Reference:6205

Submariner › 6205

Rolex 6205 Submariner

The 6205 is the second small-crown Submariner, produced in 1954–55. Its documented examples include a clean-dial series with pencil hands and a later series with “Submariner” text and Mercedes hands. Sources differ on whether the 6200, the 6205, or both should receive credit for introducing the Mercedes hand; this page records the disagreement rather than treating it as settled.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	6205
family	Submariner
production	1954–1955 in the auction and specialist sources; wider estimates extend to 1953–56
total produced	approximately 810 in one specialist estimate; not independently confirmed
case	37mm
crown	6mm (Mulraney/Monochrome late-series); 5.3mm; the 6mm and 5.3mm figures coexist in the literature
crown markings	Rolex coronet with the "+" Swiss-made sub-mark
movement	caliber A260, 19 jewels (carried over from 6204)
depth rating	100m; the original 6205 dials documented here do not show depth-rating text
hands	pencil with lollipop seconds (Series 1) → Mercedes with lollipop seconds (Series 2)
crown guards	none
crystal	acrylic

Where it sits in the line

The 6205 follows the 6204 on the small-crown branch. Both use a no-crown-guard case and caliber A260. The 6205 adds a clean-dial series and a later Mercedes-hand series; the 5508, 5510, and 6538 followed as the range expanded into separate small- and big-crown forms.

Published examples fall into an early 21,3xx–21,6xx band and a later 85,9xx–86,0xx band, with one pre-reset 988,xxx example also reported. The 1954 serial reset is one explanation for the gap, but these lots do not form a complete factory register. A specialist estimate of about 810 watches is not corroborated by the auction houses or by Foulkes’s separate 6204 figure, so it remains an estimate.

Production outline

The 6205 ran for about a year. Auction and specialist sources place production in 1954–55. One specialist chronology extends the window to 1953–56, while broader reference pages give a wider range. Foulkes’s Oyster Perpetual Submariner places the 6204, 6200, and 6205 around the 1954 Basel launch, with the 6204 first.

Published examples can be grouped into two series. Series 1 (early 1954) carries a clean dial without "Submariner" text, pencil hands, and a lollipop seconds hand inherited from the 6204. Series 2 (still 1954, into 1955) brings "Submariner" back to the dial and introduces Mercedes hands paired with the same lollipop seconds. Monochrome's 2020 Submariner history (referencing Eric Wind) makes the Series 1 / Series 2 framing explicit; Erik Gustafson's 2018 survey and Le Monde Edmond (2014) corroborate that pencil-hand examples exist; the cited sources do not establish a population count. Logan Baker's 2024 Phillips article complicates the Mercedes-hand claim by crediting both the 6200 and the 6205 with the introduction; the sources agree that 6200 and 6205 ran concurrently in 1954 and both adopted Mercedes hands, with the 6205 sometimes treated as first, sometimes joint-first.

Movement notes

The documented 6205 movement is caliber A260, the 19-jewel automatic also used in the 6204. One auction catalogue lists a different caliber and jewel count, while other 6205 records, including the 2025 Geneva lot, identify A260. That outlier should be treated as a catalogue discrepancy or an individual service history, not as a standard 6205 variant.

A260 belongs to the early automatic family shared by the 6204 and 6205. Later service work can introduce another caliber, so a movement number that does not match the case and period requires inspection rather than an automatic reference reassignment.

Dial map

The documented 6205 dials in this research set are glossy black gilt, with gold-toned printing on a black lacquer ground. The original examples reviewed here do not show depth-rating text. Honeycomb texture is mentioned in general early-Submariner discussions, but no 6205 example in the source set establishes it as a standard variant.

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  Gilt dial with applied markers
• 
  6205 dial and bezel close-up

Clean dial (Series 1, no Submariner text)

The earliest 6205s carry a gilt dial without the "Submariner" wording. Antiquorum's Geneva 2025 lot 377-180 carries a no-Submariner-text reprinted dial in case 21,644 and sold for CHF 16,250. Phillips Game Changers 2019 lot 54 (case 21,354) is a documented original-condition Series 1 example: pencil hands paired with lollipop seconds, no "Submariner" text on the dial. Monochrome's 2020 Submariner history attributes the removal of the wording to "reasons unknown"; collector speculation has pointed at trademark timing, with no primary-source confirmation.

Submariner-signed dial with Mercedes hands (Series 2)

The Series 2 dial puts "Submariner" back above the centre post, in the same gilt construction over a glossy black lacquer ground. The Mercedes hour hand pairs with a baton minute hand and the same lollipop seconds carried over from Series 1. Logan Baker's 2024 Phillips article notes the early Mercedes hour hand reads markedly longer than later versions — a "first iteration" silhouette that distinguishes Series 2 6205s from later 5508 / 5512 / 5513 hand sets. Sotheby's 2022 lot 13 (case 21,442) documents Mercedes hands paired with a stretch riveted Oyster bracelet on a low-movement-number example; Sotheby's 2019 lot 178 (case 85,972) and Sotheby's 2025 lot 336 (case 86,033, restored by Rolex Atelier de Restauration in 2023) document later-numbered Series 2 examples.

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  6205 smooth screw-down caseback
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  6205 Submariner-signed dial without depth rating

Signed dial with chapter ring

A subset of Series 2 dials adds a chapter ring — the minute-track ring printed around the dial perimeter. Specialist documentation records a 1955 example with a gilt chapter-ring "Submariner" dial paired with the Mercedes hour hand and a 7206/80 bracelet (clasp 1 55). One specialist-documented 1954 example carries a chapter-ring "Submariner only" dial paired with a red-triangle bezel insert. Treat chapter-ring presence as variant-dependent within Series 2 rather than universal.

Tropical gilt and Atelier-restored

Some 6205 gilt dials have shifted toward brown, a condition collectors call tropical. Sotheby’s 2025 lot 336 records a 2023 Atelier de Restauration service, while Antiquorum’s 2025 lot 377 records a re-lumed, reprinted dial. These are separate condition and service histories, not a ranking of every 6205.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The 6205 case measures about 37mm without the crown, with a reported 47mm lug-to-lug span. It retains the no-crown-guard architecture and acrylic crystal of the early Submariner family. Series 1 examples are documented with no-hash inserts; a specialist-documented 1954 example has a red-triangle insert with the 12 o’clock marker filled in red enamel. Insert fitment should be checked on the individual watch.

Sources give the crown as about 6mm or 5.3mm, so the measurement should be treated as source-dependent. The crown carries the Rolex coronet with the "+" sub-mark in the documented examples. The caseback is smooth on the exterior, with the reference and case number inside; individual caseback markings still need inspection.

A small group of 6205 cases carry a "stainless steel" engraving between the lugs at the 12 o'clock position. A single catalogued example, inventory #5080, is the canonical published record. The engraving is uncommon and does not represent a standard 6205 feature.

• 
  Small crown case profile, no crown guards
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  Domed crystal and bezel, top view

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Published examples show different period-correct bracelet combinations. An early 21,3xx–21,6xx example has a Gay Frères stretch-riveted Oyster with end links marked 64 or 65; later examples are recorded with 7206 riveted bracelets and 80 end pieces. These observations date the bracelet or clasp, not necessarily the original delivery.

A specialist-documented 1954 example wears a USA C+I rivet bracelet with an 11/80 clasp and 1-61 date code. That later clasp is evidence of later fitment, not original delivery. A clasp code dates the clasp; it does not date the watch head.

Rivet bracelet and case-flank detail

Historical market and auction record

Sale	Lot	Year	Serial	Variant	Hammer
Phillips Game Changers NY	54	2019	21,354	pencil hands, no-Submariner dial, riveted Oyster end-link 65	USD 162,500
Sotheby's Important Watches NY	178	2019	85,972	Mercedes, gilt no depth	est. USD 20,000–30,000
Sotheby's Watches Online 3	45	2020	85,972	Mercedes + large seconds, no Submariner text noted	est. USD 20,000–30,000
Sotheby's Fine Watches	13	2022	21,442	Mercedes + lollipop, gilt gloss	est. GBP 10,000–20,000
Sotheby's Important Watches Part II	288	2024	21,465	gilt black; movement catalogued cal. 765 (likely error)	est. CHF 10,000–30,000
Sotheby's Important Watches II	336	2025	86,033	Atelier de Restauration 2023 restoration	est. CHF 40,000–80,000
Antiquorum Geneva	377	2025	21,644	re-lumed reprinted dial, A260 19j	CHF 16,250

The sale records show a wide range of condition and service history. Phillips’s pencil-hand 21,354 example sold for USD 162,500. Antiquorum’s 2025 Geneva lot 377, described as re-lumed and reprinted, sold for CHF 16,250 against a CHF 5,000–10,000 estimate. These are individual results, not a price band for the reference. Mercedes hands continued on the 5508, 5512, and 5513.

Related references

• Submariner 6200: "King Sub", big crown (1953–1956)
• Submariner 6204: 1953–1954
• Submariner 6536: early gilt, no crown guards (1955–1958)
• Submariner 5510: big crown, caliber 1530 (1957–1958)
• Submariner 6538: big crown (1956–1959)
• Submariner 5508: 1957–1961

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

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  6205 small-crown Submariner
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  Gilt dial detail
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  Submariner-signed dial without depth rating
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  Small-crown case and bezel profile
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  Riveted bracelet and case flank

Sources

• Rolex Submariner models — official 1969 Submariner Date introduction and 200m/660ft chronology
• History of the Rolex Submariner — Part 1, The Early References — Tom Mulraney (Monochrome, 2020)
• In-Depth Review: 6205 Submariner Rolex — Edmond Saran (Le Monde Edmond, 2014)
• A Very-Early Diver: Rolex 6205 Submariner — Erik Gustafson (Hairspring, 2018)
• Rolex Submariner Reference 6205 — Eric Wind (Wind Vintage)
• Reference Points: Understanding The Rolex Submariner — Stephen Pulvirent (Hodinkee, 2019)
• Rolex Reference 6205 — Lot 54, Game Changers NY (Phillips, 2019)
• Reference 6205 Small Crown Submariner — Watches Online 3 lot 45 (Sotheby's, 2020)
• Submariner Ref. 6205 — Fine Watches lot 13 (Sotheby's, 2022)
• Submariner Reference 6205 — Important Watches II lot 336 (Sotheby's, 2025)
• Rolex Ref. 6205 Submariner — Antiquorum Geneva lot 377 (Antiquorum, 2025)
• Rolex 6205 Submariner with Patina at its Best — Philipp Stahl (Rolex Passion Report, 2017)
• 1955 Rolex Submariner 6205 (Tropical Watch)
• 1954 Rolex Submariner 6205 Red Triangle (HQ Milton)
• Rolex Submariner 6205 Small Crown 'First Submariner'
• Rolex 6205 Submariner — earliest configuration (OBW Collection)
• Submariner 6205 from 1954 (RolexHaven)
• In-Depth: A Review of Vintage Rolex Submariners with 'Explorer' Dials — Logan Baker (Phillips, 2024)
• Quantifying the Early Rolex Submariner (Goldammer, 2024)
• Oyster Perpetual Submariner: The Watch That Unlocked the Deep — Nicholas Foulkes (Wallpaper / ACC Art Books, 2024)
• The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra