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Lot Essay
With Rolex Guarantee dated 16 December 1978.
The present reference 1680 is a Submariner with date and a nice example of what collectors lovingly call a "Red Sub". These highly desirable watches display the model name "Submariner" in red on the dial, which in later versions was changed to white. The watch further stands out by its distinctive, though later added, warm burgundy brown bezel, which has changed from its original black colour.
Rolex collectors divide reference 1680 with red date into six different series, distinguished by differences in dial layout. These series are called "Mark" and are sometimes abbreviated to MK. The present watch is a Mark I, characterized for example by the order of the depth rating, which is expressed as 200m=660ft. Mark I watches are considered the rarest type of all in the series, featuring an "open" six in the depth in feet, a slightly shorter wording "Submariner" compared to the Mark II, a sharp crown above the Rolex signature, as well as a "short" f in the depth in feet, not reaching the end of the letter R of the model name Submariner.
Introduced in 1966/67, reference 1680 was the company's first Submariner with date, also featuring a "Trip Lock" crown as well as crown guards. The bezel has minute divisions for the first fifteen minutes and shows a silver triangle at the 60 unit.
Ref. 1680 is prominently described and illustrated in Rolex Submariner Story by Franka & Guido Mondani and Lele Ravagnani, pp. 90-103.
The present reference 1680 is a Submariner with date and a nice example of what collectors lovingly call a "Red Sub". These highly desirable watches display the model name "Submariner" in red on the dial, which in later versions was changed to white. The watch further stands out by its distinctive, though later added, warm burgundy brown bezel, which has changed from its original black colour.
Rolex collectors divide reference 1680 with red date into six different series, distinguished by differences in dial layout. These series are called "Mark" and are sometimes abbreviated to MK. The present watch is a Mark I, characterized for example by the order of the depth rating, which is expressed as 200m=660ft. Mark I watches are considered the rarest type of all in the series, featuring an "open" six in the depth in feet, a slightly shorter wording "Submariner" compared to the Mark II, a sharp crown above the Rolex signature, as well as a "short" f in the depth in feet, not reaching the end of the letter R of the model name Submariner.
Introduced in 1966/67, reference 1680 was the company's first Submariner with date, also featuring a "Trip Lock" crown as well as crown guards. The bezel has minute divisions for the first fifteen minutes and shows a silver triangle at the 60 unit.
Ref. 1680 is prominently described and illustrated in Rolex Submariner Story by Franka & Guido Mondani and Lele Ravagnani, pp. 90-103.