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Reference:1680: Difference between revisions

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|title=Rolex Submariner Date 1680 — BezelBase
|title=Rolex Submariner Date 1680 — BezelBase
|description=The 1680 is the first Submariner with a date window. That one change creates the whole Submariner Date branch that later becomes the more commercially important half of the line.
|description=The 1680 is the first Submariner with a date window. That one change creates the whole Submariner Date branch that later becomes the more commercially important half of the line.
}}


<small>[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] → '''1680'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] → '''1680'''</small>
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=== Printing pad wear and dial variation ===
=== Printing pad wear and dial variation ===


Forum research has identified a specific mechanical cause for much of the variation between Marks: printing pad wear. The pads used to transfer text onto dials degraded with use, subtly changing letter thickness, spacing, and definition over the course of a production batch. Some of the differences collectors classify as distinct Marks may reflect the progressive wear of a single printing tool rather than a deliberate design change. The insight does not invalidate the Mark taxonomy (the visual differences are real and useful for identification) but it reframes them as partly a manufacturing artifact rather than purely intentional revisions.
Forum research ties much of the mark drift to printing-pad wear. As the transfer pads wore down, letter thickness, spacing, and edge definition changed through a batch. Some differences collectors treat as separate marks may be wear from one tool rather than a planned dial revision. The taxonomy still works. It just does not always map to deliberate factory changes.


The meters-first versus feet-first transition happened during the Red Sub era. Early dials read “200m = 660ft”; later dials read “660ft = 200m.” This divide roughly splits the Marks into two groups and matters to collectors because meters-first examples are scarcer and earlier.
The meters-first versus feet-first transition happened during the Red Sub era. Early dials read “200m = 660ft”; later dials read “660ft = 200m.” This divide roughly splits the Marks into two groups and matters to collectors because meters-first examples are scarcer and earlier.
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'''Mark II''' (about 2.2M–2.45M, simultaneous with Mark III). Meters first. Red lettering is printed on a white background layer, the same method as Mark I. The “6” is open. The font is thinner than Mark III and the “F” is longer. Dials appear in black and brown (tropical). The key to separating Mark II from Mark III is the printing method. A visible white underlayer beneath the red lettering means Mark II.
'''Mark II''' (about 2.2M–2.45M, simultaneous with Mark III). Meters first. Red lettering is printed on a white background layer, the same method as Mark I. The “6” is open. The font is thinner than Mark III and the “F” is longer. Dials appear in black and brown (tropical). The key to separating Mark II from Mark III is the printing method. A visible white underlayer beneath the red lettering means Mark II.


'''Mark III''' (about 2.2M–2.45M, simultaneous with Mark II). Meters first. Red lettering is printed directly on the dial surface, with no white underlayer. The “6” is open. The font is thicker than Mark II and the “F” is shorter. Dials appear in black and brown (tropical). The two Marks are genuinely simultaneous; factory records do not establish which came first, and serial numbers alone cannot separate them. Lerman has suggested calling them Mark IIa and Mark IIb to avoid implying a sequence. Under good light or magnification, the distinction is the printing method. White beneath the red means Mark II; red directly on the surface means Mark III.
'''Mark III''' (about 2.2M–2.45M, simultaneous with Mark II). Still meters first. The red text is printed directly on the dial, without the white underlayer seen on Mark II. The “6” is open, the font is generally heavier, and the “F” is shorter. Black and tropical brown examples are both documented. The important point is overlap: serial alone will not split Mark II from Mark III. The print stack does. White beneath the red points to Mark II; red on the dial surface points to Mark III.


'''Mark IV''' (about 2.45M–3.xM serials, produced 1972–1973). The earliest feet-first dial. Red “Submariner” text is printed on a white underlayer, and the white base is visible at the edges under magnification. The “6” in “660” is widely open. The first “E” in “Chronometer” aligns vertically with “D” in “Certified.” The “F” in “Ft” has an angular design. The Rolex crown oval opening is pointed with low branch bases. Bright red color intensity.
'''Mark IV''' (about 2.45M–3.xM serials, produced 1972–1973). The earliest feet-first dial. Red “Submariner” text is printed on a white underlayer, and the white base is visible at the edges under magnification. The “6” in “660” is widely open. The first “E” in “Chronometer” aligns vertically with “D” in “Certified.” The “F” in “Ft” has an angular design. The Rolex crown oval opening is pointed with low branch bases. Bright red color intensity.
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Luminova service dials are the fourth. Rolex installed these during servicing when the original was damaged. They read only SWISS at the bottom (no depth rating), and the lume glows bright Luminova rather than dim aged tritium. The dial is an authorized Rolex part, but the watch’s identity as a Red Sub is gone. Do not pay a Red Sub premium for a Luminova service dial.
Luminova service dials are the fourth. Rolex installed these during servicing when the original was damaged. They read only SWISS at the bottom (no depth rating), and the lume glows bright Luminova rather than dim aged tritium. The dial is an authorized Rolex part, but the watch’s identity as a Red Sub is gone. Do not pay a Red Sub premium for a Luminova service dial.


Red-to-white dial replacement during RSC service is the fifth, and the most consequential for buyers of white-dial 1680s. Rolex Service Centers have routinely replaced red-text dials with white-text service dials during maintenance. A 1680 wearing a white dial may originally have been a Red Sub whose dial was swapped during authorized service. The serial number and caseback can help identify whether a white-dial 1680 falls within the Red Sub production range; if it does, the white dial may be a service replacement rather than a factory original. This practice has reduced the surviving population of original red dials and is one reason unserviced Red Subs command such strong premiums.
Red-to-white service replacement matters more than any other dial swap on the 1680. During service, Rolex often replaced red-text dials with white-text service dials. That means a white-dial 1680 in the right serial and caseback range may have started life as a Red Sub. It helps explain why original red dials are scarcer than production totals suggest, and why untouched Red Subs command such strong premiums.


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