We don’t need to tell you that the Rolex Reference 1680 Submariner is a classic, and there’s good reason why almost every collector winds up with a vintage Rolex sports model in their stash eventually. We don't have to remind you that they are timeless, tough, do-anything, go-anywhere tool watches. We probably don't even have to tell you that Rolex has been producing Submariners uninterrupted since the watch was introduced at the Basel Fair watch exposition in 1954. It's true, the Rolex Submariner is one of the most recognizable, well-known watches on the planet.

What's easy to forget is that the 1680 comes from the time when Jacques Cousteau had the world enthralled with life underwater. SCUBA’s popularity was booming and the greatest depths of the oceans were being explored for the first time. Rolex created the Submariner with the tagline “A diver’s dream come true!” in a testament to the tool watch embodied in the waterproof Oyster case, rotating dive timer bezel, luminous hands and markers and large (for the time period) steel case. In short, the Reference 1680 Submariner was the physical manifestation of a whole wave of exploration and adventure under the sea.

We spend a fair amount of our time pursuing and obtaining examples of excellent vintage Submariners, which has become a much harder task in recent years. Most of the ones that we do find get scooped up quickly, often winding up on the wrists our friends in Manhattan within hours of obtaining them. But in the interest of keeping things fair, we thought we'd offer this one up here in order to help you guys up there in Minneapolis and Toronto and get with the program.

While no-date Submariners (such as reference 5512 and 5513) often hog the spotlight for being the "go-to" vintage Submariner, serious consideration should be given to a watch with a date function - particularly if you intend to wear it daily.