Rolex Submariner: A Timeline & History Of The Legendary Dive Watch

This post is a guest contribution from Niamh Jordan, founder of whichwatchnext.com

The Rolex Submariner is arguably the most iconic and recognizable dive watch in history. It has been the go-to watch for divers since 1953. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore the timeline of the Rolex Submariner. Looking at all the main events in the almost 70 years that the Submariner has been around.

Table Contents

• Rolex Submariner Timeline
• 1953: First Rolex Submariner
• 1959: Crown Guards
• 1963: James Bond Wears A Submariner
• 1967: Submariner Date
• 1979: Sapphire Crystal
• 1984: Two Tone Submariner
• 1987: 904L Steel Submariners
• 2003: The Kermit
• 2008: Ceramic Bezels
• 2020: Modern Submariners
• All The Submariner Models To Date

Rolex Submariner Timeline

Here is a breakdown of the main events of the Rolex Submariner dive watch collection. From the very beginning.

Year	Rolex Submariner Event
1953	First Rolex Submariner was created.
1954	The Submariner was showcased at the Basel Fair.
1959	Crown guards were added and case size increased to 40mm.
1963	Submariner was in the first James Bond movie.
1967	The Submariner Date was released.
1979	Rolex started using sapphire crystal in their Submariner collection.
1984	First two tone steel and gold Submariner was released.
1987	First Submariner made from 904L was released.
2003	50th anniversary of Rolex, celebrated with the release of the first green Submariner.
2008	First Submariner was released that had a ceramic bezel.
2020	Submariner case sizes increased to 41mm

1953: First Rolex Submariner

In 1953, Rolex released their first Submariner dive watch. This dive watch was pretty simple, and didn’t have many of the features we see on a modern Submariner today.

Sadly, Rolex did not make the world’s first dive watch. That instead was made by another Swiss watchmaker; Blancpain. Who released their Fifty Fathoms dive watch in 1953.

However, the Rolex Submariner was the first commercially made dive watch ever released. 

Yet, to this day though, there is still confusion on which Submariner reference was the first one released. It was either the reference 6204 or 6205.

The Rolex Submariner was showcased to the world at the Basel Fair (now known as Baselworld) in 1954.

1959: Crown Guards

When you look back at the earlier models of the Rolex Submariner, you’ll notice that there are no crown guards on any of them.

Crown guards weren’t added on the Submariner until 1959. Also in 1959, Rolex went up in case size, from a 37mm to a 40mm case.

The Rolex Submariner Ref. 5512, was the Submariner reference that had many variations of crown guards.

First, Rolex fitted this Submariner with square crown guards, then eagle beak crown guards. Then they changed them to pointed crown guards.

Finally Rolex used rounded crown guards on their Submariner 5512, in 1963. 

The rounded style of crown guard has stuck. With rounded crown guards now featured on the majority of modern Submariners today.

1963: James Bond Wears A Submariner

The Rolex Submariner got its big movie break when Sean Connery wore a Submariner Ref. 6538 in the first James Bond movie; Dr. No, in 1962.

Dr. No (left) James Bond Submariner (centre) Goldfinger (right)

Sean Connery then went on to wear the same Submariner in another three James Bond movies; From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), and Thunderball (1965).

The Rolex he wore was even nicknamed the James Bond, due to its appearance in so many Bond movies.

The Submariner is in over seven James Bond movies, from 1962 till 1989. With the Rolex Sub being worn by four of the James Bond actors so far.

That includes Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton.

1967: Submariner Date

In 1967, a date complication was added to a new version of the Rolex Submariner. With the release of the Submariner Date.

This made many Rolex purists get up in arms, believing that the date window would ruin the look of the dial. They wanted to keep the aesthetic the same. They didn’t want to over complicate the dial.

However, nowadays the Rolex Submariner Date is a huge part of the Submariner line.

1979: Sapphire Crystal

The first Rolex Submariner to feature a sapphire crystal was the Submariner Date Ref. 16800.

Compared to acrylic crystal, the new sapphire crystal was much more scratch resistant, and is also very strong.

Sapphire crystal is now standard on all modern Submariners.

1984: Two Tone Submariner

Rolex has its own term for a two tone, gold and steel watch. They call it a Rolesor.

The very first Submariner Rolesor was the Ref. 16803, which was first released in 1984.

Since the 80s, this Submariner has been nicknamed the Bluesy. Due to its blue dial and blue bezel. 

There also is a black dial and black bezel version too.

The Bluesy’s two tone is steel and yellow gold. The Bluesy is still in production today. Rolex released an updated version of this Rolesor dive watch in 2020.

1987: 904L Steel Submariners

From 1988, Rolex started making their new Rolex Submariners out of 904L steel.

Rolex was one of the first watchmakers to do this. The very first Submariner made from this steel was the Submariner Ref. 168000. This Submariner is very rare, as it was only in production for around 7 months.

Today Rolex makes all their Submariners from 904L steel, and since 2018 Rolex started naming this steel, as Oystersteel.

2003: The Kermit

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Submariner. Rolex released their first green Submariner, with the reference 16610LV.

The LV at the end of the reference stands for Lunette Verte. Which is French for Green Bezel.

This watch was nicknamed the Kermit by Rolex fans. 

This Submariner was considered controversial at the time. With Rolex fans either loving or hating the new green dive watch. 

However, a greener and even more controversial watch was later released and replaced the Kermit. It was called the Hulk. It not only had a bright green bezel but had a bright green sunburst dial too. 

Then in 2020, the Hulk was replaced with the Kermit II. A newer version of the original Kermit. With a green bezel, and also back with sporting the matte black dial. Rolex went back to a more classic aesthetic.

2008: Ceramic Bezels

Rolex released their very popular Submariner Ref. 116619, which featured a ceramic bezel insert for the first time on a Rolex Submariner.

This blue Submariner was nicknamed the Smurf, to the dismay of some Rolex fans.

Ceramic is shinier and more durable than aluminium bezels. Ceramic fades less, it’s resistant to UV rays, and it’s more scratch resistant. 

2020: Modern Submariners

Today, the Rolex Submariner is more popular than ever. It truly has stood the test of time.

They’re more powerful than ever, with the latest Submariners equipped with the Caliber 3230 and the Caliber 3235 (with the date complication).

These Rolex in-house automatic movements are COSC certified and have a power reserve of up to 70 hours!

Plus all the modern Subs have a Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert, a water resistance of up 300m (1,000ft), and are made from Oystersteel. Also the case size was upped to 41mm in 2020.

Today the Submariners are still one of the best dive watches around, and have really set the way in which a dive watch should look like. A true iconic timepiece from Rolex.

Every Rolex Submariner Model To Date

Here is an entire list of all the Rolex Submariner models with their references and approximate year of production.

Rolex Submariner Reference	Years of Production	Extra Info.
6204	1953 – 54	First Submariner(maybe)
6200	1954 – 55
6205	1953 – 57	First Submariner(maybe)
6536	1955 – 59
6536/1	1955 – 59
6538	1955 – 59	James Bond Submariner
5510	1958 – 59
5508	1958 – 62
5512	1959 – 78
5513	1962 – 90
5514	1972 – 78
5517	1972 – 78
1680	1967 – 79
16800	1979 – 88
16803	1983 – 88	Bluesy Submariner
168000	1987 – 88	First 904L Submariner
16618	1988 – 2001
16610	1987 – 2010
14060	1990 – 2012
14060M	1998 – 2012
16610LV	2003 – 10	The Kermit
116619LB	2008 – 20	The Smurf
116610LV	2010 – 20	The Hulk
116613LB	2010 – 20
116613LN	2010 – 20
116618LB	2010 – 20
116618LN	2010 – 20
114060	2012 – 20
124060	2020 – Present
126610LV	2020 – Present	The Kermit II
126613LB	2020 – Present
126629LB	2020 – Present