ROLEX, STAINLESS STEEL 'SUBMARINER' WITH BLACK GLOSSY 'EXCLAMATION' DIAL, REF....
CIRCA: 1962
CASE MATERIAL: Stainless steel
CASE DIAMETER: 37 mm.
BRACELET MATERIAL: Stainless steel
BRACELET SIZE: Approx. 180 mm. overall length
DIAL: Black glossy 'Exclamation'
MOVEMENT: Automatic
FUNCTIONS: Time only
BOX: No
PAPERS: No
Lot Essay
Introduced in 1953, the Submariner has become one of Rolex’s most iconic and enduring creations. The earliest generations are particularly distinctive for their cases without crown guards, a feature Rolex would later introduce to provide greater protection to the winding crown and enhance the robustness of the watch.
The first serially produced Submariner, reference 6204, featured pencil hands, luminous hour markers and a relatively small winding crown. It was followed by a succession of early ‘small crown’ references, while references 6538 and 5510 adopted the celebrated oversized ‘big crown’. Reference 5508 represented the final evolution of the early no-crown-guard Submariner with a depth rating of ‘100m = 330ft’, before the design evolved towards the crown-guard cases that would define subsequent generations.
Production of reference 5508 continued until 1962, with several dial variations produced during its final years, including examples featuring tritium luminous material. The present timepiece is distinguished by its ‘Exclamation’ dial, so named for the small additional luminous dot positioned directly beneath the 6 o’clock hour marker, creating the appearance of an exclamation mark. This distinctive feature is understood to have signified the use of luminous material with reduced radioactive emissions, reflecting Rolex’s transition towards the use of tritium. Approximately a year later, Rolex adopted the industry-standard ‘SWISS – T
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CIRCA: 1962
CASE MATERIAL: Stainless steel
CASE DIAMETER: 37 mm.
BRACELET MATERIAL: Stainless steel
BRACELET SIZE: Approx. 180 mm. overall length
DIAL: Black glossy 'Exclamation'
MOVEMENT: Automatic
FUNCTIONS: Time only
BOX: No
PAPERS: No
Lot Essay
Introduced in 1953, the Submariner has become one of Rolex’s most iconic and enduring creations. The earliest generations are particularly distinctive for their cases without crown guards, a feature Rolex would later introduce to provide greater protection to the winding crown and enhance the robustness of the watch.
The first serially produced Submariner, reference 6204, featured pencil hands, luminous hour markers and a relatively small winding crown. It was followed by a succession of early ‘small crown’ references, while references 6538 and 5510 adopted the celebrated oversized ‘big crown’. Reference 5508 represented the final evolution of the early no-crown-guard Submariner with a depth rating of ‘100m = 330ft’, before the design evolved towards the crown-guard cases that would define subsequent generations.
Production of reference 5508 continued until 1962, with several dial variations produced during its final years, including examples featuring tritium luminous material. The present timepiece is distinguished by its ‘Exclamation’ dial, so named for the small additional luminous dot positioned directly beneath the 6 o’clock hour marker, creating the appearance of an exclamation mark. This distinctive feature is understood to have signified the use of luminous material with reduced radioactive emissions, reflecting Rolex’s transition towards the use of tritium. Approximately a year later, Rolex adopted the industry-standard ‘SWISS – T
% from the market value
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
