Welcome back to another installment of Vintage of the Week featuring the coveted white Submariner 1680. Shop pre-owned vintage Rolex watches: [ Ссылка ]
NAVIGATE THIS VIDEO
00:00 INTRO
00:26 Wrist Check
00:37 History
01:16 Notable Details
02:17 Dial
02:40 Condition
03:13 Bracelet
03:29 Value
04:04 Availability
04:16 OUTRO
Interested in learning more about the famous Rolex Submariner, Date 1680, including its history and many dial variations? Check out our Rolex 1680 buying guide here: [ Ссылка ]
Join us each week as Director of Vintage Brandon Frazin showcases a different remarkable vintage watch from our inventory. Check out the entire series here: [ Ссылка ]
As always, make sure to give this video and like and subscribe to the Bob’s Watches YouTube channel to receive notifications for future episodes just like this one.
ROLEX SUBMARINER 1680 HISTORY
The first Submariner came to market in 1954. While its core design hasn’t changed much over the past several decades, Rolex has made various upgrades to the series to appeal to evolving watch trends and improved watchmaking technologies.
For example, the Submariner has always featured a waterproof case and a self-winding movement.
The first several examples relied on a time-only movement. However, the company eventually added its famous date mechanism to the 3-hour marker as collectors of all lifestyles, not just professional divers, showed more interest in the collection.
That brings us to reference 1680, which came to market in the late 1960s and was the very first Submariner to sport a date mechanism.
Reference 1680 was also the last Submariner to feature a bi-directional bezel, which moves in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
Shortly after ref. 1680 was discontinued, the patent previously held by Blancpain controlling the safer uni-directional bezel that only rotates in one direction expired.
Submariners produced after this era were all outfitted with the upgraded uni-directional timing bezel.
There is some debate as to how long reference 1680 was in production. Some say the late 1970s, and others say the early 1980s.
ROLEX SUBMARINER 1680 VARIATIONS
Reference 1680’s production spanned many decades, during which several dial variations came to market.
They are commonly referred to as white and red dials.
Submariner 1680s produced from 1967 until the mid-1970s, featured a red Submariner logo on the dial. These watches are known as "Red Submariners."
Reference 1680s produced from the mid-1970s until the end of the model’s production, featured a white Submariner logo to match the rest of the text on the dial.
These watches are known as "White Submariners."
Each of these dial variations is categorized into different "Marks" to differentiate between the many changes in the font and the exact placement of the wording.
Some dials are rarer than others. The most valuable are earlier edition red Submariners, which is why the white Submariner is so widely sought-after. They are also often the more affordable option for this exact reason.
DETAILS OF OUR SUBMARINER 1680
The Sub featured in this episode is a striking example of the vintage ref. 1680. The Tritium lume has since aged to a very nice matching buttery yellow hue.
The case was polished at some point, but the bevels are still very visible. The engraved numbers between the lugs are also still visible.
Looking at the bezel, the insert is still in good condition and remains sharp, although it does appear that the pip was replaced at some point.
The bezel insert has changed to a very nice dark charcoal color over the years.
Our example wears on a traditional rivet link Oyster bracelet and is still in excellent condition. It does show some typical signs of wear and has a bit of stretch to it, but this is completely normal for this vintage bracelet type.
The accompanying clasp is stamped "76," dating it to 1976.
Overall, this vintage Submariner 1680 is in honest vintage condition.
Reference 1680 holds a very special place in Submariner and Rolex history. With so much provenance and a bevy of design set options and price points, it’s no wonder it’s considered an excellent gateway to vintage Rolex ownership.
What do you think of the remarkable vintage White Submariner Date reference 1680?
Let us know in the comments below.
Rolex 1680 Ultimate Buying Guide: [ Ссылка ]
Shop Rolex 1680: [ Ссылка ]
Shop Rolex: [ Ссылка ]
