Submariner Ref. 1680

The reference 1680 (c. 1967–c. 1980) is the first Submariner with a date — and, almost as an aside, the birthplace of the "Red Sub," the single most collectible Submariner Date dial variation ever made. For roughly its first seven years of production, the word "SUBMARINER" was printed in red above 6 o'clock; around the mid-1970s it turned white, and the red dials were never made again. The 1680 is also a mechanical landmark: it runs the chronometer-certified calibre 1575, it is the only Submariner Date ever fitted with an acrylic crystal, and the only one with a bidirectional bezel. Everything after it — sapphire crystals, unidirectional bezels, 300-meter ratings — starts here, which makes the 1680 the hinge between the vintage and modern Submariner.

Reference	1680
Production	c. 1967 – c. 1980
Calibre	Rolex cal. 1575 — chronometer-certified automatic with date, based on the cal. 1570 (bridge stamped "1570"); 19,800 vph, ~48-hour power reserve; hacking seconds in later production
Case	40mm (nominal) stainless steel Oyster case, drilled lugs, 20mm lug width; Twinlock screw-down crown; rounded crown guards
Crystal	Domed acrylic with bonded Cyclops date magnifier
Bezel	Bidirectional, black anodised-aluminium insert, 60-minute scale (fat-font inserts on early examples)
Dial	Black matte; "SUBMARINER" in red (c. 1967–c. 1975 — the "Red Sub") then white (c. 1975–1980); depth rating 200m=660ft early (meters-first), 660ft=200m later (feet-first); tritium lume ("SWISS T<25")
Bracelet	Oyster: 7206 riveted (earliest), 9315 folded-link (the standard Red Sub bracelet, 280/380 endlinks), 93150 solid-link (late production/service); USA-market Oyster bracelets on some examples

Overview

Rolex introduced the Submariner 1680 in 1967 — the same year the Sea-Dweller arrived — as the first Submariner with a date complication. The date sits under a Cyclops magnifier bonded to a domed acrylic crystal, and every Submariner Date since has carried a Cyclops. The movement is the calibre 1575: the no-date calibre 1570 with a date mechanism added, chronometer-certified, its bridge stamped "1570" like all 1575s — a detail that confuses first-time buyers and is completely correct.

The 1680's defining collector feature was, apparently, an accident of styling rather than a plan. For the first portion of production, the "SUBMARINER" signature above 6 o'clock was printed in red. Around the mid-1970s — sources disagree on the exact year, somewhere in the 1973–1975 window — Rolex switched the signature to white, matching the rest of the dial text, and the Red Sub era ended after roughly seven years. No stainless Submariner since has carried red dial text. The red dials exist in at least six documented marks (collectors' MKI–MKVI), distinguished by meters-first vs. feet-first depth ratings, open vs. closed sixes, and whether the red ink was printed over a white base layer or directly onto the dial.

Mechanically and materially, the 1680 is the last of the old world. It is the only Submariner Date with an acrylic crystal and the only one with a bidirectional bezel — both relics that the 1979-introduced reference 16800 swept away with its sapphire crystal, unidirectional bezel, and 300-meter rating. The 1680 kept the 200-meter rating, the aluminium insert, and the tritium dial of the four-digit generation to the very end. Late white-dial examples even overlap the glossy-dial transition seen on the 5513.

The reference also launched the Submariner in gold: the 1680/8, introduced in 1969 in 18k yellow gold with black or — famously — blue dial and bezel, on the same calibre 1575. And in the mid-1970s Rolex supplied COMEX-signed dial variants of the 1680 to the French diving company, among the most specialised and most faked Submariner dials in existence.

Because so many Red Subs were returned to Rolex for service over the decades and left with plain white replacement dials, original red dials are far scarcer than the production years suggest. The Red Sub is a dial-collector's reference wearing a tool watch's clothes.

Key variants & generations

Red Sub — meters-first dials, MKI–MKIII (c. 1967 – c. 1970)

The earliest Red Subs carry the meters-first depth rating ("200m=660ft"). Collectors distinguish three marks:

• MKI — red "SUBMARINER" printed over a white base layer; closed sixes; the "f" in "ft" curls up above the "t."
• MKII (c. 1969/70) — still meters-first, red over white base, but with open sixes and a shorter "f."
• MKIII — nearly identical to MKII, but the red ink is printed directly onto the dial surface (no white base), with a shorter "f."

All are matte black dials with tritium lume. These are the earliest and, dial-for-dial, the most historically significant Red Subs — the first date Submariners ever made.

Red Sub — feet-first dials, MKIV–MKVI (c. 1970 – c. 1975)

From around the end of 1970 the depth rating flips to feet-first ("660ft=200m"):

• MKIV — the first feet-first Red Sub; red over white base; distinctly open sixes.
• MKV — feet-first, sixes less open than MKIV; red printed directly on the dial, no white base.
• MKVI — the last tritium Red Sub dial; feet-first; closed sixes; a more curved "S" in "Superlative."

The exact red-to-white changeover sits inside the MKVI window, and sources place it anywhere from 1973 to about 1975 — a genuine disagreement in the literature (see below).

The Luminova service dial (MKVIII)

After Rolex switched to Luminova lume in the 1990s, a very rare service replacement dial was produced with the red "SUBMARINER" signature — marked "SWISS" (not "SWISS T<25") at 6 o'clock. It is the only red-text dial Rolex made after the 1970s, fitted only during servicing, and vanishingly rare. It is a legitimate Rolex part but not an original-production dial — a distinction that matters enormously to collectors.

White dials (c. 1975 – c. 1980)

The second half of 1680 production wears all-white dial text — the look every later Submariner Date inherited. Four-line layout ("Submariner," depth rating, chronometer certification), feet-first depth rating, tritium lume, fat-font inserts early giving way to thin-font inserts, and 9315 or later 93150 bracelets. The white 1680s are the honest, approachable end of the reference: the same acrylic crystal, bidirectional bezel, and calibre 1575 as the Red Subs, without the red-dial premium. Late examples approach the glossy-dial transition of the era.

The gold 1680/8 and COMEX dials (specialist territory)

The reference 1680/8 (1969–1979) is the first gold Submariner: 18k yellow gold, calibre 1575, offered with black or blue dial and bezel. The blue-dial version, which ages toward violet and purple tones, is the famous one. Separately, COMEX-signed 1680 dials were supplied to the French commercial diving company in the mid-1970s. Both are far beyond standard 1680 collecting; both are heavily faked. Any example needs documented provenance and specialist authentication.

What to check before buying

• Is the red dial original? This is the entire game on a Red Sub. Many red dials were replaced with white dials at Rolex service — so a Red Sub must have its dial verified as an original-production tritium dial (MKI–MKVI), not a later white dial, not the Luminova service dial (MKVIII), and not a refinished or reprinted dial. Study the mark identifiers: meters-first vs. feet-first, open vs. closed sixes, red-over-white-base vs. red-directly-on-dial.
• Red printing integrity. The red ink is fragile; check for fading, flaking, or suspiciously fresh-looking red text on an otherwise aged dial.
• Lume match. Hands and plots should match in tone; relumed hands are common. Under UV, tritium should be dead — glowing plots on a tritium dial mean replacement or relume.
• Correct crystal. Domed acrylic with a bonded Cyclops. A sapphire crystal on a 1680 is a service-era swap from a later reference and wrong for the watch.
• Bezel insert. Early Red Subs left the factory with fat-font inserts, which fade and get replaced; a correct-period insert with an original tritium pearl is a significant plus. Verify the fade is honest against the dial patina.
• Movement. Calibre 1575, bridge stamped 1570 — correct and expected. Verify the movement serial is plausible for the case serial and that the date mechanism functions cleanly (a common wear point).
• Case. Rounded crown guards throughout the reference (no guard evolution to track, unlike the 5512). Check for over-polishing, lug-hole condition, and legible reference/serial engravings between the lugs.
• Bracelet. 7206 riveted on the earliest, 9315 folded-link (the standard Red Sub bracelet, endlinks stamped 280 or 380), 93150 solid-link on late examples. A 93150 on a Red Sub is usually a later service replacement — functional but less desirable.
• Date wheel. The open 6s and 9s of the period date wheel are a small but real originality check on 1960s–70s examples.
• White-dial 1680s. The same checks apply minus the red-dial premium: dial originality, insert, bracelet era, case condition. These are the value end of the reference.

Sources consulted

Production dates and calibre details were cross-checked through at least two reputable sources. Where sources disagree, the disagreement is noted in the text above. All prose is original to The Geneva Papers™.