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Rolex 16800 Submariner


Submariner › 16800

Rolex 16800 Submariner
Rolex 16800 Submariner

The 16800 is the transitional Submariner Date. Introduced around 1979 as the successor to the 1680, it arrived with three changes that would define the modern Submariner: a sapphire crystal (the first ever fitted to a Submariner), a 300m depth rating up from 200m, and a quick-set date via caliber 3035. Production ran until about 1988, when the 16610 took over for the next 23 years, with the brief 168000 “Triple Zero” slotted in between.

The sapphire crystal is the clearest visible break from the earlier Submariner references. The 1680, 5513, and 6538 used acrylic; later Submariner generations adopted sapphire.

Core facts

detail value
production approximately 1979 to 1988
family Submariner Date
crystal sapphire : first on any Submariner (landmark specification change)
water resistance 300m / 1000ft (up from 200m on the 1680)
case 40mm Oyster with crown guards
crown Triplock
movement caliber 3035, quick-set date and hacking
bracelet 93150 with 593 end links (the 501B end links belong to the 168000, not the 16800)
dial matte (early, tritium) transitioning to gloss (later)
lume tritium throughout
date wheel silver with open 6s and 9s (period-correct); RSC service replacements use closed 6/9 white date wheels
steel 316L stainless (the 168000 introduced 904L)
bezel action unidirectional ratcheting in documented 16800 descriptions; earlier references generally used friction bezels

Where it sits in the line

The 16800 bridges the earlier acrylic-crystal Submariners and the later 16610 generation. Its sapphire crystal, 300m rating, and caliber 3035 changed the technical specification while the case remained recognizably familiar.

The lineage through this period:

  • 1680 (1966–1979): acrylic crystal, 200m, caliber 1575/1570
  • 16800 (1979–1988): sapphire crystal, 300m, caliber 3035 (this reference)
  • 168000 “Triple Zero” (1986–1987, transitional): first 904L steel, 501B end links
  • 16610 (1989–2010): caliber 3135, fully modern

The two-tone and gold siblings, 16803 and 16808, share the same case architecture and movement but are separate references.

Production outline

The 16800 ran from roughly 1979 to 1988. The useful production divisions are the matte-to-gloss dial change and the short overlap with the 168000; auction catalogues describe the 16800 with caliber 3035.

Caliber 3035

Auction catalogues and the specialist references checked for this page identify the 16800 with caliber 3035, which brought the quick-set date and hacking seconds to the Submariner Date. A watch described as a factory 16800 with caliber 1575 needs movement, case, and delivery evidence; the reference number alone does not establish that configuration.

End of run: transition to 168000 and 16610

Around 1986–1987, production of the brief 168000 “Triple Zero” overlapped with the late 16800. The 168000 ran for about seven to nine months and is distinguished by its switch to 904L stainless steel (vs. 316L on the 16800) and its 501B end links (vs. 593 on the 16800). Some sources treat the 168000 as a late 16800 variant; others document it as a distinct reference. Either way, its production preceded the 16610.

Sources generally place the 168000 in 1986–1987; one collector study narrows it to a roughly seven-month 1987 run. Rolex has not published a serial-linked production calendar, so the year remains an approximate dating aid.

The 168000 “Triple Zero” transition

The name comes from the three consecutive zeros in the reference number. The transition is generally described as a short run of about seven to nine months and introduced 904L steel to the Submariner case. Mechanically the watch is a late 16800, caliber 3035 and all; the 16610 that followed upgraded to caliber 3135.

Movement notes

Caliber 3035 is the movement identified for the 16800 in the auction and specialist material reviewed here. It beats at 28,800 vph (4 Hz), has a quick-set date and hacking seconds, and is generally described with an approximately 42-hour power reserve. The movement number and service history should be checked on the individual watch.

The 3035 also appears in the Datejust 16000 series and other Rolex date references of the period, including the 16803 and 16808. The reference number does not establish interchangeability of cases or parts.

The white-gold hands on the 16800 tend to take on a slightly more yellow cast than on modern Submariners, a characteristic of the alloy and of aging from this era.

Cal. 3035 known maintenance issue

Watchmaker discussions identify the automatic winding axle and its upper jewel as service points on caliber 3035. Dried lubricant or wear can produce rotor play or binding, but the condition of an individual movement must be checked rather than assumed from age alone.

Dial map

 
Gloss dial with white gold surrounds

Matte dials are associated with earlier production and gloss dials with later examples. Both are documented under the 16800 reference; service replacements can change the dial on an individual watch.

The matte-to-gloss transition happened during the 16800 run. Vintage Rolex Forum collectors place the changeover zone at about serial 8.4M to 8.6M, where both matte and gloss dials appear. Watches below 8.4M are predominantly matte, and watches above 8.6M are predominantly gloss. These boundaries are collector-derived approximations, not factory records.

A VRF matte dial comparison chart documents visible variations across the matte production run at serials 6.4M, 7.1M, 7.2M (also appearing at 8.3M), and 8.2M, with subtle differences in font weight, text spacing, and coronet proportions. One VRF member confirmed a matte dial still present at serial 8.275M and another at the end of the 8.3M range, which puts matte dials in use through the whole 8.3M band. Gloss dials on very early serial examples may be service replacements, but serial range alone cannot prove the replacement history.

The period-correct date wheel is silver with open 6s and 9s. RSC service replacements from about 1998 onward use a white date wheel with closed 6s and 9s. A closed-6/9 date wheel on a 16800 is a service indicator.

VRF threads also document service replacements in which matte dials were exchanged for gloss dials. A 16800 wearing a gloss dial in the earlier matte serial range may therefore have a later service dial. When evaluating an early-serial 16800, compare the dial type with serial context and documented service history. Originality and condition affect any market assessment.

Spider dials

 
Spider dial : lacquer crazing

Spider is collector shorthand for cracking in the gloss finish of some 16800 dials. The dial, printing, lume, and service history should be inspected to distinguish original aging from refinishing or replacement.

Tropical dials

Some black 16800 dials are described as tropical after changing toward brown. Color change does not by itself establish originality or cause; the individual dial needs inspection.

General dial notes

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    Late 8.3M matte dial detail
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    Late 8.3M serial matte dial
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    Matte dial variations across serial ranges

Lume is tritium throughout. Dial markings show T SWISS T or T<25 depending on production date. Hands on this reference commonly age to a different color than the dial lume plots, a characteristic tritium-era aging pattern.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

 
Detail view

The case retains the 40mm crown-guard Oyster form while adopting a flat sapphire crystal. Sapphire is more scratch-resistant than acrylic, but it can still be damaged or replaced.

The bezel uses an aluminum insert, black with a luminous pearl at 12; the same insert style continued through the 16610 era. The depth rating reads 300m / 1000ft, printed on the dial. The 16800 predates the engraved rehaut; its depth rating is printed on the dial. The crown is Triplock.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

The 16800 was fitted with the 93150 Oyster bracelet on 593 end links. The documented 93150/593 fitment uses hollow end links and a fold-out diver extension. The 501B end link is associated with the 168000 in the cited reference material; a 501B on a 16800 requires an individual fitment and service-history review.

Against a modern Submariner the 16800 keeps drilled lug holes for spring-bar tool access, and it has neither the engraved Rolex ring on the inner dial flange (rehaut) nor the laser-etched coronet on the crystal. Successor references added all three.

Clasps on the 93150 carry date codes that help date the bracelet, not the watch head. A later clasp does not change the production date of the watch.

Three box configurations are documented across the 16800 run. The earliest boxes are the American horseshoe style; mid-production examples carry the Brettchen box with its sea-bottom motif; late production shipped in the tree-pattern box with a beige envelope.

Two booklet types are documented: a dark-cover Submariner booklet (earlier) and a newer-style diver booklet with “Submariner” written in white (later). Warranty papers also came in two formats across the production run. Box, papers, and booklet contents belong to the individual delivery set and should be checked against the watch's serial and provenance.

Special branches

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    Rolex brochure : 16808 and 16800
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    1985 Rolex ad : Breadalbane Arctic search
  •  
    Rolex ad : Tim Severin expedition

COMEX

Auction and specialist records describe approximately 300 numbered 16800s supplied to COMEX between 1982 and 1986. These watches carry COMEX dial and caseback markings; both matte and gloss configurations are documented.

Specialist and auction records describe COMEX 16800 dials with detached or damaged applied COMEX markings and later service replacements. Some watches now carry a tritium COMEX dial associated with the 16610; that possibility must be checked against the individual dial, case, movement, and service record. A period-correct replacement is not the same as an original 16800 delivery configuration.

Historical market and auction record

The auction and specialist record distinguishes early matte, later gloss, COMEX, and 168000 examples. Condition, originality, provenance, and parts fitment affect each result; no general premium is asserted here.

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    16800 hero
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    Gloss dial
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    Spider dial
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    Matte dial detail
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    Matte dial
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    Matte dial variation chart
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    Case detail
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    Rolex brochure
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    1985 Rolex advertisement
  •  
    Rolex expedition advertisement

Related references

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

Sources

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