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| {{#seo:
| | #REDIRECT [[Reference:6536]] |
| |title=Rolex 6536/1 — BezelBase
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| |description=The 6536/1 is the clearest documented thin-case small-crown Submariner of the late 1950s. Where the broader 6536 family can feel blurry, this is the…
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| |keywords=Rolex, 6536/1, Submariner, specifications, reference guide
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| |type=article
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| }}
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| <small>[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] → '''6536/1'''</small>
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| The 6536/1 is the clearest documented thin-case small-crown Submariner of the late 1950s. Where the broader 6536 family can feel blurry, this is the branch that sharpens it back up.
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| <span id="core-facts"></span>
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| == Core facts ==
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |-
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| ! detail
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| ! value
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| |-
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| | reference
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| | 6536/1
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| |-
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| | family
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| | Submariner
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| |-
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| | production
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| | late 1950s
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| |-
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| | case
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| | thin-case, small-crown
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| |-
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| | movement
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| | caliber 1030
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| |-
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| | depth rating
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| | 100m
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| |-
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| | date
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| | none
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| |-
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| | crown guards
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| | none
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| |-
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| | crystal
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| | acrylic
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| |}
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| <span id="where-it-sits-in-the-line"></span>
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| == Where it sits in the line ==
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| The 6536/1 sits on the small-crown side of the split that runs opposite the big-crown 6538. It is a sub-variant of the 6536 parent reference, sharing the same case generation and production era. The caseback engraving — stamped 6536/1 rather than just 6536 — is the definitive identifier.
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| <span id="production-outline"></span>
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| == Production outline ==
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| The source set places the reference in the late 1950s and treats it as the most clearly documented version of the small-crown branch. Production was short, consistent with the rapid evolution of the Submariner line during this period.
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| <span id="movement-notes"></span>
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| == Movement notes ==
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| Caliber 1030 is confirmed by the Sotheby’s 2018 Lot 252 example, with the caseback stamped 6536/1 and III.57. This is a full-rotor automatic — a significant step forward from the bumper movements of the earliest Submariners.
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| <span id="dial-map"></span>
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| == Dial map ==
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| The family history gives the best structure here: early four-line layout, then red-triangle bezel variants, then later hash bezels. The Grey and Patina 1958 watch makes the red-triangle side easier to picture.
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| Rolex Forum collectors have documented an “invert” dial variant on the 6536/1 — a configuration where the dial text or printing is inverted from the standard layout. This is treated as a rare sub-variant within the reference.
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| <span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
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| == Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==
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| This is the slimmer, smaller-crown counterpart to the 6538. That thinner profile is one of the defining characteristics of the branch.
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| Forum research adds specificity to the red-triangle bezel: on 6536/1 examples, the bezel markers for the first 15 minutes feature a red-painted triangle at 12 o’clock, with minute hash marks running from 0/60 to 15. A no-hash bezel insert variant also exists on the 6536/1, where the bezel omits the minute hash marks entirely — documented by forum collectors and the Wind archive example.
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| <span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging-notes"></span>
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| == Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==
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| Sotheby’s 2018 Lot 252 gives the cleanest direct bracelet anchor with a rivet bracelet on the watch. Wind adds a stronger archive bracelet story with an original Rolex stretch rivet bracelet dated to 1957. Both fitments are period-correct for the reference.
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| <span id="special-branches"></span>
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| == Special branches ==
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| The red-triangle and later hash-bezel versions matter enough to treat as real internal branches. The red-triangle insert is the earlier, more collectible configuration; the hash-bezel represents a later evolution within the same reference.
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| <span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
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| == Historical market and auction record ==
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| Sotheby’s 2018 Lot 252 remains the strongest direct lot source. It documents a 1957 watch with caseback stamped 6536/1 and III.57, caliber 1030, and descendants-of-original-owner provenance. Wind adds an unusually strong original-owner-family archive example with no-hash bezel and original bracelet, while Grey and Patina gives a second sold 1958 example with red triangle insert.
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| Three documented lots in the source set — each with distinct bezel, bracelet, and provenance characteristics — give the 6536/1 a clearer market profile than many early Submariner references can claim.
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| == Sources ==
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| * [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/important-watches-n09952/lot.252.html Submariner Ref 6536/1, A Stainless Steel Automatic Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1957] — unknown, Sotheby's
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| * [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-1-the-early-references/ History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 1, The Early References] — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
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| * [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-small-crown-submariner-reference-65361-copy Rolex Small Crown Submariner Reference 6536-1 Unpolished] — Eric Wind, Wind Vintage
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| * [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1958-rolex-6536-1-small-crown-submariner/ 1958 Rolex 6536-1 Small Crown Submariner] — unknown, Grey and Patina
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| [[Category:Submariner]]
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| [[Category:Working Draft]]
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