Reference:6204 - Revision history

Admin: site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

2026-09-05T01:21:58Z

site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:21, 5 September 2026
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	<small>[[Reference:submariner\|Submariner]] -> '''6204'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:submariner\|Submariner]] › '''6204'''</small>

	The 6204 is the first Submariner. Rolex had built dive-capable Oyster cases before, but the 6204 is the first reference number to carry the Submariner name, and the starting point of a line that runs through every Submariner made since. Nicholas Foulkes's ''Oyster Perpetual Submariner: The Watch That Unlocked the Deep'' (Wallpaper / ACC Art Books, 2024) records 2,881 examples produced across 1953 and 1954 — small enough that surviving examples are tracked individually by collectors, and the dial variants get parsed at single-digit confirmed-example resolution.		The 6204 is the first Submariner. Rolex had built dive-capable Oyster cases before, but the 6204 is the first reference number to carry the Submariner name, and the starting point of a line that runs through every Submariner made since. Nicholas Foulkes's ''Oyster Perpetual Submariner: The Watch That Unlocked the Deep'' (Wallpaper / ACC Art Books, 2024) records 2,881 examples produced across 1953 and 1954 — small enough that surviving examples are tracked individually by collectors, and the dial variants get parsed at single-digit confirmed-example resolution.
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	== Core facts ==		== Core facts ==

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable rp-facts"
	\|-		\|-
	! detail		! detail

Admin: site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

2026-09-05T00:38:07Z

site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:38, 5 September 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6204 Submariner}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6204 Submariner}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex Submariner 6204 (1953–1954) — Production & Dial Guide \| ~~BezelBase~~		\|title=Rolex Submariner 6204 (1953–1954) — Production & Dial Guide \| Rolexopedia
	\|description=The 6204 is the first Submariner. Rolex had made dive-capable Oysters before it, but this is the first reference to carry the Submariner name, and that is what gives it its place.		\|description=The 6204 is the first Submariner. Rolex had made dive-capable Oysters before it, but this is the first reference to carry the Submariner name, and that is what gives it its place.
	\|image=Ref 6204 hero.webp		\|image=Ref 6204 hero.webp

Admin: Fact fix: Sotheby's 2018 lot 250 lists a May 1954 Navy discharge certificate and a separate earlier Truman-signed White House attestation as two documents; byline corrected to Edmond Saran (verified live on le-monde-edmond.com, matches Reference:6205)

2026-08-08T17:27:32Z

Fact fix: Sotheby's 2018 lot 250 lists a May 1954 Navy discharge certificate and a separate earlier Truman-signed White House attestation as two documents; byline corrected to Edmond Saran (verified live on le-monde-edmond.com, matches Reference:6205)

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:27, 8 August 2026
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	=== Tropical gilt ===		=== Tropical gilt ===

	Black gilt that has shifted to deep brown under sustained UV exposure — the same aging pattern that produces tropical Submariner dials in the later 5512 / 5513 era. Sotheby's 2018 lot 250 (case 988'613, US Navy provenance Joseph Edward Dutton with ~~discharge papers~~ signed by Truman) records "attractive lacquer loss revealing gilt underneath." Antiquorum HK 2019 lot 181 (case 988'630, full set) is catalogued as "Earliest Submariner Tropical Gilt Dial."		Black gilt that has shifted to deep brown under sustained UV exposure — the same aging pattern that produces tropical Submariner dials in the later 5512 / 5513 era. Sotheby's 2018 lot 250 (case 988'613, US Navy provenance to Joseph Edward Dutton, sold with a Certificate of Honorable Discharge dated 4 May 1954 and, as a separate earlier document, a White House attestation signed by President Harry Truman) records "attractive lacquer loss revealing gilt underneath." Antiquorum HK 2019 lot 181 (case 988'630, full set) is catalogued as "Earliest Submariner Tropical Gilt Dial."

	<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>		<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
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	* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-1-the-early-references/ History of the Rolex Submariner — Part 1, The Early References] — Tom Mulraney (Monochrome, 2020)		* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-1-the-early-references/ History of the Rolex Submariner — Part 1, The Early References] — Tom Mulraney (Monochrome, 2020)
	* [https://monochrome-watches.com/historical-perspective-first-rolex-submariner-reference-6204/ Historical Perspective: The Very First Rolex Submariner, the Reference 6204] — Paul Altieri (Monochrome, 2017)		* [https://monochrome-watches.com/historical-perspective-first-rolex-submariner-reference-6204/ Historical Perspective: The Very First Rolex Submariner, the Reference 6204] — Paul Altieri (Monochrome, 2017)
	* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/in-depth-review-first-rolex-submariner-6204/ In-Depth Review: First Rolex Submariner 6204] — ~~Olivier Müller~~ (Le Monde Edmond, 2014)		* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/in-depth-review-first-rolex-submariner-6204/ In-Depth Review: First Rolex Submariner 6204] — Edmond Saran (Le Monde Edmond, 2014)
	* [https://revolutionwatch.com/rolex-submariner-no-date-seven-decades-classic/ The Rolex Submariner "No-Date": Seven Decades of a Classic] — Ross Povey (Revolution, 2021)		* [https://revolutionwatch.com/rolex-submariner-no-date-seven-decades-classic/ The Rolex Submariner "No-Date": Seven Decades of a Classic] — Ross Povey (Revolution, 2021)
	* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/first-rolex-submariner-watch/ The First Rolex Submariner Watch] — Ariel Adams (aBlogtoWatch)		* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/first-rolex-submariner-watch/ The First Rolex Submariner Watch] — Ariel Adams (aBlogtoWatch)

Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-08-04T00:22:08Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:22, 4 August 2026
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	\|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:25Z		\|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:25Z
	\|modified_time=2026-07-~~18T12~~:39:~~48Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:13:38Z
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Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-08-04T00:13:38Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:13, 4 August 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6204 Submariner}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6204 Submariner}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex Submariner 6204 (1953–1954) — Production & Dial Guide \| BezelBase		\|title=Rolex Submariner 6204 (1953–1954) — Production & Dial Guide \| BezelBase
	\|description=The 6204 is the first Submariner. Rolex had made dive-capable Oysters before it, but this is the first reference to carry the Submariner name, and that is what gives it its place.		\|description=The 6204 is the first Submariner. Rolex had made dive-capable Oysters before it, but this is the first reference to carry the Submariner name, and that is what gives it its place.
	\|image=Ref 6204 hero.webp		\|image=Ref 6204 hero.webp
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	\|og_type=article		\|og_type=article
	\|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:25Z		\|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:25Z
	\|modified_time=2026-06-~~29T01~~:20:~~57Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-07-18T12:39:48Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
	}}		}}

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

2026-07-18T12:39:48Z

Internal linking: related references + component links

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:39, 18 July 2026
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	The 6204 trades at the top of the early Submariner market on historical position more than absolute rarity. The 6200 is rarer in production terms. The 6204 is where the name begins.		The 6204 trades at the top of the early Submariner market on historical position more than absolute rarity. The 6200 is rarer in production terms. The 6204 is where the name begins.


			== Related references ==

			* [[Reference:6200\|Submariner 6200]] — "King Sub", Big Crown (1953–1956)
			* [[Reference:6205\|Submariner 6205]] — 1953–1957
			* [[Reference:6536\|Submariner 6536]] — Early Gilt No-Crown-Guard (1955–1958)
			* [[Reference:5510\|Submariner 5510]] — Big Crown, Cal 1530 (1957–1958)
			* [[Reference:6538\|Submariner 6538]] — "Big Crown", James Bond (1956–1959)
			* [[Reference:5508\|Submariner 5508]] — 1957–1961

			See also the [[Reference:submariner\|Submariner family index]], [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].

	== Sources ==		== Sources ==

Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-06-29T01:22:19Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:22, 29 June 2026
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	\|modified_time=2026-06-~~04T04~~:41:~~32Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:20:57Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
	}}		}}

Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-06-29T01:20:57Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:20, 29 June 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6204 Submariner}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6204 Submariner}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex 6204 ~~Submariner~~ — Production, Dial ~~Variants, Serial Ranges~~ \| BezelBase		\|title=Rolex Submariner 6204 (1953–1954) — Production & Dial Guide \| BezelBase
	\|description=The 6204 is the first Submariner. Rolex had made dive-capable Oysters before it, but this is the first reference to carry the Submariner name, and that is what gives it its place.		\|description=The 6204 is the first Submariner. Rolex had made dive-capable Oysters before it, but this is the first reference to carry the Submariner name, and that is what gives it its place.
	\|image=Ref 6204 hero.webp		\|image=Ref 6204 hero.webp
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	\|og_type=article		\|og_type=article
	\|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:25Z		\|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:25Z
	\|modified_time=2026-04-~~29T03~~:30:~~00Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-06-04T04:41:32Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
	}}		}}

Admin: SEO: capitalize schema.org @type to "Article" for rich-result eligibility

2026-06-04T04:41:32Z

SEO: capitalize schema.org @type to "Article" for rich-result eligibility

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:41, 4 June 2026
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	\|image=Ref 6204 hero.webp		\|image=Ref 6204 hero.webp
	\|image_alt=Submariner 6204 — the first Submariner, small crown, no crown guards		\|image_alt=Submariner 6204 — the first Submariner, small crown, no crown guards
	\|type=~~article~~		\|type=Article
	\|og_type=article		\|og_type=article
	\|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:25Z		\|published_time=2026-04-14T16:13:25Z

Admin: Remove Category:Working Draft — published pre-2020 in-scope reference

2026-05-31T02:07:52Z

Remove Category:Working Draft — published pre-2020 in-scope reference

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:07, 31 May 2026
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	[[Category:Submariner]]		[[Category:Submariner]]
	~~[[Category:Working Draft]]~~