underwater world, Rolex has made sure your investment will be coming back to the surface functioning like the day you first put it on.

One look at the Submariner and you’ll notice that it’s all business. The design is simple, but classic and features a water resistance rating of up to 300 meters. The dial is set up in a simple, but effective, black and silver color scheme with Mercedes style hands.

The crystal is the same Sapphire crystal used in many of Rolex’s sport watches, however, while other watches made for underwater use have an anti-reflective coating on the crystal, the Submariner does not. Rumor has it that Rolex does intend to add this coating in the future though the company is generally slow to change their products.

The bracelet is an important part of the watch and is often overlooked by many watch -makers. The Submariner has a brushed finish with solid end links. Screws in the links make the bracelet easy to size. While many fault Rolex for the bracelet’s “clunky” feel, most people who own the watch praise it for its durability and scratch resistance.

Another important feature, especially on a watch for diving, is the clasp. A weak clasp isn’t much of a problem on a $100 watch, but when the price goes up to the thousands, you want to be sure the timepiece is coming back up with you. And when you’re down 300 meters in the murky deep, you definitely don’t want your Rolex falling off.

The clasp used by the Submariner is probably the watch’s weakest part. It uses a flip lock clasp that has been in use by Rolex for years. Although, the clasp itself is secure, we think that flimsy, stamped sheet metal should never be used in a watch in this price range.

The Submariner’s movement is a 31 jewel COSC certified in-house movement that Rolex has used for many years.  And while there are nicer looking movements on the market, the movement used in the Submariner does the job it was designed to do exceedingly well.

Any discussion about the Rolex Submariner has to include the James Bond connection. While Bond may have liked his martinis shaken, not stirred, in the Sean Connery years, he liked his watches Rolex all the way. And among the many Rolex watches featured in the classic spy films, our favorite is the special Submariner built for Bond by gadget wizard Q which featured a rotating saw blade bezel. This special prop watch reportedly sold at auction in 2001 for almost $40K!

One thing that Rolex has that other watch manufacturers don’t is name recognition. Even people, who know nothing about watches, instinctively know the name Rolex and associate that name with “the best”. And name recognition is one of the reasons that you’ll pay a hefty sum for a Submariner.

The current average retail price for a Rolex Submariner is around $4,000. In addition to the high price tag, Rolex carefully controls the production of their watches so that supply never exceeds demand. This means that when a Rolex model is in high demand, prices in secondary markets can often be double that of retail.

Specs:
Year Introduced: 1953
First Model: 6200
First Movement: A.296