Even though this watch is designed for and loved by professional divers, you might also know it as the watch of James Bond.

In 1962’s Dr. No, Sean Connery’s Bond began a tradition of wearing a Submariner while chasing down villain. He wore a Submariner again in From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball. But it was Roger Moore as Bond in 1973’s Live and Let Die who first used the watch as a life-saving tool. The bezel of his Submariner Ref. 5513 was modified by “Q” to work as a circular saw, which he used to cut through some ropes that were holding him hostage. The actual watch worn by Roger Moore in the film, complete with saw-toothed bezel, was auctioned by Phillips in 2015 for CHF 365,000. Not bad right?

Let’s take a look at this iconic Rolex model.

The Submariner was first introduced in 1954, but its history really began in 1926, when Rolex introduced the Oyster, the first watch with a hermetically sealed case. In 1931, Rolex patented the world’s first self-winding mechanism with a Perpetual rotor. By the 1950s, Rolex was making watches with rotating bezels for divers, and continually improving water resistance. When the Oyster Perpetual Submariner was introduced in 1954, it represented the first commercially available timepiece capable of submerging to 100 metres. This was revolutionary.

Rolex continued to work with professional divers, and was instrumental in developing the helium valve. Following this work, Rolex debuted the Sea-Dweller Submariner in 1967, with 610-metre water resistance.

The regular Submariner was never given a helium valve, but it was continually improved, and by 1959 it was water-resistant to 200 metres. In the 1960s, a “cyclops” magnified date window was added to models with a date function. However, many collectors still prefer the no-date Sub, appreciating its purity.

Towards the end of the 1970s, Rolex started updating its watches with sapphire crystals, including the Submariner with date, and that increased its depth rating to 200 metres. Today the Submariner can withstand water pressure to 300 metres.

The  Submariner was again  updated in 2012, when it was given a ceramic Cerachrom bezel and an Oysterlock bracelet with Glidelock system (adjustable in 2mm increments to fit over a wetsuit). 

The latest submariner was released in 2020.  The case is now 41 mm in diameter instead of  40 mm of the previous version and the lugs have a narrower structure. Moreover, the Calibre 3235, that was introduced in 2017 and employed for the first time in the Sea-Dweller 43 mm, replaces the old Calibre 3135.

Over the past decade the demand for the Submariner has grown, and this watch is often purchased by collectors or as an investment watch.

Curious about what Submariner model you would choose, take a peek at our catalogue here.