Rolex Submariner....Ο θρύλος

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THE SUBMARINER
1953



Launched in 1953, the Submariner was the first divers’ watch waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet). Its rotatable bezel allows divers to read their immersion time.
First Rolex Submariner divers’ watch
PERFECT PARTNER
ON LAND OR IN THE SEA
We invented the Submariner to work perfectly 660 feet under the sea. It seems to work pretty well at any level.

Ένα τόσο εμβληματικό ρολοι έχω την άποψη ότι πρέπει να έχει μια ξεχωριστή θέση μέσα στο φόρουμ ...
Ιστορία,άρθρα,και κυρίως φωτογραφίες Θα ήταν η ιδανική για μένα σύνθεση αυτού του νήματος.
Αν δεν έχουν κάποια αντίρρηση οι mods θα έλεγα το ταξίδι να ξεκινήσει !!!







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The Rolex Submariner is a watch with an interesting story. Introduced over 60 years ago, the current Rolex Submariner model (updated four years ago) is a product of a long history and development. The similarities are clearly visible while the innovations are as well. A ceramic bezel, masculine case and solid bracelet with an easy-to-adjust folding clasp meet all the requirements of a modern watch while the design goes back to 1953. This article from Gisbert L. Brunner for the German version of WatchTime will give you an interesting overview of this diving legend from Rolex.

Introduction of the Rolex Submariner

The water resistant Oyster-case with screw-down crown and the self-winding movement for wrist watches are ingredients of the Rolex Submariner that we own to Rolex founder and president Hans Wilsdorf. He was a genius business man and perhaps even a better marketeer. He was also known for his open mind regarding new ideas and cared about what his employees had to say. René-Paul Jeanneret, an experienced and valuable member of the board of directors was a passionate diver. It was this René-Paul Jeanneret that came with the idea of developing a watch that wasn’t only suitable for use in the water, but also as an elegant timepiece for everyday use.

The discussion about the use of such a timepiece in the existing collection was being held more than once, as the existing Rolex models at that time already were water resistant and elegant. However, they were not the diving watch that René-Paul Jeanneret had in mind. Functional sports watches became an important topic and resulted since 1953 in watch collections with bold names like Turn-O-Graph, Explorer, Submariner, Milgauss and GMT-Master. It made Rolex grow like never before and mastered in creating watches that are suitable for any type of environment or (sports) activity.

Submariner Predecessors

Water resistant watches were already in the Rolex collection since the early 1930s. In 1935, the Rolex catalog showed a 47mm cushion-shaped Oyster-case watch with reference 2533. It had a pocket watch movement inside, a Lépine hand-wound movement with a small seconds hand at 9 o’clock. It didn’t get any follow-up as there was no interest in watches with a huge case diameter like this. However, this cushion-shaped watch did pave the way for a partnership with Panerai. Back then, Panerai was an Italian Rolex dealer and specialized in diving equipment. The Panerai Radiomir models with cushion-shaped Oyster-cases with a Cortébert caliber movement supplied by Rolex inspired the Geneva company and gave them very useful feedback on divers watches. Most likely did it also gave useful input for Jeanneret’s Rolex Submariner.

Jeanneret had a close relationship with the famous Jacques-Yves Cousteau, which lead to enough input to convince the decision makers at Rolex at that time to develop a professional diver’s watch. In those first years of the 1950s there was a lot of experimenting going on with regards to their professional diver’s watch. The name ‘Submariner’ wasn’t being used at that time.
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Diver’s Tests Paved The Way For The Submariner

In September 1953, Rolex let the World know – in a spectacular way – that they were able to produce a diver’s watch. Auguste Piccard dived 3131,8 meters in the Ocean with his Bathyscaphe deep-diving submarine. Affixed to the vessel’s hull was Wilsdorf’s Rolex watch especially created for this adventure featuring a clearly visible Rolex logo and luminous dial. When the Bathyscape rose out of the water, the Rolex watch was still working properly.

Later on, in 1960, the submarine Trieste, with its 2-meter-wide pressure sphere descended for the 65th time into the depths – this time with the goal of reaching the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean. Inside the pressure sphere were Piccard’s son, Jacques Piccard, and the Dan Walsh. Outside the sphere was a very special Rolex prototype, a watch, with Oyster case, designed to withstand the pressure of the 10,916-meter descent, which exerted a pressure on the vessel of about 1,125 kg/cm. The idea, of course, was to prove that the Oyster case could survive the ordeal. Just as with the 1953 Bathyscaphe dive, the Rolex looked and ran exactly as it had above the water.

Rolex Submariner – the diver’s friend

Achievements like that created a lot of attention and awareness. There was demand for watches that could take a bit of abuse during sports but also during everyday wear. Visitors of the Basel fair (nowadays BaselWorld) in 1954 were happily surprised to see a big display window (one of five) with a wristwatch featuring a matt black dial, big luminous hands and indexes and a rotating bezel with markers about 5 minutes apart. The zero-position on the bezel was marked with an arrow with a luminous pearl in the center. A small sign said “Submariner – the diver’s friend”. In other words, Rolex created a professional diver’s watch with an automatic movement with a water resistance of 100 meters thanks to the screw-down crown system called Twinlock.

By the time it hit the market, the Submariner had passed rigorous field tests. The Institute for Deep Sea Research in Cannes issued a report on Oct. 26, 1953, on the five months of tests it had conducted with the watch, consisting of 132 dives in depths of 12 to 60 meters. The statement from the laboratory read as follows:

“Despite the extremely high salt content of the Mediterranean waters, and the tropical temperature and humidity to which the watch was exposed between the individual dives, it showed no corrosion at all. …Likewise, no moisture was detected within the watch. All other previous tests with water-resistant watches from top brands showed water penetration from the first moment of the dive, indicated by the condensation that formed on the inner surface of the crystal. The watch was worn multiple times during dives with an extended crown (i.e., the crown was pulled out to the position for setting the hands). To conclude these tests, the watch was attached to a thin cord and dropped to a depth of 120 meters – twice as deep as 60 meters, the maximum depth achievable with self-contained compressed air equipment. No leaks were detected even after a one-hour period at this depth.”

Rolex used the feedback and input of many experts while developing the Submariner. Jeanneret offered many ideas for the outer design of the case, dial and rotating bezel (which at that time still turned in both directions) for underwater reading of the remaining time of the dive.
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Rolex Offered Three Different Submariner Models

As soon as the Rolex Submariner became available in 1954, consumers could make a choice between 3 different models. These are Submariner reference 6200 with a self-winding caliber A.296 movement and a water resistance of 200 meters, the Submariner reference 6204 with a 100 meter water resistance (later up to 180 meters) and the Submariner reference 6205 with self-winding movement caliber A.260 and a water resistance of 100 meters. There is no ‘Submariner’ wording on very early examples as it wasn’t before the end of 1954 when Rolex started to use ‘Submariner’ on the dials. There were also no crown guards at the time yet.
Rolex Submariner

The Rolex Submariner ref. 6538 (“James Bond”) from 1959. Big crown and no crown guards. Photo Antiquorum.
An Evolution of Decades

You can hardly speak about revolutions at Rolex. Evolution is a better word. Moreover, Rolex achieved this continuous evolution over decades, also for the Submariner collection. The table below gives an overview on the evolution of the Submariner:
Year Reference Details
1955 6538 Successor of reference 6204 with caliber 1030 movement.
6536 Successor of reference 6205 with caliber 1030 movement;featuring a larger winding crown.
6536/1 Chronometer version of reference 6536 with caliber 1030.
6538 British Royal Navy chose the Submariner.
1956 A new design for the hands. The luminous circle moves a bit towards the center of the dial. The bezel gets a minute index for the first quarter.
1956 6538A The 6538 receives the same case as reference 6200.
6536 A red (zero position) triangle on the bezel.
6538 The Royal Canadian Navy choses the Rolex Submariner. The military version has an identification number and service number engraved in the case back. Otherwise it is the same watch as a normal production Rolex Submariner.
1958 5510 Based on reference 6200 with caliber 1530 (1957);
5508 6536/1 with caliber 1530; change of font on the bezel. The 0 (zeroes) are a bit more square-ish.
1959 5512 Crown guards, increased case diameter to 40mm (was 36mm), “Superlative Chronometer, Officially Certified” wording in the dial;
6538 “Superlative Chronometer, Officially Certified” wording in the dial;
1962 5513 Updated design of the crown guards, caliber 1530;
1963 5513 Updated with the caliber 1520 movement (introduced in the same year);
1966 1680 Date window, plexi crystal with cyclops, red writing on the dial (till 1973); Caliber 1575;
1969 16618 Rolex Submariner becomes available in gold;
1979 16800 Rolex Submariner receives a sapphire crystal; Water resistance increased to 300 meters;
1981 16800
16618 The Rolex Submariner receives a uni-directional bezel, the remaining diving time can only become shorter; caliber 3085 is being used;
1983 16613 The Rolex Submariner becomes available in “Rolesor”, a Rolex definition for gold/steel;
1988 16610 Rolex Submariner is fitted with caliber 3135;
2003 16610 LV A green bezel is fitted to an Anniversary model (50 years) of the Submariner. Normal production, no limited edition or numbered edition.
2009 116613LB First Rolex Submariner to be fitted with a ceramic bezel, in rolesor (gold and stainless steel).
2010 116619 White gold Submariner with blue dial and ceramic bezel.
2010 116610LN/LV First Rolex Submariner to be fitted with a ceramic bezel. The LV version was introduced with a green dial and green ceramic bezel.





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The Silent World & Rolex Submariner Debut in 1954
Though We Are Strangers In Your Silent World

In 1953 Jacques-Yves Cousteau wrote a book named The Silent World: A Story Of Undersea Discovery & Adventure and in late 1953 and early 1954 Jacques Cousteau turned it into a movie named Le Monde Du Silence (The Silent World) which debuted in 1954 and went on to win an Academy Award in 1956 for Best Documentary.


Original 1954 Movie Poster for Le Monde Du Silence [The Silent World]

This revolutionary documentary was the first of its kind and was one of the first underwater documentaries to be shot in color. The Silent World was shot in the Mediterranean Sea as well as in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean.

This next photo was taken on Calypso's bridge during the shooting of The Silent World with Captain Cousteau peering into the hood of a radar screen to locate a sunken ship located in the Red Sea. Calypso means "Water Nymph" and the ship was originally built in the United States during World War II in 1942 as a Minesweeper J-826 for the British Navy.


After much careful research, I believe the Rolex Submariner Jacques-Yves Cousteau is wearing in the photo above and below could be an early Rolex prototype Submariner [Reference 6204]. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was close friends with Rene-Paul Jeanerrete who in 1953 was the Director of Rolex Geneva.

Rene-Paul Jeanerret was the man at Rolex who came up with the idea of dedicated tool-watches. In 1954 Rolex introduced the Rolex Submariner at Basel Fair, but I believe Jacques-Yves Cousteau was testing an advanced prototype Submariner models aboard the Calypso for Rolex. I would go so far as to say, that in my personal opinion, I think it is likely that Jacques Cousteau's career achievements inspired Rolex to develop the Rolex Submariner diving watch model.

1955


The French Diving Revolution
Calypso Meets COMEX

The photo was taken in Southern France in Fontaine de Vaucluse in 1955 and it shows a young Jacques-Yves Cousteau at 45 years of age standing in front of a much younger Henri-Germain Delauze–at age 26–who would go on to found the revolutionary French diving company, COMEX. At the time Dalauze was a Cousteau team diver.


This image is so profound I decided to crop and zoom it in for you. What makes this image so profound? It is an image of two French revolutionaries. Two men who would forever change the world of diving. Jaques-Yves Cousteau co-invented the Aqua-lung which brought SCUBA Diving to life and Henri-Germain Delauze ended up being perhaps the greatest beneficiary of this technology.


1956 Chuck Yeager & The Right Stuff
[Rolex Submariner: Big Crown: Reference 6538]


1957


1960






Lloyd Bridges go so into scuba-diving, he ended up doing most of the stunts on underwater stunts on SEA-HUNT. Many famous actors began their careers including Larry Hagman (Dallas), Robert Conrad (The Wild Wild West) Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek) and Jack Nicholson.

Lamar Boren did the underwater cinematography and went on to work on other Ivan Tors' productions which included the TV show Flipper as well as three James Bond movies: Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me.


1961


1962
Movie #1. Dr. No [Sean Connery,1st] 1962
• Rolex Submariner [Reference 6358]





1963




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