Reference:16803

Submariner → 16803

Rolex Submariner Date 16803 with blue dial

The 16803 was the first two-tone Submariner Date, pairing a steel case and bracelet with 18k yellow-gold details. Sources place its introduction around 1983–1985; the 16613 followed around 1988. The 16803 uses caliber 3035 and is documented with blue or black dials. Early examples have raised “nipple” markers.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	16803
family	Submariner Date
production	approximately 1983–1988; published chronologies differ on both endpoints
movement	caliber 3035, quick-set date, 28,800 vph
case	40mm, stainless steel and 18k yellow gold
crystal	sapphire with Cyclops
water resistance	300m
bezel	unidirectional, gold surround, blue or black aluminum insert
dial	blue or black; tritium on period examples
bracelet	two-tone Oyster ref. 93153 documented
successor	16613, introduced around 1988 with caliber 3135

Where it sits in the line

The 16803 joined the steel 16800 and full-gold 16808 in the five-digit Submariner Date generation. It brought the steel-and-gold Rolesor combination to the Submariner; the earlier 1680/8 was solid gold. The 16803 shares the generation’s sapphire crystal, 300m rating and caliber 3035.

Production outline

Published chronologies place the 16803’s introduction between about 1983 and 1985, with production ending around 1987 or 1988. Commit Ginza dates it to 1983–1988; Monochrome gives circa 1984–1987. Antiquorum dates two examples to circa 1986 and circa 1988. The production span is approximate.

Movement notes

The 16803 uses caliber 3035, an automatic date movement with quick-set adjustment and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The 16800 and 16808 use the same caliber. Rolex introduced caliber 3135 in the 16613 around 1988.

Dial map

Blue and black are the documented standard dial colors. Early dials have raised nipple markers; later examples use flatter applied markers with larger luminous centers. Commit Ginza documents the change and illustrates both forms. Blue dials can shift toward violet with age, though color alone cannot establish how a particular dial changed.

Bob’s Watches lists champagne and slate Serti dials with diamond and sapphire markers among the 16803’s options. Commit Ginza discusses gem-set dials in its account of the later 16613. The 16803 attribution rests on secondary descriptions, so treat a specific example as a variant claim that needs dial-level documentation.

Period dials use tritium. Check the dial and hands on an individual watch; service parts may differ from the original set.

Black-dial 16803

Case and bezel

The 40mm case combines stainless steel with 18k yellow gold. It has crown guards, a sapphire crystal with a Cyclops over the date, and a unidirectional bezel with a blue or black aluminum insert set in a gold surround. Published descriptions identify the 16803’s 300m rating and Triplock crown.

Antiquorum’s photographs of three watches catalogued as 16803 show “16800” stamped inside the caseback. Monochrome records the same inside marking on a 16808. The documented examples point to a shared family caseback marking; that stamp alone does not identify the reference.

Bracelet

The two-tone Oyster ref. 93153 is documented on a 16803. Antiquorum’s 2025 catalogue identifies one example with 493 end links. The bracelet’s end links are hollow. A clasp code dates the clasp, not the watch head, and bracelets may have been replaced during service.

Documented modification

Eric Wind, writing at Wind Vintage, describes a circa-1985 16803 with a case hand-carved by John Bull watchmaker Günter Miethe. Its owner had the original dial refinished metallic green. This is a modified individual watch, not evidence of a factory green dial or case variant.

Auction record

Auction and lot	Catalogued details
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 25 April 2021, lot 216	Blue dial; circa 1986; caliber 3035; two-tone bracelet. Catalogue
Antiquorum, Forte dei Marmi, 24 June 2022, lot 129	Blue dial described as “virated”; circa 1988; caliber 3035. Catalogue
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 30 November 2025, lot 234	Circa 1980s; caliber 3035; bracelet ref. 93153 with 493 end links. Catalogue

• 
  Blue-dial 16803
• 
  Black-dial 16803

Related references

• Submariner 16800 (steel, caliber 3035)
• Submariner 16808 (full gold, caliber 3035)
• Submariner 16613 (two-tone successor, caliber 3135)
• Submariner family index
• Movement reference
• Serial numbers by year

Sources

• Tom Mulraney, “History of the Rolex Submariner – Part 3, The 5-Digit References,” Monochrome
• “Watch Anatomy Vol. 25: Submariner Date (Ref. 16803, 16613),” Commit Ginza
• “Rolex Submariner 16803 Review: Buying and Collecting Guide,” Bob’s Watches
• “Rolex Submariner Reference Guide,” Professional Watches
• “Rolex John Bull Submariner Reference 16803 Two Tone,” Wind Vintage
• Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2021 lot 216; Forte dei Marmi 2022 lot 129; Hong Kong 2025 lot 234 (linked above)