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|title=BezelBase — The Encyclopedic Reference for Watch Collectors | |title=BezelBase — The Encyclopedic Reference for Watch Collectors | ||
|description= | |description=A community-built encyclopedic reference for Rolex watches — historical and modern. Production history, specifications, variants, and collector context. Starting with the Submariner. | ||
|keywords=watch reference, Rolex Submariner, collector guide, vintage Rolex, watch specifications, production history, dial variants | |keywords=watch reference, Rolex, Rolex Submariner, collector guide, vintage Rolex, watch specifications, production history, dial variants | ||
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== What this is == | == What this is == | ||
BezelBase is | BezelBase is an enthusiast-driven project to collect, organize, and publish everything worth knowing about Rolex watches — historical and modern. Production histories, specification changes, dial variants, bracelet fitments, movement upgrades, special branches, and the collector context around all of it. Built by people who care about getting the details right. | ||
The goal is an encyclopedic reference for every Rolex family, assembled from primary Rolex material, serious collector literature, specialist dealers, and auction records. Where evidence conflicts, both sides are presented with attribution. Where gaps exist, they are named honestly. Nothing is invented. | |||
'''39 complete reference articles''' | We are starting with the Submariner — '''39 complete reference articles''' covering every reference from the first 6204 in 1953 through the current 126-series production. More families will follow. | ||
== | == Submariner references == | ||
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==== Honest about gaps ==== | ==== Honest about gaps ==== | ||
Rolex's history has real gaps — undocumented production changes, disputed dates, conflicting dealer accounts. BezelBase names those gaps instead of papering over them. If something is conjecture, it says so. | |||
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Revision as of 15:54, 14 April 2026
BezelBase
The encyclopedic reference for watch collectors
What this is
BezelBase is an enthusiast-driven project to collect, organize, and publish everything worth knowing about Rolex watches — historical and modern. Production histories, specification changes, dial variants, bracelet fitments, movement upgrades, special branches, and the collector context around all of it. Built by people who care about getting the details right.
The goal is an encyclopedic reference for every Rolex family, assembled from primary Rolex material, serious collector literature, specialist dealers, and auction records. Where evidence conflicts, both sides are presented with attribution. Where gaps exist, they are named honestly. Nothing is invented.
We are starting with the Submariner — 39 complete reference articles covering every reference from the first 6204 in 1953 through the current 126-series production. More families will follow.
Submariner references
Vintage (1953–1979)
The gilt and matte eras. No crown guards to crown guards. Radium to tritium. This is where the Submariner was invented and reinvented, sometimes year to year.
No-date references:
6204 · 6205 · 6200 · 6536 · 6536/1 · 6538 · 5508 · 5510 · 5512 · 5513 · 5514 · 5517
Date references:
1680
Overviews:
Early family (pre-crown-guards) · 5xxx family
Transitional (1979–2010)
Sapphire crystals, caliber 3035, then 3135. The five-digit era spans the shift from tool watch to luxury collectible — and the references reflect it, in steel, gold, and two-tone.
No-date references:
14060 · 14060M
Date references (steel):
16800 · 16610 · 16610LV
Date references (precious metal):
16803 · 16808 · 16613 · 16618
Modern (2010–present)
Cerachrom bezels, Glidelock bracelets, the 41mm case. The six-digit era is the Submariner refined to its most polished form — and the beginning of its life as a collector's reference in its own right.
No-date references:
114060 · 124060
Date references (steel):
116610LN · 116610LV · 126610LN · 126610LV
Date references (precious metal):
116613 · 116618 · 116619LB · 126613LB · 126613LN · 126618LB · 126618LN · 126619LB
What makes this different
Sourced, not speculated
Every claim traces back to a named source — Rolex primary material, the Vintage Rolex Field Manual, auction catalogues from Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's, specialist dealer archives, and vetted collector research. Where sources disagree, both positions are presented.
Structured for reference
Each article follows the same architecture: core specifications, production timeline, movement notes, dial map, case and bezel details, bracelet fitment, special branches, and market context. Find what you need without reading the whole page.
Honest about gaps
Rolex's history has real gaps — undocumented production changes, disputed dates, conflicting dealer accounts. BezelBase names those gaps instead of papering over them. If something is conjecture, it says so.
Contribute
BezelBase is open for contribution. Every edit is reviewed and attributed.
- Improve an article — find a reference page that needs work and click Edit source
- Add sources — bring auction results, dealer documentation, or published research that strengthens existing claims
- Upload photos — contribute images of watches you own (see our image policy)
- Flag errors — if something is wrong, mark it for review; accuracy matters more than completeness
All contributions follow Wikipedia-style sourcing: claims should be backed by reliable, named sources. Forum consensus alone is not enough — but well-documented forum research with specific evidence is welcome.