The Watch Hall of Fame: The Rolex Submariner
We’ve decided to treat you with the 3rd instalment of our blog mini-series “The Watch Hall of Fame”. The watch being added to the hall of fame this week is none other than... the Rolex Submariner. If you are new to this mini-series, we take an in depth look at some of the worlds most loved watches and discuss what makes them truly iconic. Check out the previous instalments if you’re curious to find out what other watches have earned their place in the hall of fame.
The Rolex Submariner
Released in 1953, the Submariner is one of Rolex’s bestselling models and has been for a very long time. Well there must be a reason for this. Right? I’m glad to say there are quite a few reasons for the world wide love of the Submariner, which is why it is a very iconic watch indeed. Let’s get into it.
It’s no secret that Rolex doesn’t scrimp when it comes to high-quality materials (hence the hefty price), but people don’t realise how much work and innovation goes into making their watches the best of the best and the Submariner is no exception. When it was released the Submariner was the worlds first watch which was water resistant to a depth of 100 meters. This was a game changing technological feat at the time and set the standard for many diving watches to come. Of course now many improvements have been made to the model and it can now reach depths of 300 meters.
Originally the Submariner was made using 316L stainless steel, which is still used today for a lot of jewellery, however Rolex created their renowned Oystersteel in 1985 which is what is used to make the watch today. Oystersteel is a 904L stainless steel which is corrosion-resistant and doesn’t rust! Of course the watch is also extremely accurate, equipped with a calibre 3230 (or 3235 if it’s a Submariner date) which was released only a few years ago in 2020, these watches are COSC-certified chronometers meaning they have passed thorough testing to ensure they’re extremely precise.
Many people believe that the Omega Seamaster is James Bond’s watch of choice, however it was actually the Rolex Submariner which was originally worn by the 007 agent. The Submariner was actually worn in the very first Bond movie “Dr. No” in 1962 on the wrist of Sean Connery, it was featured in 10 more of the movies after this one. That's Hollywood A-lister territory! The Rolex Submariner was actually James Bond’s watch of choice in the original Ian Flemming novel’s too. Of course the Rolex style is unmistakable. Clean, sophisticated, and masculine is the look that the Submariner embodies which was definitely helped along by its association with the James Bond franchise. Although it would be an insult to take away from the Submariner’s functionality as a professional diving watch, you can’t dismiss the fact that today it is seen as much more than that, in fact I would say most people who purchase one of these gorgeous watches would never dream of submerging it into water. The Submariner is now more of a symbol of style and status, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with because, come on, it’s a beautiful watch.
The Submariner has definitely left a lasting legacy in the watch industry. It isn’t just a star of the screen though, as it is an extremely respected piece of kit in the world of diving, which is what you would expect as it is a DIVING watch. It’s not just a pretty face. Rolex have a strong relationship with the company COMEX, which is a specialist diving company who perform deep diving operations. COMEX praised the Submariner in particular for its excellent durability and functionality in diving leading to Rolex supplying Submariners especially for COMEX and even working alongside the brand to release some specialised COMEX Submariners. The Submariner has a rich history and has changed a little over the years but has never strayed too far from its original look and functions. This proves how timeless the Submariner is, in all aspects, and the fact that its production is still going strong all these years on shows how loved this watch really is. There’s no doubt that the Submariner paved the way for many watches which is clearly visible if you look at competing brands. You can see that a lot of inspiration has been drawn from the Submariner. It’s not just other brands which have used the Submariner as a role-model but Rolex themselves even said “A true divers’ watch, the Submariner paved the way for other Rolex deep-sea diving watches, namely, the Sea-Dweller, the Rolex Deepsea and the Deepsea Challenge.”.
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The Rolex Submariner undoubtedly is absolute quality, has stacks of style, and has left a lifelong legacy so it’s only deserving that it gets a spot in the hall of fame for being a VERY iconic watch. If you’ve enjoyed reading this, make sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you don’t miss another blog or the next instalment of “The Watch Hall of Fame”. Have a good day :)