Where the sand meets the water · Photo: Hameen Reynolds / Unsplash
The Rolex story

The Submariner, reference by reference

From a 100-meter tool for divers in 1953 to the 41 mm watch in the case today: every main steel reference, in order, and what changed each time.

First made
1953
References shown
20
Status
In production
Steel Submariner Date with a black ceramic bezel
Photo: Patrick Langwallner · Unsplash License

The timeline

Drag the timeline, pull the slider below it, or jump to a decade.
  1. 1953
    Early Submariner with a black bezel, gilt dial, and straight pencil hands
    Photo: Clyde94 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped
    REF. 6204

    The first Submariner

    Rolex's first divers' watch, waterproof to 100 meters (330 feet). Straight “pencil” hands, a small winding crown, and nothing guarding it. The public first saw it at the Basel watch fair in 1954.

  2. 1954–55
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 6205]
    REF. 6205

    The twin

    Almost the same watch as the 6204. Collectors still argue about which one came first. Some 6205 dials don't even say “Submariner” on them.

  3. 1954–55
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 6200]
    REF. 6200

    Big crown, Mercedes hands

    An oversized winding crown, and the first Submariner with “Mercedes” hands, the hour hand with a circle inside it that every Submariner since has kept. Around this time Rolex doubled the depth rating to 200 meters.

  4. 1955–59
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 6536]
    REF. 6536 · 6536/1

    Small crown, new movement

    A newer movement (calibre 1030) under a small crown. The 6536/1 version was chronometer certified, meaning it passed an official accuracy test.

  5. 1955–59
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 6538]
    REF. 6538 · A/6538

    The James Bond

    The big-crown model. Sean Connery wore a 6538 in the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962), and the nickname stuck.

  6. 1958–62
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 5508]
    REF. 5508

    The last small crown

    A small-crown Sub with the newer calibre 1530 movement. One of the last Submariners made without crown guards.

  7. c. 1958
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 5510]
    REF. 5510

    The last big crown

    A short run with the big 8 mm crown and a 200-meter rating. After this, the big crown was gone.

  8. 1959–78
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 5512]
    REF. 5512

    Crown guards arrive

    The first Submariner with crown guards, two metal shoulders on the case that protect the winding crown from knocks. It was chronometer certified. Rolex also grew the case from 38 to 40 mm in this era.

  9. 1962–89
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 5513]
    REF. 5513

    The workhorse

    The 5512's twin without the accuracy certificate. It stayed in production about 27 years, the longest of any Submariner. Late versions got glossy dials with white gold rims around the hour markers.

  10. 1969
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 1680]
    REF. 1680

    The first date

    The first Submariner Date, with a magnifying Cyclops lens over the date. Early dials print “Submariner” in red (the “Red Sub”); the red turned white around 1974. The same year Rolex made its first yellow gold Submariner (ref. 1680/8).

  11. 1972–78
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 5514]
    REF. 5514 · 5517

    Made to order

    Special orders, never sold in stores. The 5514 was made for COMEX, a French diving company, with a helium escape valve. The 5517 “MilSub” was made for Britain's Ministry of Defence, with sword-shaped hands, fixed strap bars, and a full 60-minute bezel.

  12. c. 1979–87
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 16800]
    REF. 16800

    Sapphire and 300 meters

    A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal replaced the old plastic one, and the depth rating went to 300 meters (1,000 feet), where it still is today.

  13. 1987–88
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 168000]
    REF. 168000

    The one-year wonder

    A short transition model and the first Submariner in 904L, an upgraded stainless steel. Because so few were made, collectors hunt for them.

  14. 1988–2010
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 16610]
    REF. 16610

    The modern classic

    New calibre 3135 movement. The aluminum bezel insert fades over the years, and some buyers pay extra for a nicely faded one.

  15. 1990–2012
    Steel no-date Submariner with a black bezel on a lace cloth
    Photo: Clyde94 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped
    REF. 14060 · 14060M

    No-date goes modern

    The no-date Submariner gets the sapphire crystal and 300-meter rating. The 14060M (2002) added the calibre 3130 movement, and from 2007 it was chronometer certified.

  16. 2003–10
    Steel Submariner Date with a green bezel and black dial
    Photo: OpaleHorse · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped
    REF. 16610LV

    The Kermit

    For the Submariner's 50th birthday, Rolex put a green bezel on the 16610. Collectors call it the “Kermit.”

  17. 2010–20
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 116610LN]
    REF. 116610LN · 116610LV

    Ceramic and the Super Case

    The first Submariner with a Cerachrom bezel, Rolex's scratch-proof ceramic that doesn't fade. A bulkier “Super Case” with wider lugs and bigger crown guards. The 116610LV came in green.

  18. 2012–20
    [PHOTO NEEDED
    REF. 114060]
    REF. 114060

    No-date gets ceramic

    Shown at the 2012 Baselworld fair: the no-date Submariner gets the ceramic bezel and the Super Case.

  19. 2020–today
    Steel Submariner Date with a black ceramic bezel
    Photo: Patrick Langwallner · Unsplash License
    REF. 126610LN · 124060TODAY

    41 mm

    The case grows to 41 mm with slimmer lugs. New calibres 3235 (date) and 3230 (no date) are more accurate and run longer between windings.

  20. 1969–today
    Steel and gold Submariner with a blue dial and blue bezel
    Photo: Caramel · Unsplash License
    REF. 1680/8 → 126613LBSIDE ROAD

    The gold side

    Rolex first made a yellow gold Submariner in 1969. Steel-and-gold versions (Rolex calls the mix “Rolesor”) followed. Today's two-tone blue model is the 126613LB.

1953 · REF. 62041 / 20

What never changed

THE OYSTER CASE

Screw-down case back and crown, the same idea Rolex invented in 1926.

THE ROTATING BEZEL

Turn it to mark when a dive started, and read the minutes underwater.

BIG GLOWING MARKERS

Round dots and bold bars you can read in dark water.

Through every generation

Hunting for a certain Submariner reference? Tell us which one, and we'll look for it.

Sources and photo credits

Dates and reference years come from Rolex and the dealer and auction sources below. When sources disagree, we show a range or the word "about." Last checked November 7, 2026.

Sources

Photos