The Journal

If there’s one timepiece that embodies the archetypical sports watch, it’s undoubtedly the Rolex Submariner. Launched in 1953, it was the first wristwatch to achieve water resistance to 100 metres – a technical breakthrough that carried Rolex well beyond the genteel world of the dress watch. The inaugural reference 6204 introduced a design language that still echoes across the brand’s catalogue today: the rotating bezel, luminescent hour markers, and robust Oyster case. The Submariner reached a wider audience in the 1960s, propelled into the mainstream by Sean Connery in the first James Bond film, Dr. No. In the years since, it has attracted a passionate collector base drawn both to rare vintage pieces and playful limited editions, such as the green-bezel ‘Kermit’.