119
Rolex
Ref. 1680
Submariner “Meters First Red Sub”
A rare and attractive stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with chocolate brown tropical "meters first" dial, date, and bracelet
- Estimate
- $15,000 - 30,000
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1967
- Reference No
- 1680
- Movement No
- D’432’752
- Case No
- 2’241’098; inside caseback stamped 5512
- Model Name
- Submariner “Meters First Red Sub”
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, reference 7836, endlinks stamped 358, overall length 205mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 40mm Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.
Catalogue Essay
Launched around 1967, reference 1680 was the first Submariner model to be fitted with a date function. Early examples, such as the present one, display a ‘meters first’ depth rating, with the ‘Submariner’ script printed in red, hence the name "Red Sub”, while later examples feature white graphics. Red Subs are today extremely sought-after timepieces in virtue of their aesthetic quirkiness and of their historical importance as the first Submariner examples with date. Even within the Red Submariner family of dials, one can notice an evolution of the graphics with 6 variations (Marks). The present early specimen features a Mark II dial, recognizable from the meters first arrangement of the depth rating, the shape of the ‘f’ in ‘ft’, and the distinctive shape of the coronet.
The present "Red Sub" is made even more collectible and attractive by its dark chocolate dial, the tropical hue homogenous throughout the entirety of the dial.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.