Reference:6205: Difference between revisions

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The 6205 sits between the 6204 and the 5508 on the small-crown branch. The 6204 (1953–54) and the 6205 (1954–55) share the no-crown-guard case and the A260 movement; the 6205 introduces Mercedes hands and is the last Submariner to launch before the line splits cleanly into the small-crown 5508 and the big-crown 5510 in 1958. On the big-crown branch the 6200 ran concurrently with the 6205 in 1954, and the 6538 followed.

Two case-number bands document the production. Earliest examples sit in the 21,3xx–21,6xx range — Phillips lot 54 carries case 21,354, Sotheby's 2022 lot 13 carries 21,442, and Antiquorum's 2025 Geneva lot 377 carries 21,644. A second band runs 85,9xx–86,0xx (Sotheby's 2019 lot 178 at 85,972; Sotheby's 2025 lot 336 at 86,033), with ~~Bulang documenting an~~ 988,xxx pre-reset 1955 example outside both bands. Rolex's 1954 serial reset from 999,999 back to 10,000 explains the apparent gap between bands. ~~Bulang~~ is the only source to publish a hard production figure — about 810 examples — and that ~~single-source~~ estimate has not been corroborated by the auction houses or by Foulkes (2024), which gives 2,881 for the 6204 but does not break the 6205 out separately.

Two case-number bands document the production. Earliest examples sit in the 21,3xx–21,6xx range — Phillips lot 54 carries case 21,354, Sotheby's 2022 lot 13 carries 21,442, and Antiquorum's 2025 Geneva lot 377 carries 21,644. A second band runs 85,9xx–86,0xx (Sotheby's 2019 lot 178 at 85,972; Sotheby's 2025 lot 336 at 86,033), with a dealer-documented 988,xxx pre-reset 1955 example outside both bands. Rolex's 1954 serial reset from 999,999 back to 10,000 explains the apparent gap between bands. A single dealer listing is the only source to publish a hard production figure — about 810 examples — and that estimate has not been corroborated by the auction houses or by Foulkes (2024), which gives 2,881 for the 6204 but does not break the 6205 out separately.

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 The 6205 sits between the 6204 and the 5508 on the small-crown branch. The 6204 (1953–54) and the 6205 (1954–55) share the no-crown-guard case and the A260 movement; the 6205 introduces Mercedes hands and is the last Submariner to launch before the line splits cleanly into the small-crown 5508 and the big-crown 5510 in 1958. On the big-crown branch the 6200 ran concurrently with the 6205 in 1954, and the 6538 followed.
-Two case-number bands document the production. Earliest examples sit in the 21,3xx–21,6xx range — Phillips lot 54 carries case 21,354, Sotheby's 2022 lot 13 carries 21,442, and Antiquorum's 2025 Geneva lot 377 carries 21,644. A second band runs 85,9xx–86,0xx (Sotheby's 2019 lot 178 at 85,972; Sotheby's 2025 lot 336 at 86,033), with Bulang documenting an 988,xxx pre-reset 1955 example outside both bands. Rolex's 1954 serial reset from 999,999 back to 10,000 explains the apparent gap between bands. Bulang is the only source to publish a hard production figure — about 810 examples — and that single-source estimate has not been corroborated by the auction houses or by Foulkes (2024), which gives 2,881 for the 6204 but does not break the 6205 out separately.
+Two case-number bands document the production. Earliest examples sit in the 21,3xx–21,6xx range — Phillips lot 54 carries case 21,354, Sotheby's 2022 lot 13 carries 21,442, and Antiquorum's 2025 Geneva lot 377 carries 21,644. A second band runs 85,9xx–86,0xx (Sotheby's 2019 lot 178 at 85,972; Sotheby's 2025 lot 336 at 86,033), with a dealer-documented 988,xxx pre-reset 1955 example outside both bands. Rolex's 1954 serial reset from 999,999 back to 10,000 explains the apparent gap between bands. A single dealer listing is the only source to publish a hard production figure — about 810 examples — and that estimate has not been corroborated by the auction houses or by Foulkes (2024), which gives 2,881 for the 6204 but does not break the 6205 out separately.
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