Wednesday, November 20, 2024

SUBMARINER: Timepiece Of Inner Space


SUBMARINER
Timepiece Of Inner Space

The photos below are of a Rolex Submariner brochure from the early 1970s that fascinatingly refers to the Rolex Submariner as "Timepiece of inner space." Inner space is an antithetical metaphor to outer space.



If you look closely at the inside of the Rolex brochure pictured below, you will notice it features a classic stainless steel Single-Red Rolex Date Submariner [Reference 1680] with Maxi Markers. Notice it does NOT feature solid end links (SEL), but the yellow gold version next to it does feature solid end links. The yellow gold Rolex Submariner was the very first Rolex sports watch to feature SEL.

Also, notice the yellow gold Rolex Submariner dial features "nipple" indices with matching yellow gold surrounds, which are much smaller than the classic "Maxi" indices, also commonly referred to as "Maxi Markers." Modern Submariner indices, or markers, evolved from these models. So today the 2019 Submariner has Maxi Markers with white gold surrounds. Nick Gould brilliantly observed: "The Gold Rolex Submariner [Reference 1680], was really the first luxury sports watch".