The Submariner could be considered the most iconic in the Rolex stable — made in 1986, this particular automatic, stainless steel Rolex Submariner Date is a superb watch. It’s powered by a Rolex, Swiss-made, twenty-seven jewel automatic caliber 3035 movement. The case is in
The case is in excellent condition and very lightly polished; the bezel insert is correct and original to the watch; and the bracelet is correct for the model. This version of the Submariner saw fairly large design changes from those that came prior: it now featured a sapphire crystal, uni-directional bezel with more accurate settings, a quick set date, and a depth usage of 1,000 feet.
The dial and hands are still tritium, though, both original to the watch. Tritium is a luminous material that replaced radioactive radium in 1963; though still radioactive, it was exponentially safer, but only had a 12-year half-life and quickly lost its luminescence. However, as tritium ages the color changes and creates beautiful patinas — because it’s no longer used, these watches are highly sought after. This is a classic and versatile timepiece. The beauty of these "Neo Vintage" models is that they only get better over time; here, the lume plots have already turned a very light coffee color.
- 40mm Case Diameter
- Model Number: 16800
- Movement Type & Caliber: 3035
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Serial Number: 9316655
- Made in Switzerland in 1986
- Comes With Foundwell 1-Year Warranty
- Style Number: FWW1121
25\", meaning that this dial has applied Tritium luminous material. This material replaced the highly dangerous and radioactive Radium in 1963. Just like radium, tritium was also radioactive; however, it came with a much lower level of radiation and a much shorter half-life. While tritium was exponentially safer than radium, it only had a half-life of twelve years. This meant that after just a few decades, only a tiny fraction of the initial luminescence would remain. Additionally, as tritium ages, the color changes, which creates often beautiful, and highly sought after patinas on the luminous markers on these older Rolex watches. Tritium was far from perfect, which led Rolex to search for a better alternative.\nThe answer came during the 1990’s, from a Japanese company called Nemoto and Co., which specialized in producing luminous paint. Their new compound, called Luminova, was photoluminescent rather than radioactive, making it entirely harmless. Additionally, it was not prone to fading or discoloration like its predecessor, tritium. Luminova was far superior to tritium, and by 1998, Rolex began using it on their watches. These are now rare and collectible, as the production run was around two years, and are marked simply \"Swiss\". By 2000, Rolex had switched to Super Luminova, a slightly improved version of Luminova that was sold through a different supplier. These dials were marked \"Swiss Made.\"\nThe watch is powered by a Rolex, Swiss made, twenty seven jewel automatic calibre 3035 movement that powered the majority of all Rolex models since its launch, from the Datejust to the Submariner. Among a number of improvements was the extension of the power reserve form the caliber 1570 from forty two hours to fifty, made possible thanks to a fast-rotating barrel. It is regarded as one of the best calibers produced by the company, and testament to that is the fact it remained in use for around twelve years.\n\nThe case is in excellent condition, very lightly polished, showing solid chamfers and thick lugs, rare with watches from this period. The bezel insert is correct and original to the watch. The pip set in the arrow at the sixty minute mark has already turned a warm coffee colour, and looks great sitting atop the watch. The bracelet is correct for the model; marked 93150 with 501B end links. It is in very good condition with only slight stretch, with diver extension, and three removable links. The bracelet is a slightly later example with a date code of “U”2 from 1997.\n\nOverall, this is an excellent watch, in very good, strong condition. The beauty with these \"Neo Vintage\" models is that they will only get better over time. This example is already seeing the lume plots turn slightly into a very light coffee colour.\nAs the new models have grown in size, include the engraved rehaut and the new bezel inserts, these earlier models are just looking better with every passing year. The watch has undergone a full service from a Rolex service center, and will come with the invoice from service."}" data-sheets-userformat='{"2":13249,"3":{"1":0},"9":1,"10":1,"11":4,"12":0,"15":"Arial","16":10}'> Because this watch is a vintage, one-of-a-kind piece, all purchases are final sale and excluded from any promotions.
