The Rolex Submariner 1680 (Part 1)

The 200/600 Dial

One of the most synonymous names with the Rolex brand is its Submariner.   From Sean Connery as the famous James Bond to Nicholas cage in ‘National Treasure’, the Submariner has become an icon of sorts in and out of the watch collecting community.   The first Submariner to feature a date feature was introduced in or around 1967 and  it was recognizable by its tall acrylic crystal that had a big magnifying eye, the infamous “cyclops” over the date window so that one could easily read the date.  The early batches up thru approximately 1973 were adorned with the red word “submariner”; it is this version of the reference 1680 that is desired by many Rolex fans.  While not the most rare of Rolex sport watches, it is hard to find a nice one with a clean dial and matching original hands because a lot of the dials were swapped out by Rolex during routine maintenance over the years.

The red wording is not the only caveat to these magnificent time pieces.  Because Rolex used several different dial makers, dial variations are abound and with them, a plethora of fakes.  In fact, due to the popularity of the red sub, it is one of the most faked Rolexes in the world today and should you be in search of one, do your research and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

The first release of the red dial in 1967 (the earliest serial known to the author is 2,02X,XXX) and featured the “200 meters/600 ft” dial.    This version is harder to find than the later 600/200 dial and  there are at least three variations of this early dial:

1.   The first dials had 200/600 with the red submariner word clearly shorter in width than the depth rating.  Several have been shown on various forums and have been ‘verified’ through a Rolex servicing (this is about the best one can hope to have sans the original warranty paper).  Note that the top of the “f” in ft goes up and straight over. These three are very nice examples.

Photo: JStuart

Photo: SteveSinNJ

Photo: Delgado

Upon further close up..

Photo: Delgado

2.  The second 200/600 dials where the red submariner word is clearly wider or as wide as the depth rating.  This example has been authenticated by  Rolex Service Centers.  Take note that the top portion of the “f” in ft is very curved and long, therefore the "long f" dials.

Photo: DiverDick

Photo: DiverDick

Photo: N. Tiphaine

The Bracelets.

With the exception of the ‘brown’ variation, these were originally issued with a riveted bracelet reference 7206 with 60 or 80 end pieces (Some show clearly the 80 stamping, but some of the stampings are so illegible, that many look to be 60).   This was the start of the new age of Rolex Submariners.

Movements.

Most of the early reds, with the "flat top F's", have been seen to have originally been equipped with a NON-hack movement, but as always with Rolex, there are some during the transitional period between the dial change that surely had a hack movement installed in them.

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