We could be talking about one of the first Rolex watches to consider Vintage. The Rolex Submariner 1680, known as ‘Red Submariner’ because the word Submariner is printed in red, is one of the most popular and sought-after watches among Rolex collectors.
Rolex began production of the ‘Red Submariner’ ref. 1680 in the year 1969. He was the successor of the Submariner ref. 5513, and its production began 16 years later than that of the first Submariner of 1953.
Rolex ‘Red Submariner’ 1680 with date and magnifying lens
First Submariner with date
The ‘Red Submariner’ was the first Submariner to bring the date function. A small window at ‘3 o’clock ‘with a Cyclops magnification lens fixed on its plexiglass glass. By adding this new function to the Submariner, Rolex had to modify the movement. The watch brought the Caliber 1575 inside, which was basically the same as the Caliber 1570 but with the addition of the date function.
Rolex ‘Red Submariner’ 1680
The first versions of the Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 had the label ‘SUBMARINER’ written in red, hence its nickname ‘Red Submariner’. This was the case until 1973, when Rolex changed the color of the letters ‘SUBMARINER’ that became white. As a result, the Rolex ref. 1680 between 1969 and 1973, with the letters ‘SUBMARINER’ in red became a collector’s item.
Seven variants of the Rolex Submariner 1680
For Rolex collectors it is a really special watch. Not only because of the curiousness of the letters in red, but because, there are 7 variants of this Submariner 1680! They are identified as Mark I to Mark VIII (this adds up to 8 variations, but Mark II and Mark III are classified together due to their similarities).
Mark I, II and III first brought the depth indicated in meters after the red letters of ‘SUBMARINER’.
Rolex ‘Red Submariner’ Mark I to III
From Mark IV to VI the depth information is modified to first indicate the depth in ‘feet’.
Rolex ‘Red Submariner’ Mark IV to VI
From the Mark VII the letters ‘Submariner’ become white.
Rolex Submariner 1680 Mark VII to VIII
The 1680 Submariner came with the bezel inserts in what we now call ‘Fat Font’, that is, with the thickest numbers. The problem with these bezels is that they tend to fade and Rolex replaced these bezels with service bezels with ‘Thin Font’.
Finding a ‘Red Submariner’ with ‘Fat Font‘ is therefore complicated, but these are the rarest and most coveted of all.
At NordWatches we have a Rolex ‘Red Submariner’ watch for sale. Do not miss this unique opportunity to get a watch as special as this one!
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