Rolex Submariner 16808
Submariner → 16808
The Submariner Date 16808 is the 18k yellow-gold member of the five-digit generation introduced alongside the steel 16800. Its 40mm case uses a sapphire crystal, a 300m depth rating and calibre 3035 with quick-set date. Christie’s and Tom Mulraney date the reference from about 1979 to 1987. The Field Manual gives 1977 in its text but 1979–1987 in its own reference table, so surviving dated examples support a circa-1979 start more clearly than a precise factory launch date.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 16808
|
| family | Submariner Date |
| production | circa 1979–1987 in Tom Mulraney and Christie’s; Field Manual text gives 1977 while its table gives 1979–1987 |
| movement | calibre 3035, quick-set date, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph |
| case | 18k yellow gold, commonly catalogued at 40mm |
| crystal | sapphire with Cyclops date magnifier |
| water resistance | 300m / 1,000ft |
| bezel | rotating gold bezel with blue or black aluminum insert |
| dial colors | blue or black, commonly paired with a matching insert |
| markers and lume | nipple-style gold markers on some dials; flatter luminous markers also documented; tritium on catalogued examples |
| bracelet | 18k gold Oyster; 9958 bracelet and 92908 clasp stamp appear on documented examples |
| predecessor | Submariner Date 1680/8 |
| successor | Submariner Date 16618, introduced around 1988 |
Place in the line
The 16808 replaced the gold 1680/8 and arrived with sapphire crystal and calibre 3035. It ran alongside the steel 16800; the two-tone Rolesor 16803 followed around 1984. The 16618 carried the full-gold Submariner Date into the 3135 generation around 1988.
The 16808 shares much of the 16800’s case and movement design. Tom Mulraney notes that the inside caseback is stamped 16800; Phillips records the same stamp on one 16808 lot. Treat that as a documented feature of the family, then assess the caseback and its fit on the individual watch.
Production outline
Tom Mulraney and Christie’s place the 16808 around 1979–1987. The Field Manual’s table gives the same span, while its running text says “Launched in 1977.” Auction records add dated examples: Christie’s catalogues case 6,412,142 as circa 1979 with a guarantee dated August 1982; Phillips dates case 6,667,544 to circa 1981; and Sotheby’s dates case 9,623,728 to circa 1987. Catalogue dates are estimates for those watches, not a serial-year conversion for every 16808.
The bezel insert came in blue or black aluminum, usually paired with a dial of the same color. Tom Mulraney dates the move to a ratcheting unidirectional bezel on the steel 16800 to around 1981. For the gold 16808, date the bezel feature from the individual watch; the 16800’s 1981 change supplies context, not a serial cutoff.
Movement notes
Calibre 3035 is an automatic date movement with quick-set date, 27 jewels and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The current Movement reference lists 48 hours of power reserve. The 16618 replaced it with calibre 3135.
Dial map
Blue and black dials
The 16808 is documented with blue or black dials and matching blue or black bezel inserts. The markers are applied gold. Early examples use nipple-style markers, with a raised gold center around a luminous plot; flatter luminous markers also appear in the reference’s documented run. Tom Mulraney describes that marker change, while Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-1987 nipple-dial example. The dated examples place both styles in the production run, without a secure serial cutoff between them.
Auction catalogues identify tritium on these dials. The reviewed examples carry tritium markings. Check the lume on each dial, especially where service parts may have been fitted.
Color-change dials
Auction catalogues describe blue dials that aged to brown. Sotheby’s calls the circa-1987 case 9,623,728 a tropical blue dial and says it turned brown; Monaco Legend describes similar brown change on its 1982 example. Sellers sometimes call purple-looking examples violet or purple. Those color names describe appearance; the auction records trace the examples to blue dials that changed with age.
Case, bezel, crystal and crown
The 18k yellow-gold Oyster case measures about 40mm in most catalogues. Antiquorum recorded a circa-1981 example at 39mm, so catalogue measurements vary by a millimeter. The watch has crown guards, a screw-down Triplock crown, a sapphire crystal and a rotating bezel with an aluminum insert. The dial states 1,000ft=300m on documented examples.
The inside caseback stamp 16800 appears on a Phillips-catalogued 16808 and is also noted by Tom Mulraney. Some watch components may have been replaced during service; assess the case, caseback, movement and papers as separate evidence.
Bracelet and clasp
Gold Oyster bracelets appear on the catalogued watches. An archived circa-1980 listing records a 9958 bracelet with 46 end links. Phillips records a circa-1981 example with clasp stamp 92908 and end links marked 46. Tom Mulraney describes hollow end links on this generation before the later solid-end-link Submariners. Check the hardware and records on each watch; these lots do not establish a universal fitment sequence.
Inspect each bracelet for play and wear. A clasp code dates the clasp or bracelet, not the watch head. Boxes, guarantees and booklets in auction descriptions belong to those lots and should be checked against the watch’s own serial and provenance.
Auction record
Each auction description dates and characterizes its own lot; together, the entries show examples across the run rather than a complete production ledger.
| catalogue | example | recorded details |
|---|---|---|
| Christie’s, case 6,412,142 | circa 1979 | black nipple dial, 40mm case, gold Oyster bracelet; guarantee dated 10 August 1982 |
| Christie’s, case 7,066,758 | circa 1981 | blue dial and bezel, calibre 3035 with 27 jewels, 40mm, gold Oyster bracelet |
| Phillips, case 6,667,544 | circa 1981 | calibre 3035/27 jewels, 40mm, bracelet clasp 92908, end links 46; inside caseback stamped 16800 |
| Monaco Legend, case 7,538,212 | 1982 | blue nipple dial described as tropical brown, calibre 3035, 40mm, box and papers listed |
| Sotheby’s, case 9,623,728 | circa 1987 | tropical blue nipple dial described as turned brown, calibre 3035/27 jewels, 40mm |
| Antiquorum, case 6,516,672 | circa 1981 | colour-change dial, calibre 3035/27 jewels, 39mm; non-original box |
Related references
See also Submariner family guide, Movement reference, Bracelet and clasp guide and Serial numbers.
Gallery
-
Submariner Date 16808, yellow gold -
Blue nipple dial and applied markers -
Gold case and Triplock crown -
Calibre 3035
Sources
- Tom Mulraney, "History of the Rolex Submariner – Part 3, The 5-Digit References", 2020-08-20
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- "Submariner ref. 16808, case 6,412,142, circa 1979", Christie’s
- "Submariner ref. 16808, case 6,667,544, circa 1981", Phillips
- "Submariner ref. 16808, case 7,066,758, circa 1981", Christie’s
- "Submariner ref. 16808, tropical nipple dial, circa 1987", Sotheby’s, 2021
- "Submariner ref. 16808, blue tropical nipple dial, case 7,538,212", Monaco Legend Auctions
- "Submariner ref. 16808, colour-change dial, case 6,516,672", Antiquorum, 2026-05-10
- "Submariner ref. 16808, black nipple dial, circa 1980", Lunar Oyster