Rolex 'Red' Submariner Ref. 1680

Sixteen years to add a date

The Submariner was the dive watch that defined the category. Rolex announced it in 1954, though the earliest examples are dated by their caseback stamps to late 1953. For a decade and a half it told only the time. The no-date references 5512 and 5513 ran side by side, the 5512 usually with a chronometer-certified movement and the 5513 without.

The reference 1680 changed that. It was the first Submariner with a date window, set at three o'clock under a magnifying Cyclops lens, and it became a third Submariner reference alongside the two no-date models rather than replacing them. One reference guide counts sixteen years between the first Submariner and the first one with a date. Rolex's Sea-Dweller, built for professional saturation divers, had carried a date about two years earlier and used the same movement.

When the 1680 arrived is not settled. One auction catalog says it was launched in 1967; one dealer history calls 1967 the most probable year but notes serial numbers that appear to date to 1966; a widely read reference guide dates the red-text version from 1969; and an encyclopedia table gives 1966 to 1981 for the reference as a whole. All agree on the late 1960s.

Some traditional Submariner fans saw the date as the moment the watch drifted from pure tool toward status object. An encyclopedia history of the Submariner describes the 1680 as completing the line's transition from a specialist instrument for divers into a mass-market product, even as professional and military divers kept wearing Submariners.

One line of red ink

The earliest 1680 dials print the word 'SUBMARINER' in red, inside the four-line block of text at six o'clock, while everything else is white. That single line is the whole reason for the nickname. Collectors have long paid a premium for red text on Rolex sport dials of the period; one dealer notes that the larger Double Red Sea-Dweller often brings triple the price of comparable white-text models.

In the mid-1970s Rolex switched the 1680 to all-white text. One dealer guide puts the red period at roughly 1967 to 1975; a widely read reference guide dates it from 1969 and, in its text, says the red-dial watch was made until 1973. The white-text 1680 continued until about 1979 or 1980, depending on the source.

The watch around the dial was its own departure. The 40 mm steel case was rated to 200 meters (660 feet). The acrylic crystal rose about 3 mm above the case and bezel to carry the Cyclops. The bezel turned in both directions, and the 1680 was the last Submariner with a bidirectional bezel. Rolex also made the 1680 in 18-karat yellow gold, first with a black dial and, from 1971, with a blue one; collectors call its dial the 'nipple dial' for its raised markers.

Inside is the caliber 1575, from the same 15xx family that powered the GMT-Master and Datejust. It runs at 19,800 vibrations per hour with about a 48-hour reserve and a date that jumps instantly at midnight, though the date cannot be quick-set. In 1972 Rolex added a hacking function that stops the seconds hand when the crown is pulled, so a 1680 whose seconds hand stops was made after that change. Every 1575 is stamped '1570' on the rotor bridge because the part was shared with that base movement, a quirk that looks like a red flag but is correct.

Reading the Marks

Collectors sort red dials into 'Marks,' and the differences are often visible only under a loupe. Marks I, II and III are 'Meters First,' with the depth rating printed meters before feet. Marks IV, V and VI are 'Feet First,' with the order reversed. Most guides count seven variants; some fold Mark II and Mark III into one, and one numbering calls the later red service dial Mark VIII.

Mark I has a compressed, thick font, closed sixes in the depth rating and a long, curving 'f,' with the red word printed over a white base; it appears on cases from about 2.07 million to 2.2 million. Marks II and III were made at the same time, on cases from roughly 2.2 million to 2.45 million: Mark II prints red over white in a thinner font, while Mark III prints red directly onto the dial with a shorter 'f.' Mark IV, the first Feet First dial, returns to red over white with a distinctly open six. Mark V prints directly with a barely open six, and Mark VI, the last tritium red dial, has closed sixes and a rounder 'S' in 'Superlative.' One guide names the dial makers as Singer for Marks I through IV, Beyeler for Mark V and Lemrich for Mark VI.

The serial ranges are collector estimates, not factory records, and the sources differ at the edges: one gives Mark IV as about 2.45 million to 3.1 million and Mark V to 3.3 million, while another leaves those upper bounds open. One specialist's rule of thumb is to avoid a red dial on a case numbered above 4 million, or a Meters First dial on a case above 2.5 million.

A small number of Mark II and III dials turned brown, which collectors call 'chocolate' or 'tropical.' One specialist attributes the change to unstable paint that was meant to be black, with light, heat and humidity deciding how far it went, and says the process ran its course within the first few years. These dials cluster in the 2.2 million to 2.3 million serial range, and many were replaced during service, which makes the survivors scarcer still.

The red service dial is the easiest to spot: it uses Luminova instead of tritium and reads 'SWISS' beneath six o'clock rather than 'Swiss-T<25.' Little more than a handful are reported.

What collectors check

After the dial, the case matters most, because it cannot be swapped like hands or a bezel insert. Unpolished cases are rare. Collectors look for full, legible case numbers, even lug thickness and symmetrical crown guards. Casebacks on serials from about 2 million to 3.4 million carry date stamps from 'II 69' through 'II 72'; later cases dropped the code.

Crowns changed too. Watches under about 3 million carry the Twinlock crown with no dots; from 1973 the Triplock crown carries three dots. The most desirable bezel inserts are the original 'Fat Font' aluminum inserts, prized even when scratched or faded; thinner-font service replacements are still available but do not age the same way.

Small breaks in the printed minute markers where the dial meets the case are so common on these matte dials that one specialist treats them as a sign of authenticity, and a widely read guide warns that early 1680s often show three or four broken markers from servicing. Relumed markers or refinished printing sharply cut a dial's appeal. Patina matters: even, creamy-to-golden markers are sought after, while dark spots or streaks are not.

Bracelets are easily swapped and count for less, with one exception: the folded-link 9315 with '280' end links and a clasp dated '67' to '70', known as the 'Patent Pending' bracelet, is the most valued. Papers carry a premium mainly when they are the punched green certificate with a matching case number. Around the 2.8 million serial, the certificate changed to a larger green-bordered card on thinner, watermarked paper.

From entry point to grail

For years the Red Sub was the attainable red Rolex. A widely read guide recalls that in the mid-2000s it was the entry point into collecting special vintage Rolex watches, the step up after a basic matte-dial sport model. In February 2011 a watch publication put a Red Sub at about $10,000, roughly double a white-text 1680 at about $5,000.

Prices rose as collectors studied the Marks. One dealer guide reports that a Mark II with a brown tropical dial and bezel sold at auction in 2020 for more than $105,000, a record for the reference, and that a Mark III without tropical coloring sold the same year for a little over $70,000. The same guide says Feet First examples typically sell above $20,000 and Meters First examples above $30,000, with complete early sets in top condition higher.

On May 25, 2023, a Mark I Red Sub from about 1969, serial 2.12 million, on a 'Patent Pending' 9315 bracelet, was offered at auction in Hong Kong with an estimate of $15,400 to $25,600. It sold for HK$190,500.

The numbers

Reference

1680 (steel); 1680/8 in 18k yellow gold

Caliber

Rolex 1575, automatic, 19,800 vph, about 48-hour reserve, instant date change; rotor bridge stamped '1570'

Hacking seconds

Added to the 1575 in 1972

Case

40 mm stainless steel

Water resistance

200 m (660 ft)

Bezel

Bidirectional, aluminum insert, 60-minute scale

Crystal

Acrylic with Cyclops, rising about 3 mm above the case

Red-dial production

Late 1960s to about 1975 (sources give 1966, 1967 or 1969 as the start, and 1973 or 1975 as the end)

Red-dial serial range

About 2.07 million to 4.0 million (collector estimates)

Production numbers

Not published

Timeline

1. 1953

   The earliest Submariners are made; their casebacks are stamped 'II.53.'

2. 1954

   Rolex officially announces the Submariner.

3. 1965

   The caliber 1575 family is introduced in other Rolex models; it will later power the 1680.

4. 1966

   Some 1680 serial numbers are reported to date from this year.

5. 1967

   The most often cited launch year of the reference 1680, the first Submariner with a date.

6. 1969

   The start date one reference guide gives for the red-text 1680; caseback stamps from 'II 69' appear.

7. 1971

   A blue-dial version of the gold 1680/8 appears.

8. 1972

   Rolex adds hacking seconds to the caliber 1575.

9. 1973

   Triplock crowns with three dots replace Twinlock crowns.

10. 1975

    Approximate end of red dials; the 1680 continues with all-white text.

11. 1979

    Approximate end of 1680 production; some sources say 1980.

12. Feb 2011

    A watch publication values a Red Sub at about $10,000, double a white-text 1680.

13. 2020

    A Mark II with a brown tropical dial sells for more than $105,000 at auction, a reported record for the reference.

14. May 25, 2023

    A circa-1969 Mark I sells at auction in Hong Kong for HK$190,500.

The world in 1969

• Jan 20, 1969

  Richard Nixon is sworn in as the 37th president of the United States.

• Feb 9, 1969

  The Boeing 747 'jumbo jet' flies for the first time.

• Mar 1969

  The first Concorde test flight takes place in Toulouse, France.

• Jul 20, 1969

  Apollo 11 lands on the Moon, and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on its surface.

• Aug 15, 1969

  The Woodstock Festival opens near White Lake, New York.

• Oct 29, 1969

  The first message is sent between two computers on ARPANET, a forerunner of the internet.

• Nov 10, 1969

  Sesame Street premieres on American public television.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Rolex 'Red' Submariner Ref. 1680 is number 61 of 100 in the watches entries of the FLOAT 100. 54 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (11 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• Every caliber 1575 in a 1680 is stamped '1570' on the rotor bridge, because Rolex made one shared part for both movements.
• The brown 'chocolate' dials were most likely a paint flaw: they were meant to be black.
• Telling a Mark II from a Mark III can come down to whether the red letters sit on a white underlayer and how far the 'f' in 'ft' reaches.
• If a 1680's seconds hand stops when you pull the crown, the movement dates from 1972 or later.
• In 2011 a Red Sub was valued at about $10,000; by 2020 a tropical Mark II had sold for more than ten times that.
• The 1680 was the last Submariner with a bezel that turns both ways.