Rolex 16803 Submariner
Submariner → 16803
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.
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
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 |
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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)