Since the launch of the Submariner in 1953, it has quickly become the most famous diving model of the brand, and has appropriately been coined “the reference among diver’s watches”. The huge popularity of the Submariner has paved the way for other models to follow, like the Sea-Dweller and DeepSea.
Rolex Submariner reference numbers include: 6200, 6204, 6205, 6536, 6538, 6536/1, A/6538, 5508, 5510, 5512, 5513, 5517, 5514, 1680, 16800, 16803, 168000, 16610, 14060, 14060M, 16613, 16618, 116610, 16610LV, 116610, 116610LV, 116613, 116613LB, 116618LN, 116618LB, 116619, 124060, 126613LB, 126613LN, 126619LN, 126618LN, 126618LB, 126610LN, 126610LV
The Submariner was famously worn by James Bond in multiple films, including the Rolex Submariner 6538 in three consecutive films – Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), and Goldfinger (1964). Bond later wore the Submariner 5513 in the film Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The last Submariner reference Bond wore in the film License to Kill (1989) was the 16610.
Other famous figures who have sported Submariners, include actors – Steve McQueen, Al Pacino, Robert Downey Jr, Brad Pitt, and Tom Hardy, musicians – Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Adam Levine, John Mayer, Queen Latifah, and Bruce Springsteen.
As its maritime name suggest, the Submariner was originally created for the purpose of underwater diving and exploring. The Submariner’s characteristic features have continued to evolve and improve over the years. The original diving depth of 100 meters took the world by storm. Since then, its maximum diving depth has been increased to a remarkable 300 meters. The Submariner Date models features the addition of a magnified “cyclops” lens over the date window. The Submariner was also the first Rolex model to be fitted with a crown guard, an improvement exclusive to the brand that added to the watch’s protection and ruggedness and made it that much more waterproof and shockproof than its predecessors.