ROLEX: Submariner 1680
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.
Launched around 1967, reference 1680 was the first Submariner model to be fitted with a date function. In production until the end of the 1970s, the model presents a notable evolution, with earlier examples featuring red lettering for the Submariner designation, and later examples white lettering instead. Red Subs are today extremely sought-after timepieces in virtue of their aesthetic quirkiness and of their historical importance as the first Submariner examples with date. Even within the Red Submariner family of dials, one can notice an evolution of the graphics with 6 variations (Marks).
Read MoreLaunched around 1967, reference 1680 was the first Submariner model to be fitted with a date function. In production until the end of the 1970s, the model presents a notable evolution, with earlier examples featuring red lettering for the Submariner designation, and later examples white lettering instead. Red Subs are today extremely sought-after timepieces in virtue of their aesthetic quirkiness and of their historical importance as the first Submariner examples with date. Even within the Red Submariner family of dials, one can notice an evolution of the graphics with 6 variations (Marks).
