Reference:16800
Submariner -> 16800
The 16800 is the transitional Submariner Date. Introduced around 1979 as the successor to the 1680, it arrived with three changes that would define the modern Submariner: a sapphire crystal (the first ever fitted to a Submariner), a 300-metre depth rating up from 200m, and a quick-set date via caliber 3035. Production ran until about 1988, when the 16610 took over for a 23-year reign, with the brief 168000 “Triple Zero” slotted in between.
The sapphire crystal is the reference’s most important technical landmark. Every prior Submariner — the 1680, the 5513, the 6538 — wore an acrylic crystal. The 16800 broke that continuity, and every subsequent Submariner has used sapphire.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| production | approximately 1979 to 1988 |
| family | Submariner Date |
| crystal | sapphire — first on any Submariner (landmark specification change) |
| water resistance | 300m / 1000ft (up from 200m on the 1680) |
| case | 40mm Oyster with crown guards |
| crown | Triplock |
| movement | caliber 3035 with quick-set date and hacking (main production; some early examples carry 1575) |
| bracelet | 93150 with 593 end links (the 501B end links belong to the 168000, not the 16800) |
| dial | matte (early, tritium) transitioning to gloss (later) |
| lume | tritium throughout |
| date wheel | silver with open 6s and 9s (period-correct); RSC service replacements use closed 6/9 white date wheels |
| steel | 316L stainless (the 168000 introduced 904L) |
| bezel action | unidirectional ratcheting — first Submariner with this feature; all previous Submariners used bidirectional friction-fitted bezels |
Where it sits in the line
The 16800 sits between the vintage and modern Submariner. The 1680 before it used an acrylic crystal, a 200m rating, and a movement without quick-set date. The 16610 after it settled on caliber 3135 and ran for 23 years. With the 16800, the Submariner Date became a modern diving watch in its technical specification, even though the external design barely shifted.
The lineage through this period:
- 1680 (1966–1979): acrylic crystal, 200m, caliber 1575/1570
- 16800 (1979–1988): sapphire crystal, 300m, caliber 3035 ← this reference
- 168000 “Triple Zero” (1986–1987, transitional): first 904L steel, 501B end links
- 16610 (1989–2010): caliber 3135, fully modern
The two-tone and gold siblings, 16803 and 16808, share the same case architecture and movement but are separate references.
Production outline
The 16800 ran for roughly eight to nine years, from 1979 to 1988. The main internal split is the movement caliber.
Early: caliber 1575
The earliest 16800 examples carried over the caliber 1575 from the 1680. These watches wear the new sapphire crystal and 300m rating but lack the quick-set date; the date advances only by running the hands past midnight. An early 16800 looks modern on the outside and operates like a vintage Submariner inside, which gives these transitional pieces their own collecting identity.
Later: caliber 3035
Later examples switched to caliber 3035, which brought quick-set date (advancing the date independently by pulling the crown to the first position) and hacking seconds. This is the most practical difference between early and late examples, and the 3035 is the movement most buyers will encounter. The exact serial range of the changeover is not firmly established.
End of run: transition to 168000 and 16610
Around 1986–1987, production of the brief 168000 “Triple Zero” overlapped with the late 16800. The 168000 ran for about seven to nine months and is distinguished by its switch to 904L stainless steel (vs. 316L on the 16800) and its 501B end links (vs. 593 on the 16800). Some sources treat the 168000 as a late 16800 variant; others document it as a distinct reference. Either way, its production preceded the 16610.
Most sources cite the 168000 production window as 1986–1987. Vintage Rolex Forum research narrows this further, placing production specifically in 1987, a run of about seven months within a single calendar year. The difference matters for dating: if that account is correct, any 168000 should correspond to a 1987 serial band.
The 168000 “Triple Zero”: a collectible sub-variant
The 168000 sits in one of the most compressed production windows in Submariner history, about seven to nine months in 1986–1987. That scarcity is what drives collector attention to it.
The Triple Zero name comes from the three consecutive zeros, but the watch matters for its 904L case and its compressed run, not for the nickname.
The 168000 used caliber 3035, the same movement as the late 16800. The 16610 that followed upgraded to caliber 3135.
Movement notes
The movement split is the main internal variation of the 16800. Caliber 1575 carried over from the 1680 with no quick-set and no hacking, running at 19,800 vph; these early pieces are the rarer configuration. Caliber 3035 was the new movement for this era, beating at 28,800 vph (4 Hz) with quick-set date and hacking seconds, and a 42-hour power reserve. The 3035 is the caliber most 16800 buyers will encounter.
The 3035 also appears in the Datejust 16000 series and other Rolex date references of the period. It was a workhorse Rolex date caliber, running in the 16800, 16803, and 16808 before the 3135 replaced it in the next generation.
The white-gold hands on the 16800 tend to take on a slightly more yellow cast than on modern Submariners, a characteristic of the alloy and of aging from this era.
Cal. 3035 known maintenance issue
A recurring service concern is reported across Vintage Rolex Forum threads on the caliber 3035. The automatic winding weight axle and its top jewel need careful lubrication; when the lubricant dries or degrades (common in long-unserviced examples), the rotor can develop excessive play or binding. Watchmakers familiar with the 3035 watch this point at every service. Buyers evaluating an unserviced 16800 should expect the auto weight assembly to need attention.
Dial map
The 16800 dial evolved in the way collectors care about most: matte first, gloss later. Early matte watches carry the direct transitional appeal; later glossy watches point toward the 16610 world.
The matte-to-gloss transition happened during the 16800 run. Vintage Rolex Forum collectors place the changeover zone at about serial 8.4M to 8.6M, where both matte and gloss dials appear. Watches below 8.4M are predominantly matte, and watches above 8.6M are predominantly gloss. These boundaries are collector-derived approximations, not factory records.
A VRF matte dial comparison chart documents visible variations across the matte production run at serials 6.4M, 7.1M, 7.2M (also appearing at 8.3M), and 8.2M, with subtle differences in font weight, text spacing, and coronet proportions. One VRF member confirmed a matte dial still present at serial 8.275M, and another at the end of the 8.3M range, establishing that matte dials were definitely in use through the 8.3M serial range. Gloss dials with serial numbers below 8.0M (such as 7.3M and 7.5M) are almost certainly RSC service replacements.
The period-correct date wheel is silver with open 6s and 9s. RSC service replacements from about 1998 onward use a white date wheel with closed 6s and 9s. A closed-6/9 date wheel on a 16800 is a service indicator.
VRF threads also flag a specific RSC dial-replacement pattern: the Rolex Service Center has been swapping matte dials for gloss dials for about two decades. A 16800 wearing a gloss dial in the matte serial range (below about 8.4M) may have had its original matte dial replaced during an authorised Rolex service. The matte dial is the more collectible configuration, and its replacement with gloss materially reduces the watch’s collector value. When evaluating an early-serial 16800, verify dial type against serial number and look for other signs of RSC service history.
Spider dials
Spider dials are a documented 16800 phenomenon from the mid-to-late 1980s. The cracking sits in the gloss finish, not in the print or the applied markers, and is treated by collectors as an honest aging trait rather than a defect to be hidden.
Tropical dials
Tropical 16800 dials are period black dials that have shifted brown over time. Even colour change usually adds appeal and is treated as evidence of an original dial rather than a refinish.
General dial notes
Lume is tritium throughout. Dial markings show T SWISS T or T<25 depending on production date. Hands on this reference commonly age to a different color than the dial lume plots, a characteristic tritium-era aging pattern.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The case carries over from the 1680 as the same 40mm crown-guard Oyster, but the crystal is the defining break with the past. Sapphire is flat and substantially harder than the old domed acrylic, so it does not develop the warm dome distortion that vintage collectors prize on the 5513 and 1680, and it does not scratch under normal wear.
The bezel uses an aluminum insert, black with a luminous pearl at 12; the same insert style continued through the 16610 era. The depth rating reads 300m / 1000ft, printed on the dial or engraved on the rehaut depending on production date. The crown is Triplock.
Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes
The 16800 was fitted with the 93150 Oyster bracelet on 593 end links. There are no solid end links; that upgrade arrived with later references. The clasp uses the older fold-out diver’s extension. The end-link code is the cleanest authentication checkpoint for separating a 16800 from a 168000, since the 501B end links that sometimes turn up in 16800 listings actually belong to the 168000 “Triple Zero.” A 16800 offered with 501B end links has either had its bracelet replaced or been misidentified.
Other distinguishing details versus modern Submariners: the 16800 retains drilled lug holes for spring-bar tool access, has no engraved Rolex ring on the inner dial flange (rehaut), and no laser-etched coronet on the sapphire crystal. These features were all added on successor references.
Clasps on the 93150 carry date codes that help date the bracelet, not the watch head. A later clasp does not change the production date of the watch.
Three box configurations are documented across the 16800 run. The earliest boxes are the American horseshoe style; mid-production examples carry the Brettchen box with its sea-bottom motif; late production shipped in the tree-pattern box with a beige envelope.
Two booklet types are documented: a dark-cover Submariner booklet (earlier) and a newer-style diver booklet with “Submariner” written in white (later). Warranty papers also came in two formats across the production run. Complete sets with box and papers already command premiums on the secondary market.
Special branches
COMEX
Rolex produced about 300 numbered 16800 Submariners for COMEX (Compagnie maritime d’expertises), the French deep-diving firm, between 1982 and 1986. These carry the COMEX name on the dial and a numbered COMEX engraving on the caseback. Both matte and gloss dial configurations exist across this production window.
A known issue affects the gloss-dial COMEX 16800. On tritium COMEX logo dials, small pieces of the applied COMEX marking would detach from the dial surface. Many affected watches received a 16610 tritium replacement COMEX dial during service, meaning some COMEX 16800 watches now wear a dial from the successor reference. The replacement dial is period-correct in style but not original to the 16800, and the distinction matters for authentication.
Historical market and auction record
The 16800 occupies a specific market position. It is too modern to carry the full vintage premium of a 1680 or 5513, but its short production run and landmark specifications (the first sapphire crystal, the move to 300m) give it real collector credibility. Early matte-dial examples on caliber 1575 attract the most attention from transitional-era specialists.
The 168000 “Triple Zero” sub-variant, when it appears as such, commands a premium above the standard 16800 based on its extreme brevity of production and its role as the first 904L Submariner.
Sources
- History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
- The Rolex Submariner: A Complete Collector's Guide — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- The Complete Vintage Rolex Buyers Guide — Philipp Stahl, Rolex Passion Market
- RolexForums 16800 thread bundle — RolexForums community, RolexForums
- The Crossroads of Vintage and Contemporary: The 16800 Submariner — Craft + Tailored, 2018
- Rolex Submariner Evolution: 1680 vs 16800 vs 168000 — Bob's Watches
- Rolex 16800/168000 Dial Variation — hammywatch, mineralVRF, alligoat, Xeramic et al., Vintage Rolex Forum (2019)