Reference:6204: Difference between revisions
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<span id="core-facts"></span> | <span id="core-facts"></span> | ||
[[File:Ref 6204 hero.webp|thumb|right|300px|Submariner 6204 — the first Submariner, small crown, no crown guards]] | [[File:Ref 6204 hero.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Submariner 6204 — the first Submariner, small crown, no crown guards|Submariner 6204 — the first Submariner, small crown, no crown guards]] | ||
== Core facts == | == Core facts == | ||
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== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown == | == Case, bezel, crystal, and crown == | ||
[[File:Ref 6204 caseback-engraving.webp|thumb|right|220px|Caseback engraving — BREVET+ and model markings]] | [[File:Ref 6204 caseback-engraving.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Caseback engraving — BREVET+ and model markings|Caseback engraving — BREVET+ and model markings]] | ||
The 6204 is a slim, no-crown-guard case with a small winding crown marked "BREVET" (Swiss-French for "patent"). Diameter is 37.5mm without crown, standard for the period but smaller than the Submariner would become by the late 1950s. The bezel is the early friction-rotating dive format with five-minute interval markers only, without the individual minute markers of the first fifteen that arrive on later Submariners. The bezel itself is brass with a nickel plating that oxidises or wears away over time, and the earliest 6204 bezels show finer knurling than later references. The inlay is an early "no-hash" design with a small divot at twelve o'clock for a dab of luminous material. The domed number-16 acrylic crystal fits every small-crown Submariner except the 6536 and 6538. | The 6204 is a slim, no-crown-guard case with a small winding crown marked "BREVET" (Swiss-French for "patent"). Diameter is 37.5mm without crown, standard for the period but smaller than the Submariner would become by the late 1950s. The bezel is the early friction-rotating dive format with five-minute interval markers only, without the individual minute markers of the first fifteen that arrive on later Submariners. The bezel itself is brass with a nickel plating that oxidises or wears away over time, and the earliest 6204 bezels show finer knurling than later references. The inlay is an early "no-hash" design with a small divot at twelve o'clock for a dab of luminous material. The domed number-16 acrylic crystal fits every small-crown Submariner except the 6536 and 6538. | ||
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== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes == | == Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes == | ||
[[File:Ref 6204 bracelet-rivet-top.webp|thumb|right|220px|Gay Freres rivet bracelet — top view]] | [[File:Ref 6204 bracelet-rivet-top.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Gay Freres rivet bracelet — top view|Gay Freres rivet bracelet — top view]] | ||
[[File:Ref 6204 clasp-gay-freres.webp|thumb|right|220px|Gay Freres clasp interior with Rolex coronet]] | [[File:Ref 6204 clasp-gay-freres.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Gay Freres clasp interior with Rolex coronet|Gay Freres clasp interior with Rolex coronet]] | ||
[[File:Ref 6204 endlink-65-stamp.webp|thumb|right|220px|End link with "65" stamp — original fitment marker]] | [[File:Ref 6204 endlink-65-stamp.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=End link with "65" stamp — original fitment marker|End link with "65" stamp — original fitment marker]] | ||
The original bracelet was a spring-loaded Swiss rivet type made by Gay Freres. Fixed 20mm end links are typically stamped "65" or "64", and the clasp carries a quality-control date code. Gay Freres was a respected Swiss bracelet manufacturer later acquired by Rolex in 2001. Documented fitments are the 6636/64 stretch rivet and the 7206/80 rivet. | The original bracelet was a spring-loaded Swiss rivet type made by Gay Freres. Fixed 20mm end links are typically stamped "65" or "64", and the clasp carries a quality-control date code. Gay Freres was a respected Swiss bracelet manufacturer later acquired by Rolex in 2001. Documented fitments are the 6636/64 stretch rivet and the 7206/80 rivet. | ||
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<span id="special-branches"></span> | <span id="special-branches"></span> | ||
[[File:Ref 6204 vintage-illustration.webp|thumb|right|250px|Period illustration of the Submariner 6204 (RolexHaven)]] | [[File:Ref 6204 vintage-illustration.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Period illustration of the Submariner 6204|Period illustration of the Submariner 6204 (RolexHaven)]] | ||
== Special branches == | == Special branches == | ||
[[File:Ref 6204 hero 2.webp|thumb|right|250px|6204 with tropical gilt dial on Oyster bracelet]] | [[File:Ref 6204 hero 2.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6204 with tropical gilt dial on Oyster bracelet|6204 with tropical gilt dial on Oyster bracelet]] | ||
[[File:Ref 6204 hero 3.webp|thumb|right|250px|6204 with aged brown tropical dial — auction example]] | [[File:Ref 6204 hero 3.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6204 with aged brown tropical dial — auction example|6204 with aged brown tropical dial — auction example]] | ||
<span id="sub-aqua-signed-dial"></span> | <span id="sub-aqua-signed-dial"></span> | ||