The Rolex Submariner is the most-copied watch in history. From the 1953 ref. 6204, Rolex's first purpose-built dive watch, to the current 41mm 124060 and 126610LN, every Submariner has shared the same DNA: Oyster case, screw-down crown, unidirectional rotating bezel, and a triangle at 12.
What changed across seventy years are the details: case size (38mm to 40mm to 41mm), water resistance (100m to 200m to 300m), lume material (radium, tritium, SuperLumiNova, Chromalight), bezel insert (aluminium to ceramic), bracelet (rivet, folded, then solid Oyster with Glidelock), and the movement (Cal. A.296, 1530, 3035, 3135, 3235). The reference numbers below trace those changes one decade at a time.
37mm case 100m WR
DialBlack, gilt printing, "Submariner" text only
BezelBidirectional rotating, 60-min minute scale, no triangle on early dials
MovementCal. A.260 / A.296 (manual rotor variants)
BraceletRiveted Oyster
The very first Submariner, introduced at Basel 1954. No crown guards, pencil hands, no "Mercedes" hour hand yet. Survives in tiny numbers - most were swapped for later refs at service.
37mm case 100m WR
DialBlack, "Officially Certified Chronometer" on some
BezelBidirectional, "Mercedes" hands appear
MovementCal. A.296
Transitional sister to the 6204; Mercedes hands and the now-iconic triangle bezel marker arrive on this reference.
38mm case 200m WR
DialBlack gilt, "Submariner" + depth rating
BezelBidirectional 60-min
MovementCal. A.296
First Submariner rated to 200m, with an oversized 8mm "Brevet" crown - hence the nickname. Roughly 300 made, the rarest pre-Bond Sub.
38mm case 100m WR
DialBlack gilt, COSC variant marked "Officially Certified Chronometer"
BezelBidirectional 60-min
MovementCal. 1030 (chronometer-rated on 6536/1)
The 6536 line introduced the chronometer-grade Sub. The variant 6536/1 is among the most-faked vintage Rolex references - buyer beware.
38mm case 200m WR
DialBlack gilt, four-line text
BezelBidirectional 60-min
MovementCal. 1030
Worn by Sean Connery in Dr. No (1962). Big-crown 200m case, no crown guards. Auction prices have crossed seven figures for top examples.
38mm case 100m WR
DialBlack gilt, four-line
BezelBidirectional 60-min
MovementCal. 1530
Last Sub without crown guards. The transition reference between the early Bond era and the modern crown-guarded shape.
40mm case 200m WR
DialBlack gloss → matte, four-line ("Officially Certified Chronometer")
BezelAluminium insert, unidirectional from mid-60s
MovementCal. 1530 / 1560 / 1570 (COSC-rated)
The first Submariner with crown guards. COSC-rated chronometer; ran alongside its non-chronometer twin, the 5513.
40mm case 200m WR
DialBlack, two-line ("Submariner / 200m=660ft")
BezelAluminium insert, unidirectional
Twenty-seven years in production. Dial sub-variants ("meters first", "feet first", maxi-dial, swiss-T, gilt → matte → gloss) drive a vintage market all on its own.
40mm case 200m WR
DialBlack, COMEX-marked
BezelAluminium insert, unidirectional
MovementCal. 1520
Made for the French commercial divers Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises. Helium escape valve and COMEX-numbered caseback. Roughly 1,400 produced.
40mm case 200m WR
DialBlack; early "Red Sub" with red SUBMARINER text
BezelAluminium insert, unidirectional, no minute markers above 15
First Submariner with a date complication and Cyclops. The Mark 1-6 "Red Sub" dial variants (1969-1973) are a distinct collector category.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack matte → gloss, white gold surrounds
BezelAluminium insert with full minute scale (the bezel that became the modern blueprint)
First Submariner with sapphire crystal, 300m water resistance, and the now-standard full-graduation bezel. Quickset date and high-beat movement make it a milestone reference.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack gloss
BezelAluminium insert
A short transitional reference - same as 16800 but with a 904L stainless steel case, the first non-316L Sub. Approximately two-year production window.
40mm case 200m WR
DialGlossy black, white gold surrounds, maxi indices
BezelAluminium insert
Late-production 5513 with white-gold surrounds and gloss dial - the most modern-looking variant of a model that started in 1962.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack gloss, two-line, white gold surrounds
BezelAluminium insert
MovementCal. 3000
Replaced the 5513 line as the no-date Sub. Sapphire crystal, 300m WR, but Cal. 3000 was non-COSC. Often called the "poor man's Sub" - wrongly, it's a serious tool watch.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack, two-line until 2007 → four-line "Officially Certified Chronometer" 2007-onwards
BezelAluminium insert
MovementCal. 3130
M-suffix update: Cal. 3130 (COSC from 2007) and minor case refinements. The four-line dial late-production examples are the last aluminium-bezel no-date Subs.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack gloss, white gold surrounds
BezelAluminium insert
The five-digit Submariner-Date. Twenty years of production, the standard against which every modern Sub is measured.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack, maxi indices on later examples
BezelGreen aluminium ("vert"), unidirectional
50th-anniversary Submariner. Green bezel, black dial. Discontinued 2010 - the last green-bezel/black-dial Sub until the 2020 126610LV.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlue or black, gold surrounds
BezelAluminium insert (blue or black), gold-plated insert ring
Two-tone steel and yellow gold ("Rolesor"). Twenty-one years of production, the most-produced two-tone Submariner.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlue or black, gold surrounds
BezelAluminium insert
Solid 18k yellow gold case and bracelet. Lower production, the formal-dress end of the line.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack, Chromalight lume, "Maxi" index
BezelCerachrom (ceramic) black, platinum-coated graduations
BraceletOyster 904L Oystersteel with Glidelock extension
Six-digit modernisation: Cerachrom bezel, 904L steel, "supercase" with broader lugs, Glidelock clasp. The blueprint for every modern Sub.
40mm case 300m WR
DialSunburst green, Chromalight, Maxi indices
BezelGreen Cerachrom
BraceletOyster 904L Oystersteel
All-green Sub: green dial AND green bezel - Rolex's first green ceramic. Discontinued 2020; collector prices have remained well above retail.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack gloss, four-line "Officially Certified Chronometer", Maxi indices
BezelCerachrom black
MovementCal. 3130
BraceletOyster 904L Oystersteel with Glidelock
The Cerachrom no-date Submariner - six-digit successor to the 14060M. Often considered the "purest" modern Sub for its no-date dial symmetry.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack or blue gloss
BezelBlack Cerachrom
Two-tone steel/yellow gold "Rolesor" Cerachrom variant. Black or blue dial.
40mm case 300m WR
DialSunburst blue
BezelBlue Cerachrom
Two-tone, blue Cerachrom bezel and matching blue dial. The "Bluesy" - a popular informal nickname.
40mm case 300m WR
DialBlack or blue gloss
BezelBlack Cerachrom
Solid yellow gold Cerachrom Sub. Black-dial reference; the blue-dial sibling is the 116618LB.
40mm case 300m WR
DialSunburst blue, white gold surrounds
BezelBlue Cerachrom
White gold Sub with sunburst blue dial and matching blue Cerachrom. Among the most-collected modern precious-metal Subs.
41mm case 300m WR
DialBlack, four-line, Chromalight, Maxi indices
BezelBlack Cerachrom
BraceletOyster 904L Oystersteel with Glidelock
Current no-date Sub: 41mm case (up from 40mm), slimmer lugs than the supercase, Cal. 3230 with 70-hour power reserve.
41mm case 300m WR
DialBlack, Chromalight, Maxi indices
BezelBlack Cerachrom
BraceletOyster 904L Oystersteel with Glidelock
Current Submariner-Date. 41mm, Cal. 3235, refined lug profile. The default Sub of the 2020s.
41mm case 300m WR
DialBlack gloss, Chromalight
BezelGreen Cerachrom
BraceletOyster 904L Oystersteel
Returns the green-bezel + black-dial Kermit formula in 41mm. Sometimes called "Cookie Monster" or "Starbucks" by collectors.
41mm case 300m WR
DialBlack gloss
BezelBlack Cerachrom
Current two-tone steel/yellow gold, 41mm. Black dial and bezel.
41mm case 300m WR
DialSunburst blue
BezelBlue Cerachrom
Current "Bluesy" - two-tone blue Cerachrom and blue dial in 41mm.
41mm case 300m WR
DialBlack gloss
BezelBlack Cerachrom
Solid 18k yellow gold, current generation.
41mm case 300m WR
DialSunburst blue
BezelBlue Cerachrom
Current white gold Sub - the modern Smurf. Sunburst blue dial, matching blue Cerachrom.
No references match all selected filters.
Reference number conventions
4-digit refs (6204, 5513, 1680) ran 1953-1989. 5-digit refs (14060, 16610) ran 1989-2010. 6-digit refs (116610LN, 124060, 126610LN) run 2010-present. The suffix decodes the bezel and metal: LN = noir (black), LV = vert (green), LB = bleu (blue). Case-material digits: 0/60 = steel, 13 = two-tone steel/gold, 18 = yellow gold, 19 = white gold.
Why the 5513 ran for 27 years
The ref. 5513 (1962-1989) is the longest-produced Submariner. Rolex built it as the non-chronometer companion to the COSC-rated 5512 - same case, same dial layout, but with the cheaper Cal. 1520. It outlived the 5512 by eleven years and accumulated more dial variants (matte, gloss, "meters first", "feet first", maxi-dial, swiss-T, swiss-only) than any other Sub. Vintage collectors map sub-variants by year-range like a forensics chart.