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The 6536/1 is the caseback-identified sub-variant of the [[Reference:6536|6536]]. Case, dial-text variants, bezel insert, bracelet, movement, crown, and case dimensions all overlap with the parent — the same late-1950s small-crown no-crown-guard case, the same caliber 1030, the same 100m depth rating. A caseback stamped 6536/1 identifies the sub-variant; one reading 6536 alone identifies the parent. A portion of the 6536/1 run was submitted for chronometer certification and carries a four-line dial with "Officially Certified Chronometer" added above the depth-rating line.
The 6536/1 is the caseback-identified sub-variant of the [[Reference:6536|6536]]. It uses the late-1950s small-crown, no-crown-guard case and caliber 1030. The suffix is read inside the caseback: a complete 6536/1 stamp identifies this variant, while a caseback marked 6536 belongs to the parent reference. Auction and reference sources also document both chronometer and non-chronometer examples, so the suffix should not be treated as a dial or movement-only designation.




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|-
|-
| production
| production
| 1955 to 1959 (auction-house consensus). Hard caseback evidence "IV.55" and "4 55" on cases 112,341 and 112,256 anchors the late-1955 introduction
| examples dated about 1955–1959; the exact factory start and end for the /1 suffix are not published as a separate production series
|-
|-
| total examples
| total examples
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|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| caliber 1030 — 25 jewels, 18,800 vph, ~42-hour reserve. Rolex's first bidirectional automatic; butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. Identical to parent 6536
| caliber 1030 — auction catalogues describe 25 jewels; the movement has a bidirectional automatic winding system and a butterfly-shaped rotor
|-
|-
| depth rating
| depth rating
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|-
|-
| bezel
| bezel
| three documented evolutions within 1957 alone: silver triangle no-hash → red triangle no-hash → red triangle 15-minute hash by 1959
| documented examples include silver- and red-triangle inserts, with both no-hash and 15-minute-hash layouts
|-
|-
| bracelet
| bracelet
| 6636 expandable rivet or 7206 fixed-link rivet with end-link 65 or 80 — period-correct delivery
| documented examples wear riveted Oyster bracelets, including 7206 with end-links 80; a bracelet dates the bracelet, not the watch head
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
==Where it sits in the line==


The 6536/1 is the small-crown branch of the last no-crown-guard Submariner generation. It runs concurrently with the parent 6536 inside the 1955-1959 production window, and feeds directly into the [[Reference:5508|5508]], which carried the small-crown case forward into the newer caliber 1530 from 1958. On the big-crown side, the contemporary [[Reference:6538|6538]] runs the same caliber 1030 in the 200m / 8mm-Brevet configuration. The crown-guard transition arrives with the 5512 in late 1959, ending the unguarded small-crown generation entirely.
The 6536/1 belongs to the small-crown side of the late no-crown-guard Submariner family. It sits beside the big-crown [[Reference:6538|6538]] and precedes the [[Reference:5508|5508]], which used the newer caliber 1530. The caseback marking is the useful distinction when a watch is being catalogued; dial style, bracelet, and bezel alone do not establish the suffix.


Wider family context sits on the parent [[Reference:6536|6536]] page: the 6205 lineage that precedes this generation, the 6536/8 transitional sub-variant with crossed-out "6538" caseback engravings, the bezel and dial evolution timeline within 1957, and production figures.
Wider family context sits on the parent [[Reference:6536|6536]] page: the 6205 lineage that precedes this generation, the 6536/8 transitional sub-variant with crossed-out "6538" caseback engravings, the bezel and dial evolution timeline within 1957, and production figures.
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==The /1 suffix==
==The /1 suffix==


Rolex used numeric suffixes (/1, /2, and so on) to flag a caseback engraving update inside an existing reference — a tracked variant folded under the same reference number. On the 6536 the caseback is the only standard distinction; everything from the case dimensions to the bracelet options is shared.
On surviving examples, the /1 designation is an inside-caseback reference marking. The published lot records do not establish a separate case, bracelet, or movement specification unique to every 6536/1. Those parts have to be assessed on the individual watch.


A caseback engraved "6536/1" in full belongs to the sub-variant; a caseback reading "6536" alone belongs to the parent. Both stampings exist on cases produced in the same period — the parent 6536 stamp continues to appear well into the 6536/1 era. The 6536/8 transitional variant (with crossed-out "6538" engraving and "6536" re-engraved over the strikethrough) is documented separately on the parent reference page as its own subvariant, distinct from the 6536/1 lineage.
A caseback engraved "6536/1" in full belongs to the sub-variant; a caseback reading "6536" alone belongs to the parent. Both stampings exist on cases produced in the same period — the parent 6536 stamp continues to appear well into the 6536/1 era. The 6536/8 transitional variant (with crossed-out "6538" engraving and "6536" re-engraved over the strikethrough) is documented separately on the parent reference page as its own subvariant, distinct from the 6536/1 lineage.
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==Production outline==
==Production outline==


Documented examples run 1955 to 1959. Two casebacks anchor the late-1955 introduction — a Q4-1955 stamp ("4 55") on case 112,256 and an IV.55 stamp on case 112,341, both engraved 6536/1. Mid-run examples carry caseback codes I.57, II.56, II.57, and III.57 across cases 155,502 / 229,640 / 306,989 / 30x,xxx; late-run examples extend into 1959 with cases in the 39x,xxx range.
Auction catalogues date the documented watches from circa 1955 through circa 1959. Examples include the Sotheby's watch with case 306,989 and an inside-back III.57 stamp, and the Phillips watch with case 155,502 and an II.56 stamp. These are dates attached to individual casebacks or catalogue descriptions; they do not prove a complete serial range for the reference.


Because the two ran concurrently inside the 1955-1959 window, the caseback engraving decides which variant a given example belongs to; the calendar date does not. The 2024 Rolex archive analysis gives the parent 6536 a total of 5,350 pieces 1955-1959, 44% of the 12,144 total no-crown-guard Submariners across the five references (6200, 6204, 6205, 6536, 6538). No separate 6536/1 vs parent 6536 production split is published.
The 2024 archive analysis gives a total for the parent 6536, but does not publish a separate 6536/1 count. That parent total should therefore not be copied into the /1 entry.


==Movement notes==
==Movement notes==


Caliber 1030 is confirmed across documented 6536/1 examples — 25 jewels, 18,800 vph, ~42-hour reserve, 28.5 × 5.85mm, monometallic balance, blue Breguet overcoil. Introduced in 1950, the 1030 is Rolex's first bidirectional automatic; its butterfly rotor, stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED, succeeds the thicker uni-directional A-series Perpetuals (A260 / A290 / A295 / A296) of the early Submariners. The A-series itself uses a full rotor, and Rolex never produced a bumper caliber.
Caliber 1030 is documented in the 6536/1 auction records. Sotheby's describes a 25-jewel automatic movement, and the period movement is recognizable by its bidirectional winding system and butterfly-shaped rotor. The often repeated technical figures for beat rate, reserve, and dimensions should be treated as caliber-level specifications; the lot records do not independently measure each movement.


Chronometer-certified (OCC) and non-certified examples both exist within the 6536/1 family on the same base caliber. Some movements went out for chronometer rating and some did not, with nothing mechanical separating them. The Sotheby's December 2018 lot 252 caseback is stamped 6536/1 with III.57 (third quarter 1957) on a chronometer-rated four-line dial example; non-chronometer 6536/1 examples surface across the same period with the standard two-line dial.
Chronometer and non-chronometer examples are both documented. The Sotheby's 2018 lot has an inside-back 6536/1 and III.57 stamp, while its catalogue describes a black lacquer dial and caliber 1030. A four-line chronometer dial is a useful configuration to record when present, but dial text cannot substitute for inspection of the movement and caseback.


==Dial map==
==Dial map==


The dial taxonomy on the 6536/1 mirrors the parent 6536. Three depth-text variants run across the production window — red ("100/330" without units, earliest 1955-56), gilt-gold ("100m/ft = 330" with units, 1956 onward, dominant), and silver (late-run examples). The dial finish shifted from matte in early 1957 production to increasingly glossy by 1959; lume colour shifted in parallel from whitish-beige to orange-mid-run to beige-late.
The documented dial set includes two-line depth text, red-depth examples, and four-line chronometer layouts. Collector references also describe changes in the ink colour, finish, and luminous plots over the run. Those observations are useful for comparison, but they do not form a factory-issued sequence for every 6536/1.


Four dial-text layouts surface.
Four dial-text layouts surface.
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[[File:Ref 6536-1 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Dial close-up, 100m=330ft two-line depth text|Dial close-up, "100m=330ft" two-line depth text]]
[[File:Ref 6536-1 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Dial close-up, 100m=330ft two-line depth text|Dial close-up, "100m=330ft" two-line depth text]]


The standard two-line dial pairs "SUBMARINER" with the depth rating and accounts for most examples. Four-line OCC dials add "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER" across two extra lines, paired with the chronometer-rated movement; the Sotheby's 2018 case-22x,xxx example anchors the configuration, which is rare relative to two-line. Four-line SCOC dials carry the later "SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED" wording, the same change that runs through the 5508/5512 transition — the line count is identical, only the wording moves. A three-line dial, transitional between the two- and four-line layouts, is documented but rare.
The standard two-line layout pairs “SUBMARINER” with the depth rating. Four-line OCC dials add “OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER”; later chronometer wording belongs to the wider transition toward the 5508 and 5512. The surviving sources do not establish production counts for each layout.


An "invert" dial variant, where the dial text reverses the standard layout, appears in collector forum sources. Surviving examples are extremely scarce, and no major-house lot has corroborated it.
An “invert” dial is mentioned in collector material, but the sources reviewed here do not provide a major-house catalogue record or enough images to establish it as a factory variant. It should remain a lead for further research, not a standard branch of this article.


==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
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The case is the slim small-crown 37mm Oyster of the late-1950s no-guard generation, with a 6mm Brevet crown — distinct from the contemporary [[Reference:6538|6538]]'s 8mm "big" Brevet crown. Acrylic crystal with the domed profile of the period.
The case is the slim small-crown 37mm Oyster of the late-1950s no-guard generation, with a 6mm Brevet crown — distinct from the contemporary [[Reference:6538|6538]]'s 8mm "big" Brevet crown. Acrylic crystal with the domed profile of the period.


Changes to the bezel insert help place a 6536/1 within the production run. The earliest 1957 examples carry a silver triangle at twelve with no minute hash marks across the first fifteen minutes. Mid-1957 production keeps the no-hash format and switches to a red triangle at twelve. Late 1959 production carries the red triangle alongside individual minute hash marks across the first fifteen minutes — the closest ancestor to the bezel that defines the 5512.
The auction and photographic sources show several insert layouts, including a no-hash red-triangle insert and a red triangle with minute hashes. These can help compare an example with dated caseback evidence, but an insert is a replaceable part and does not date the watch by itself.


The crown is the original single-coronet "Brevet" 6mm with double-lock; a three-dot crown on a 6536/1 is a service replacement. Quarterly inside-caseback stamps — a Roman-numeral quarter followed by a two-digit year — date the case head, and the format holds across documented examples: IV.55, I.56, II.56, I.57, II.57, III.57.
The crown is the original single-coronet "Brevet" 6mm with double-lock; a three-dot crown on a 6536/1 is a service replacement. Quarterly inside-caseback stamps — a Roman-numeral quarter followed by a two-digit year — date the case head, and the format holds across documented examples: IV.55, I.56, II.56, I.57, II.57, III.57.
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==Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes==
==Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes==


Three bracelet families appear as original delivery. The 6636 expandable rivet Oyster with end-link 65 or 80 is the most common period-correct delivery. The 7206 fixed-link rivet Oyster with end-link 80 is documented on Q2 1956 examples. The Jubilee 62510 surfaces on at least one Q4 1955 example with a clasp stamped 1960 — period-fitted, but an unusual original-delivery configuration.
The published examples wear riveted Oyster bracelets, including a 7206 with end-links 80 in the Phillips catalogue. A bracelet or clasp stamp dates that component. It does not prove that the bracelet left Rolex with the watch head, and later service or collector changes are common on watches of this age.


End-link "65" is the small-crown standard across documented examples; end-link "80" appears on later 1959 examples and post-Submariner-line bracelets. Decades of service work saw rivet bracelets swapped out routinely, so an original undisturbed rivet bracelet on a 6536/1 adds materially to completeness.
End-link references should therefore be recorded as observed on the individual lot. The available records support 80 on at least one 6536/1; they do not support a universal end-link rule for the suffix.


==Authentication==
==Authentication==


The dominant authentication problem on this generation is cross-reference confusion. The 6536/1 vs 5508 distinction sits on case dimensions (the 6536/1 is wider, ~37.5mm vs the 5508's narrower head), dial colour tone (6536/1 reads more golden, 5508 more silver), and caliber (1030 vs 1530, with the bidirectional butterfly rotor distinguishing 1030). Bezel inserts date the same way. A 1957 case wearing a 1959-style hashed insert has had the bezel swapped after original delivery.
The practical check is the inside caseback, movement, and the condition of replaceable parts together. The 6536/1 and 5508 overlap in appearance, while their documented movements differ: caliber 1030 for the 6536/1 and caliber 1530 for the 5508. A bezel or bracelet can have been changed, so neither part should be used as the sole identifier.


Service dials surface frequently. A matte finish carrying crisp gilt printing reads as a replacement against the original gloss. Over-polishing erodes the lug chamfers, and unpolished examples with sharp bevels and crisp lug edges sit at the top of the collector market.
Service and replaced parts are possible on every example. Sotheby's itself cautions that later repairs may affect components including hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets, and straps. Condition should be described from the individual watch, without treating an auction catalogue’s “original” or “unpolished” assessment as a general rule for the reference.


==Historical market and auction record==
==Historical market and auction record==


[[File:Ref 6536-1 historical-example.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 6536/1 with no-hash red triangle bezel|The Sotheby's 2018 New York example, case 306,989, III.57 caseback, no-hash red triangle bezel — the world-record small-crown Submariner sale]]
[[File:Ref 6536-1 historical-example.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 6536/1 with no-hash red triangle bezel|The Sotheby's 2018 New York example, case 306,989, with an III.57 caseback stamp and no-hash red-triangle bezel]]


{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
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! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Serial !! Configuration !! Result
! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Serial !! Configuration !! Result
|-
|-
| Sotheby's New York Important Watches || 252 || 2018 || 306,989 || III.57 caseback, no-hash red triangle bezel, glossy two-line dial, white small-circle seconds — world record for any small-crown Submariner || USD 225,000 against USD 20,000 low estimate
| Sotheby's New York Important Watches || 252 || 2018 || 306,989 || III.57 caseback, no-hash red-triangle bezel, glossy two-line dial, white small-circle seconds || estimate USD 20,000–35,000; result not shown in accessible catalogue text
|-
|-
| Sotheby's Geneva || 215 || 2018 || 229,640 || I.57 caseback, cal. 1030, Oyster bracelet stamped 7-70 made in USA || est. CHF 70,000–100,000
| Sotheby's Geneva || 215 || 2018 || 229,640 || I.57 caseback, cal. 1030, Oyster bracelet stamped 7-70 made in USA || estimate CHF 70,000–100,000
|-
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches || 35 || 2021 || 112,256 || "4 55" caseback (Q4 1955) — earliest documented 6536/1 caseback. Jubilee 62510 stamped 1960 || est. CHF 20,000–35,000
| Sotheby's Important Watches || 35 || 2021 || 112,256 || "4 55" caseback (Q4 1955) — earliest documented 6536/1 caseback. Jubilee 62510 stamped 1960 || est. CHF 20,000–35,000
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|}
|}


The Sotheby's 2018 New York result, 11× over low estimate, is the world record for any small-crown Submariner. Small-crown Submariners had traded in the USD 100,000-150,000 band before it; the result moved the ceiling. Chronometer-rated four-line examples in unpolished condition cluster at the upper-middle of the current market, with non-chronometer two-line examples a step below. The Phillips XVIII 2021 Red Depth lot carries the highest estimate among the dating-anchor variants.
The records above show different catalogue contexts and estimates. They are useful for tracing which configurations have appeared publicly, but they do not establish a current market band or a ranking of all 6536/1 examples. Auction estimates and results also describe the individual lot, including its condition and completeness.


== Related references ==
== Related references ==


* [[Reference:1680|Submariner 1680]] — First Date Sub, 'Red Sub' (1969–1979)
* [[Reference:1680|Submariner 1680]], first Date Sub, 'Red Sub' (1969–1979)
* [[Reference:3666|Submariner 3666]]
* [[Reference:3666|Submariner 3666]]
* [[Reference:5508|Submariner 5508]] — 1957–1961
* [[Reference:5508|Submariner 5508]], 1957–1961
* [[Reference:5510|Submariner 5510]] — Big Crown, Cal 1530 (1957–1958)
* [[Reference:5510|Submariner 5510]], big crown, caliber 1530 (1957–1958)
* [[Reference:5512|Submariner 5512]] — First Crown-Guard (1959–1978)
* [[Reference:5512|Submariner 5512]], first crown-guard generation (1959–1978)
* [[Reference:5513|Submariner 5513]] — Non-Date Classic (1962–1989)
* [[Reference:5513|Submariner 5513]], non-date classic (1962–1989)


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]].
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]].

Revision as of 03:18, 27 September 2026


Submariner -> 6536 -> 6536/1

Rolex 6536/1 Submariner
Rolex 6536/1 Submariner

The 6536/1 is the caseback-identified sub-variant of the 6536. It uses the late-1950s small-crown, no-crown-guard case and caliber 1030. The suffix is read inside the caseback: a complete 6536/1 stamp identifies this variant, while a caseback marked 6536 belongs to the parent reference. Auction and reference sources also document both chronometer and non-chronometer examples, so the suffix should not be treated as a dial or movement-only designation.


Core facts

detail value
reference 6536/1
family Submariner (no date), small-crown no-crown-guard generation
production examples dated about 1955–1959; the exact factory start and end for the /1 suffix are not published as a separate production series
total examples no separate 6536/1 vs parent 6536 split is published. The parent 6536 reads at 5,350 pieces 1955-1959 from the 2024 Rolex archive data; the /1 share is unstated
case 37mm, small 6mm Brevet crown, no crown guards
crystal acrylic (domed)
movement caliber 1030 — auction catalogues describe 25 jewels; the movement has a bidirectional automatic winding system and a butterfly-shaped rotor
depth rating 100m / 330ft
chronometer split — both COSC-certified four-line OCC dial examples and non-certified two-line dial examples exist on the same caliber 1030 base
date none
hands Mercedes-type, gilt finish; long-neck hour hand on earliest production
bezel documented examples include silver- and red-triangle inserts, with both no-hash and 15-minute-hash layouts
bracelet documented examples wear riveted Oyster bracelets, including 7206 with end-links 80; a bracelet dates the bracelet, not the watch head

Where it sits in the line

The 6536/1 belongs to the small-crown side of the late no-crown-guard Submariner family. It sits beside the big-crown 6538 and precedes the 5508, which used the newer caliber 1530. The caseback marking is the useful distinction when a watch is being catalogued; dial style, bracelet, and bezel alone do not establish the suffix.

Wider family context sits on the parent 6536 page: the 6205 lineage that precedes this generation, the 6536/8 transitional sub-variant with crossed-out "6538" caseback engravings, the bezel and dial evolution timeline within 1957, and production figures.

The /1 suffix

On surviving examples, the /1 designation is an inside-caseback reference marking. The published lot records do not establish a separate case, bracelet, or movement specification unique to every 6536/1. Those parts have to be assessed on the individual watch.

A caseback engraved "6536/1" in full belongs to the sub-variant; a caseback reading "6536" alone belongs to the parent. Both stampings exist on cases produced in the same period — the parent 6536 stamp continues to appear well into the 6536/1 era. The 6536/8 transitional variant (with crossed-out "6538" engraving and "6536" re-engraved over the strikethrough) is documented separately on the parent reference page as its own subvariant, distinct from the 6536/1 lineage.

Reference number stamped on the case lug of a 6536/1
Case-lug reference stamp, Phillips Geneva V lot 102, case 155,502

Production outline

Auction catalogues date the documented watches from circa 1955 through circa 1959. Examples include the Sotheby's watch with case 306,989 and an inside-back III.57 stamp, and the Phillips watch with case 155,502 and an II.56 stamp. These are dates attached to individual casebacks or catalogue descriptions; they do not prove a complete serial range for the reference.

The 2024 archive analysis gives a total for the parent 6536, but does not publish a separate 6536/1 count. That parent total should therefore not be copied into the /1 entry.

Movement notes

Caliber 1030 is documented in the 6536/1 auction records. Sotheby's describes a 25-jewel automatic movement, and the period movement is recognizable by its bidirectional winding system and butterfly-shaped rotor. The often repeated technical figures for beat rate, reserve, and dimensions should be treated as caliber-level specifications; the lot records do not independently measure each movement.

Chronometer and non-chronometer examples are both documented. The Sotheby's 2018 lot has an inside-back 6536/1 and III.57 stamp, while its catalogue describes a black lacquer dial and caliber 1030. A four-line chronometer dial is a useful configuration to record when present, but dial text cannot substitute for inspection of the movement and caseback.

Dial map

The documented dial set includes two-line depth text, red-depth examples, and four-line chronometer layouts. Collector references also describe changes in the ink colour, finish, and luminous plots over the run. Those observations are useful for comparison, but they do not form a factory-issued sequence for every 6536/1.

Four dial-text layouts surface.

Dial close-up, 100m=330ft two-line depth text
Dial close-up, "100m=330ft" two-line depth text

The standard two-line layout pairs “SUBMARINER” with the depth rating. Four-line OCC dials add “OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER”; later chronometer wording belongs to the wider transition toward the 5508 and 5512. The surviving sources do not establish production counts for each layout.

An “invert” dial is mentioned in collector material, but the sources reviewed here do not provide a major-house catalogue record or enough images to establish it as a factory variant. It should remain a lead for further research, not a standard branch of this article.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is the slim small-crown 37mm Oyster of the late-1950s no-guard generation, with a 6mm Brevet crown — distinct from the contemporary 6538's 8mm "big" Brevet crown. Acrylic crystal with the domed profile of the period.

The auction and photographic sources show several insert layouts, including a no-hash red-triangle insert and a red triangle with minute hashes. These can help compare an example with dated caseback evidence, but an insert is a replaceable part and does not date the watch by itself.

The crown is the original single-coronet "Brevet" 6mm with double-lock; a three-dot crown on a 6536/1 is a service replacement. Quarterly inside-caseback stamps — a Roman-numeral quarter followed by a two-digit year — date the case head, and the format holds across documented examples: IV.55, I.56, II.56, I.57, II.57, III.57.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

The published examples wear riveted Oyster bracelets, including a 7206 with end-links 80 in the Phillips catalogue. A bracelet or clasp stamp dates that component. It does not prove that the bracelet left Rolex with the watch head, and later service or collector changes are common on watches of this age.

End-link references should therefore be recorded as observed on the individual lot. The available records support 80 on at least one 6536/1; they do not support a universal end-link rule for the suffix.

Authentication

The practical check is the inside caseback, movement, and the condition of replaceable parts together. The 6536/1 and 5508 overlap in appearance, while their documented movements differ: caliber 1030 for the 6536/1 and caliber 1530 for the 5508. A bezel or bracelet can have been changed, so neither part should be used as the sole identifier.

Service and replaced parts are possible on every example. Sotheby's itself cautions that later repairs may affect components including hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets, and straps. Condition should be described from the individual watch, without treating an auction catalogue’s “original” or “unpolished” assessment as a general rule for the reference.

Historical market and auction record

Rolex 6536/1 with no-hash red triangle bezel
The Sotheby's 2018 New York example, case 306,989, with an III.57 caseback stamp and no-hash red-triangle bezel
Sale Lot Year Serial Configuration Result
Sotheby's New York Important Watches 252 2018 306,989 III.57 caseback, no-hash red-triangle bezel, glossy two-line dial, white small-circle seconds estimate USD 20,000–35,000; result not shown in accessible catalogue text
Sotheby's Geneva 215 2018 229,640 I.57 caseback, cal. 1030, Oyster bracelet stamped 7-70 made in USA estimate CHF 70,000–100,000
Sotheby's Important Watches 35 2021 112,256 "4 55" caseback (Q4 1955) — earliest documented 6536/1 caseback. Jubilee 62510 stamped 1960 est. CHF 20,000–35,000
Phillips Geneva V 102 2017 155,502 II.56 caseback, on 7206 rivet bracelet est. CHF 40,000–80,000
Phillips Geneva XVIII — 2021 — 1955 "Red Depth" est. USD 54,000–109,000
Bonhams 36 2021 112,341 Red Depth, IV.55 caseback, brown leather strap, no-minute-marker bezel est. GBP 60,000–80,000
Christie's Online HK — 2023 230,421 gilt tropical, later/incorrect bezel insert, end-links stamped 75 (incorrect), aftermarket clasp (sold with red-flag notes)
Antiquorum Monaco — 2025 — 1957–58 era USD 14,622
Antiquorum Switzerland — 2025 — 1957–58 era USD 17,074

The records above show different catalogue contexts and estimates. They are useful for tracing which configurations have appeared publicly, but they do not establish a current market band or a ranking of all 6536/1 examples. Auction estimates and results also describe the individual lot, including its condition and completeness.

Related references

See also the Submariner family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

Sources

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