47Ο︎
Rolex
Ref. 1680
Submariner
A fine and attractive yellow gold diver’s wristwatch with center seconds and date
Full-Cataloguing
- Automatic, center seconds, date
- Featuring the uncommon and sought-after "Nipple" dial
- One of the earliest gold Submariners - dating from 1972
- Delightful condition
The Rolex Submariner has become such an icon that not only can it be considered the benchmark for all future diving watches, but it has also spawned its own scholarly following devoted to every nuance and variation from its first appearance in the Rolex catalogue in 1954 until the present day. The Rolex Submariner reference 1680 was launched in 1967 and was the first Submariner model fitted with a date function. Soon to follow in 1969, Rolex introduced the first Submariner to be produced in 18K yellow gold. The model would eventually be produced with an option of either a blue dial with blue bezel insert or black dial with black bezel insert, like the present model.
Preserved in excellent condition, the present 1680 from 1972 is one of the earliest examples of the iconic Submariner made in 18K yellow gold. It is fitted with a so-called “nipple” dial, defined by the conical shape of the gold markers with a small lume-filled opening at the top. This is an intriguing choice which underlines how Rolex was starting already back then to move toward the sport luxury segment in more subtle ways than just a gold case: these markers are much more suave and elegant compared to the typical large lume plots, but they sacrifice readability - vital in a diver's watch. We now know - and apparently Rolex already knew back then - that luxury sports timepieces are a well defined different category - and possibly the most flourishing one in the contemporary market. Yet at that time, the public at large considered such pieces little more than an outlandish marketing curiosity. The Crown was peering half a century into the future.
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.