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{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=BezelBase — Watch Reference Encyclopedia
|title=BezelBase — Watch Reference Encyclopedia
|description=A hobby-driven encyclopedic reference for Rolex watches. Submariner and Bubbleback coverage — every reference, every variant, every era. Historical context, production details, and collector notes.
|description=Encyclopedic reference for Rolex watches. Vintage and discontinued Rolex references documented — specs, dial variants, serial ranges, production history.
|keywords=watch reference, Rolex, Rolex Submariner, Rolex Bubbleback, Oyster, Datejust, Ovettone, vintage Rolex, collector guide, watch history, production history, dial variants
|keywords=watch reference, Rolex, Rolex Submariner, Rolex Explorer, Rolex Bubbleback, Oyster, Ovettone, vintage Rolex, collector guide, watch history, production history, dial variants
}}
}}


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Rolex changed what a wristwatch could be. The Oyster case made watches waterproof. The Perpetual rotor made them self-winding. The Submariner made them dive-rated. The Daytona timed races. The GMT-Master crossed time zones for Pan Am pilots. These are not just expensive objects — they are engineering milestones that shaped an entire industry, and every one of them has a production history worth documenting properly. That is what this project is for.
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'''Encyclopedic reference for Rolex watches.''' Production histories, dial variant taxonomies, serial range guides, movement specs, bracelet authentication, and collector context — organized by reference number. [[BezelBase:About|About →]]
</div>
 
== Submariner ==
 
{| style="width:100%; font-size:90%; border-collapse:collapse; margin-top:0.5em;"
|-
! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid #ccc; padding:2px 4px;" | Era
! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid #ccc; padding:2px 4px;" | No-date
! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid #ccc; padding:2px 4px;" | Date (steel)
! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid #ccc; padding:2px 4px;" | Date (precious metal)
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | Early<br/><small>1953–59</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" colspan="3" | [[Reference:6204|6204]] · [[Reference:6205|6205]] · [[Reference:6200|6200]] · [[Reference:6536|6536]] · [[Reference:6536-1|6536/1]] · [[Reference:6538|6538]]
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | Crown-guard<br/><small>1958–90</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:5508|5508]] · [[Reference:5510|5510]] · [[Reference:5512|5512]] · [[Reference:5513|5513]] · [[Reference:5514|5514]] · [[Reference:5517|5517]]
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:1680|1680]]
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | —
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | Five-digit<br/><small>1979–2010</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:14060|14060]] · [[Reference:14060M|14060M]]
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:16800|16800]] · [[Reference:16610|16610]] · [[Reference:16610LV|16610LV]]
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:16803|16803]] · [[Reference:16808|16808]] · [[Reference:16613|16613]] · [[Reference:16618|16618]]


We kept running into the same problem: the good information is scattered across forum threads that get buried, auction archives behind paywalls, out-of-print books trading for more than the watches they describe, and dealer sites that disappear when the business closes. So we started consolidating it. Every claim here traces to a named source. Where sources contradict each other — and they do, constantly — both sides are shown. Where nobody actually knows the answer, we say so instead of guessing. [[BezelBase:About|How this is built →]]
|}


== Reference library ==
<small>'''Collector landmarks:''' [[Reference:6538|6538]] Bond Sub · [[Reference:5513|5513]] 27-year run · [[Reference:1680|1680]] Red Sub · [[Reference:5514|5514]] COMEX · [[Reference:16610|16610]] 23-year benchmark · [[Reference:116610LV|116610LV]] Hulk · [[Reference:114060|114060]] last small Sub</small>


<div style="display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 1.5em; margin: 1em 0;">
'''[[Reference:submariner|→ Full Submariner index]]''' — every reference with specs, movement progression, and collector landmarks


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== Explorer ==
=== [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] ===


We started here because the Submariner is the reference that never lets you stop researching. Thirty-nine distinct references across seventy years of production. The 6204 showed up in 1953 with a 100m depth rating and no crown guards, and by the time you get to the current 126-series the watch has been through gilt dials, matte dials, aluminum bezels, ceramic bezels, acrylic crystals, sapphire crystals, and more bracelet configurations than most people realize exist. A single reference like the 5513 ran for 27 years and produced enough dial variants to fill its own taxonomy. We have 36 articles live — each one covers specs, movement history, dial variants, bracelets, and whatever the auction record actually says. More references are in progress.
{| style="width:100%; font-size:90%; border-collapse:collapse; margin-top:0.5em;"
|-
! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid #ccc; padding:2px 4px;" | Era
! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid #ccc; padding:2px 4px;" | References
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | Pre-Explorer & early<br/><small>1952–59</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:6150|6150]] · [[Reference:6350|6350]] · [[Reference:6610|6610]]
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | Foundation<br/><small>1960–89</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:1016|1016]]
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | Modern<br/><small>1989–2021</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:14270|14270]] · [[Reference:114270|114270]] · [[Reference:214270|214270]]


'''Highlights:'''
|}
* [[Reference:6538|6538]] — the James Bond Submariner
* [[Reference:5513|5513]] — 27-year production run, the broadest vintage reference
* [[Reference:1680|1680]] — first Submariner Date, Red Sub and White Sub eras
* [[Reference:16610|16610]] — the 23-year benchmark modern Submariner
* [[Reference:116610LV|116610LV]] — the "Hulk," now a modern collectible
* [[Reference:114060|114060]] — the last 40mm no-date, "the last small Sub"


'''[[Reference:submariner|→ Full Submariner index]]'''
<small>'''Collector landmarks:''' [[Reference:6350|6350]] first "Explorer" name · [[Reference:1016|1016]] 29-year run, gilt & matte eras · [[Reference:14270|14270]] Blackout</small>
</div>
 
'''[[Reference:explorer|→ Full Explorer index]]''' — every reference with specs, movement progression, and collector landmarks


<div style="flex: 1; min-width: 280px; background: #f8f8f8; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 4px; padding: 1.2em;">
== Oyster & Bubbleback ==
=== [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] ===


Before the Submariner there was the Bubbleback. The Bubbleback is the Oyster Perpetual's first act — the watches Rolex built between 1933 and the mid-1950s with a domed caseback, because the 360-degree automatic rotor the company had just patented was too thick to fit a flat case. Twenty-two years of production, roughly 172 variants per the Vintage Rolex Field Manual, and inside the first one is caliber 520 with step-by-step service instructions engraved around the main plate — Rolex literally teaching watchmakers how to service a movement the industry had never seen. The Bubbleback is where Rolex stopped being a precision watchmaker and started being the brand that the rest of the industry would spend the next half-century catching up to. Five reference articles are live, covering the lineage from the first manual-wind gold Oyster through the first Datejust.
{| style="width:100%; font-size:90%; border-collapse:collapse; margin-top:0.5em;"
|-
! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid #ccc; padding:2px 4px;" | Era
! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid #ccc; padding:2px 4px;" | References
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | Pre-Perpetual Oyster<br/><small>1926–1932</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:2136|2136]]
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | First Bubbleback<br/><small>1933–1935</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:1858|1858]]
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | Two-piece case era<br/><small>1936–1944</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:3131|3131]] · [[Reference:3372|3372]]
|-
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; white-space:nowrap;" | First Datejust / Ovettone<br/><small>1945–1949</small>
| style="padding:4px; vertical-align:top;" | [[Reference:4467|4467]]


'''Highlights:'''
|}
* [[Reference:2136|2136]] — early manual-wind gold Oyster, cushion and octagonal cases (1926–1940)
* [[Reference:1858|1858]] — the first Bubbleback, Cal. 520, Didactic engraved movement (1933)
* [[Reference:3131|3131]] — the first two-piece case Bubbleback, Cal. 620 (1936)
* [[Reference:3372|3372]] — the "Luxury Model," engine-turned bezel flagship (1938–1950)
* [[Reference:4467|4467]] — the first Datejust, ''Ovettone,'' Jubilee bracelet debut (1945)


'''[[Reference:bubbleback|→ Full Bubbleback index]]'''
<small>'''Collector landmarks:''' [[Reference:2136|2136]] early gold Oyster · [[Reference:1858|1858]] first Bubbleback, Cal. 520 Didactic · [[Reference:3131|3131]] first two-piece case BB · [[Reference:3372|3372]] Luxury Model · [[Reference:4467|4467]] first Datejust, Jubilee bracelet debut</small>
</div>


</div>
'''[[Reference:bubbleback|→ Full Bubbleback index]]''' — every reference with specs, movement progression, and collector landmarks


</div>
</div>


[[Category:BezelBase]]
[[Category:BezelBase]]

Revision as of 21:10, 17 April 2026

Encyclopedic reference for Rolex watches. Production histories, dial variant taxonomies, serial range guides, movement specs, bracelet authentication, and collector context — organized by reference number. About →

Submariner

Era No-date Date (steel) Date (precious metal)
Early
1953–59 		6204 · 6205 · 6200 · 6536 · 6536/1 · 6538
Crown-guard
1958–90 		5508 · 5510 · 5512 · 5513 · 5514 · 5517 1680 —
Five-digit
1979–2010 		14060 · 14060M 16800 · 16610 · 16610LV 16803 · 16808 · 16613 · 16618

Collector landmarks: 6538 Bond Sub · 5513 27-year run · 1680 Red Sub · 5514 COMEX · 16610 23-year benchmark · 116610LV Hulk · 114060 last small Sub

→ Full Submariner index — every reference with specs, movement progression, and collector landmarks

Explorer

Era References
Pre-Explorer & early
1952–59 		6150 · 6350 · 6610
Foundation
1960–89 		1016
Modern
1989–2021 		14270 · 114270 · 214270

Collector landmarks: 6350 first "Explorer" name · 1016 29-year run, gilt & matte eras · 14270 Blackout

→ Full Explorer index — every reference with specs, movement progression, and collector landmarks

Oyster & Bubbleback

Era References
Pre-Perpetual Oyster
1926–1932 		2136
First Bubbleback
1933–1935 		1858
Two-piece case era
1936–1944 		3131 · 3372
First Datejust / Ovettone
1945–1949 		4467

Collector landmarks: 2136 early gold Oyster · 1858 first Bubbleback, Cal. 520 Didactic · 3131 first two-piece case BB · 3372 Luxury Model · 4467 first Datejust, Jubilee bracelet debut

→ Full Bubbleback index — every reference with specs, movement progression, and collector landmarks

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