Ask any watch collector worth their salt and odds are they either pine after a Rolex Submariner or possess at least one in their collection. That’s because not only is the Submariner one of the most refined dress watches of all time, but it’s built with conviction by the most recognizable luxury watch brand in the world. But what exactly is the story behind these elegant timepieces? And at what point did both performance and elegance become a mandatory selling point within the watch community? Well, we can trace the history of the Rolex Submariner back to the prosperous post-war mid-century world, where the tenets of excess and upward economic mobility were once again proven merits held with high regard in a newly globalized economy. Since then, the Submariner’s been featured in Hollywood flicks and worn by movie stars and well-to-do gentlemen over the many years following its initial introduction. Submariners also adorned the wrists of notable men like Jacques Cousteau, Sean Connery, Steve McQueen and the British Royal Navy – solidifying the already assumed notion that this was one timepiece that would never go out of style.

Early Beginnings Form/Function/Resistance It’s no secret Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, was a both a visionary and marketing mastermind. This sort of mindset also facilitated smooth communication within the company between Rolex’s employees and Wilsdorf himself. Notably, between Rene-Paul Jeanneret – a member of the board of directors for Rolex and an avid diver – and Wilsdorf. It was here where Jeanneret first expressed interest in a Rolex diving watch, a proposal that would later blossom into an entire division of luxury sports watches. With a heightened level of water resistance in mind, Wilsdorf then insisted upon self-winding movement and the screw-down crown. After all, these were Rolexes. With this new and elegant dive watch came a new standard for both Rolex and the luxury watch industry at large. Fortunately for Rolex, the brand had previously been in cahoots with Panerai – a watchmaker that also sold diving equipment. Collaboration between these two brands already manifested itself in the iconic oyster-shaped cases the Submariner would eventually sport, so adaptation was relatively easy at the onset. This stylish aesthetic – along with proprietary caliber movement built by Rolex themselves – served as notable selling points for Jeanneret when pitching the new gentlemen’s dive watch. In fact, part of the Submariner’s R&D phase included a dive test where professional divers Auguste Piccard and his son Jacques brought the watch with them on a record-breaking 10,335 ft dive in their bathyscaphe. As for the Submariner? It survived the dive, ticking along handsomely when they resurfaced. It was through these various trials, prototypes, and experiments – tested and proven once again by August Piccard at a depth of 3131 meters – that Rolex ended up with the handsome professional diver’s watch we all know and love today. The watch was later launched to the public in 1953 and at the time was the first diver’s watch that was waterproof to a depth of 100 meters.

A New Standard From the Boat to the Boardroom With this new and elegant dive watch came a new standard for both Rolex and the luxury watch industry at large. This would later include a more masculine appearance, steel bracelet, and ceramic bezel – a continued style even to this day. Ironically enough, the Submariner’s first appearance on the big screen actually came a year before its launch in Jacques Cousteau’s documentary about the Mediterranean Sea titled The Silent World which actually went on to win an academy award and served as a bit of a teaser for what the brand would soon release. Notable Milestones in Submariner History 1953: First Rolex Submariner showcased at Basel Watch Fair

1955: British Royal Navy Chooses Submariner reference 6538

1956: Updated hands; bezel gets a minute index for the first quarter

1959: Crown guards introduced

1966: Date window introduced, as is their cyclops plexi crystal glass

1969: Submariner reference 16618 becomes available in gold

1979: Sapphire crystal implemented and water resistance increased to 300 meters

1981: Uni-directional bezel introduced

1988: Caliber 3135 movement introduced

2003: 50th Anniversary model introduced with green bezel

2009: Ceramic bezel introduced on the Submariner More importantly, it wasn’t just the incredibly sturdy construction that made the new Submariner appealing to divers and oceanographers. In fact, this new dive watch created a utility standard thanks to a handful of features built specifically for divers. For instance, its rotating bezel kept track of airtime when divers were submerged and its handy flip lock clasp was built specifically for convenient handling with neoprene gloves. Later innovations, though the baseline design and mechanics remained relatively untouched, also included a thinner crown guard (initial crown guards would not be fitted until after 1960), a helium escape valve, 31 jewel movement, a “Cyclops” magnifying glass for underwater legibility, and Superluminova hour markers. Rolex also offered three different models during the first production year of 1953 for consumers. All of which carried a similar appearance except a few varying characteristics. They were the Submariner reference 6200 featuring a self-winding caliber A.296 movement (water resistance of 200 meters), the Submariner reference 6204 (water resistance of 100 meters), and the Submariner reference 6205 featuring a self-winding caliber A.260 movement (water resistance of 100 meters).